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Sunday, October 05, 2008
Cead Mile Failte
"One Hundred Thousand Welcomes"
By Rev. Cindy Bates
Matthew 10:40-42
40 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."
A few days ago, while traveling in Ireland with many other pilgrims from this place, I needed to e-mail my title for today’s sermon to Susan Bell so she could put it in last Sunday’s bulletin. I think she thought something very unusual had occurred in cyberspace to rearrange the letters into something that appeared incoherent. Secretly I think she might have thought I was frequenting too many Irish pubs. But I really meant what I had written. Cead mile failte is Gaelic or Irish for “one hundred thousand welcomes.” Wherever we went in Ireland we saw or heard, “Cead mile failte.” It struck me as such a grace-filled, hospitable greeting. Not simply, nice to have you here, or welcome to this place, or a handshake and have a seat….But you are welcomed with an extravagance multiplied by the thousands. As I knew I would be preaching today on World Communion Sunday, and reflecting on the meaning of coming together at Christ’s table, the phrase “a hundred thousand welcomes” kept echoing in my ears and reminding me that no matter who we are, no matter what language we speak, we are offered a hundred thousand welcomes to come to this table.
Today on World Communion Sunday we are literally celebrating this sacrament with millions of Christians around the world. When we live in a world of chaos and divisiveness, disharmony and uncertainty, how important it is to seek ways to reach across borders and boundaries and divisions to come together around a common table. World Communion Sunday came into being through the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1936. Even though it began as a way of uniting Presbyterians around the world, it was designed so other denominations could join them. Soon it was celebrated the first Sunday in October worldwide and throughout Christian faith. World Communion Sunday symbolizes the intent of followers of Jesus Christ, to come together around a common table of love and grace, to make a difference in the world because of our belief and assurance of God’s presence with us. World Communion Sunday offers congregations a distinctive opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith. On this Sunday we celebrate that we are all welcome at God’s table. So today, persons are saying the words of welcome in great cathedrals and thatched huts, in storefronts and on hilltops, in ancient ruins and in modern sanctuaries. Everywhere there are followers of Jesus, a sacred feast has been prepared.
Jesus had a lot to say about welcoming, inviting, offering hospitality to one another. In today’s scripture from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is talking to his disciples when he says, “Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me, welcomes the one who sent me.” It is an affirmation that authorizes and empowers his disciples as his representatives and further claims that he, Jesus the Christ, is a representative of God. I have a sign that hangs on my porch by the front door. It is a word from St. Benedict that says, “All are to be welcomed as Christ.” Obviously St. Benedict was familiar with today’s scripture. The message is there not only as a welcome to whomever might come to my door, but it hangs there as a reminder to me that Christ welcomed all and asked anyone who followed him to do the same. I find that saying and today’s scripture assuring and at the same time an awesome responsibility. As Christians, the words or actions that come from us are to represent the One we claim to follow. We know that! Do we really live that?
Just last Sunday, Harvey preached on our congregation’s vision statement which includes the phrase, “radical hospitality” which we interpret to mean welcoming every person no matter the ethnic origin, religious background, sexual identity, ability or disability…welcoming everyone as God welcomes us. That’s a huge order to fill especially when our prejudices, fears and our bigotry often feel like part of our DNA as human beings. And yet, when I look at our world today, broken in so many places by greed and misused power, violence and hatred and an inability to see others as ourselves, I believe our God is saying not only is radical hospitality asked of us, it is demanded of us if we are going to survive as a human race.
It was interesting to be in Ireland last week and experience the local reaction to what was happening in this country regarding the economy. People around the world know that we are globally connected as a community and what happens here not only affects our citizens but impacts the world population. The late theologian and preacher/writer William Sloane Coffin tried to impress upon us the importance of global connectedness when he said, “The new survival unit is no longer the individual nation; it’s the entire human race and it’s environment. This newfound oneness is only a rediscovery of an ancient religious truth. Unity is not something we are called to create; it’s something we are called to recognize.”
I find that a profound statement. Unity, connectedness, is inherent in God’s creation. God created us believing we could celebrate both how we are alike and how we are different without excluding one another. God created us to be able to sit together around a common table and say, “You are welcome here.”
The Monday Noon Book Group has been reading Greg Mortenson’s story of being welcomed into a community of Muslims and being so moved by their hospitality and care for him that he vowed to return and build schools for their children. If you have not already read the Three Cups of Tea, I highly recommend it to you. It is a beautiful, powerful story that eloquently demonstrates how even as individuals we can be Christ to others. We are working to be able to bring Greg to St. Andrew to learn from his powerful story so I hope you will be hearing more about that later.
I know I have used this before, but I love the Hasidic tale about an old rabbi who asked his pupils how they could tell when the night had ended and the day had begun. “Could it be”, asked one of his students, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell whether it’s a sheep or a dog?” “No”, answered the rabbi. Another asked, “Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance and tell whether it’s a peach tree or a fig tree?” “No,” answered the rabbi. “Then, what is it?” the pupils demanded. “It is when you can look on the face of any man or woman and see that it is your sister or your brother. Because, if you cannot see this, it is still night.”
Benedictine sister Joan Chittister says it this way, “Hospitality is the way we come out of ourselves. It is the first step toward dismantling the barriers of the world. Hospitality is the way we turn a prejudiced world around one heart at a time.” What are those ways you and I can be Christ to others, literally healing the world one heart at a time? It’s like each day we are welcomed into the heart of God with the hope that our heart will also be opened to others. Each day we are welcomed to the table with the hope we will always live in ways that welcome others to the table as well.
God’s table offers an unconditional welcome. No matter how skeptical or cynical you may become about this world and our lives…you are welcome here. No matter how angry you have been with God for not going the way you wanted or planned….you are welcome here. No matter how long you have taken for granted the blessings and the gifts of this life….you are welcome here. No matter the last time you risked offering something of yourself to someone else…you are welcome here. No matter how judgmental you may have become with those who are different from you….you are welcome here. One hundred thousand welcomes to be a beloved guest at the table are offered to you this day and each of your days. And in that welcoming hospitality of acceptance and openness there must be a glimmer of hope in God’s eyes that something from the welcome at this table will seep into our deepest being and somehow transform who we are and how we live in this world.
The transformation that comes from these gifts of bread and wine, these symbols of forgiveness and hope is a transformation that not only changes who we are but also changes the world in which we live. World Communion Sunday reminds us that these symbols, this table, are not just for us. This table is for the world, for all of God’s creation.
This table has room for all of God’s children to have a place…not just the white ones or the straight ones or the middle class ones or the educated ones. This table is for everyone who wants to come and share in the grand vision of peace, the grand vision of love, the grand vision of acceptance across lines of difference, the grand vision for redemption for all that is broken, and for all that we think may be lost. God brings it all together right here, with a small piece of bread, an ever so small touch of wine and simple words, “God’s gifts given for you.” Cead mile failte! A hundred thousand welcomes!