There’s a certain flow to our life in community this weekend:
o Yesterday, we gathered together for a celebration of life for Jo Gross. Among the many aspects of Jo’s life that we celebrated, we remembered and gave thanks for all the ways that Jo led this and other communities in ministries of feeding the hungry – insisting that “the poor should never be served poorly” – encouraging us to set a proper and welcoming table.
o That celebration of life flows quite naturally into today’s celebration of World Communion Sunday, as we gather at this table – Christ’s own table – mindful of those around the world who are doing the same.
o And all that, flows into – and out of, really – this morning’s Scripture as Jesus feeds a multitude – or, as he tells his weary and haggard disciples: “You give them something to eat.”
At the center of each of these – Jo’s feeding ministries, World Communion Sunday, and this story of Jesus and the disciples feeding a multitude – at the center of each, there is A Welcome Table.
Let’s look first at this Scripture. Throughout this year, we’ve been travelling along through the Gospel of Mark – the breathless gospel – as Jesus moves with dispatch from place to place – teaching, healing, proclaiming the reign of God, urgently, insistently, right here, right now. When we left off a few weeks ago, Jesus was sending his disciples out – sending them to do the work of Jesus in the world – to teach and to heal, and to proclaim the good news. That was the beginning of chapter 6, and here towards the end of chapter 6, they report back.
All those who were sent, come back home – and as this morning’s scripture picks up, they are breathlessly telling Jesus all that they have done and taught.[1] And Jesus sees that they are tired. They’ve been so busy reporting back that they haven’t even had a chance to eat. So Jesus says, “Come with me – let’s go to a solitary place – a wilderness place – and get some rest.” This too is something Jesus does – he works and works and works, teaches and heals, urgently proclaims the good news – and, from time to time, he pauses to take a breath and refresh his body and spirit.
But this is the Gospel of Mark – there’s rarely a spare moment – and immediately the crowd – the big crowd from all the towns – they run ahead. And when Jesus and the disciples pull their boat up to the quiet place – there they the crowd is – waiting, and needy, and already hungry.
Scripture says – Jesus feels compassion for them – in the Greek compassion is a full-on from the gut experience – and weary as he is – and the disciples are – he sees their need, and he teaches them... many things.
And it’s late in the day – everyone is weary – everyone is hungry, and the disciples bring this to Jesus. “It’s late. This place is remote. Send the crowd away – so they can get something to eat.”
And Jesus says: “You give them something to eat.” The Scripture tells us there are way more than 5,000 of them. And Jesus says to his disciples: “You give them something to eat.” To the disciples, this feels impossible... and expensive... how? who? us?
And look what happens. Jesus asks, “How many loaves do you have?” They find five loaves... and.. beyond that – they have two fish. Jesus tells them to organize the multitudes, have them take a seat in the grass, as Jesus blesses the loaves and the fish. And then the disciples begin to pass out what they have... and somehow... as all this happens.. they find enough... more than enough... and everyone is fed... and everyone is satisfied. Not only that... there are twelve basketfuls leftover. (Now when you see that number 12 – think the 12 tribes of Israel – there’s not just enough for the 5,000 – there’s enough for everyone.)[2]
This is A Welcome Table – more expansive than we can imagine.
We call this story miraculous, and it is. From what appears to be not anywhere close to enough, what emerges is a superabundance. Miraculous indeed.
And, we know stories of our own – just as miraculous as this.
As we’ve moved toward this weekend, I’ve been thinking about this story, and World Communion, and about the celebration of Jo Gross’s life – and particularly the feeding ministries she inspired here and in Sioux Falls. One of the many gifts Jo gave us over the course of her life was a collection of books – her essays, and devotions, and reflections. I took this book – The Welcome Table – on my trip, and I read it on the plane.[3] It tells the story of a ministry she helped found and build in Sioux Falls, South Dakota – The Banquet – that inspired, years later, this church’s participation in the REST shelter.
I told part of the story yesterday. In the spring of 1985, Jo and a number of other folks in Sioux Falls noticed a growing number of people in Sioux Falls who were going hungry. And they thought, “We should do something about that.” But the task was daunting – the need was great – and where would they find the people, the place, and the means to do what needed to be done.
So they did their homework. They visited a number of ministries, in several cities to see how folks were feeding those who were hungry. They found some good ideas to replicate, but they also noticed some things that didn’t feel right. They saw hungry folks being ushered through food lines, food thrown onto paper plates, more security in the room than community.
One story that I didn’t have time to tell yesterday: They went to New York City to visit some feeding ministries, and while they were there, they went to worship at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. It just happened to be October 5, which just happened to be... World Communion Sunday. AND, what Jo hadn’t realized before – and neither had I – is that this Sunday also just happens to be the feast day of St. Francis. And so, at St. John the Divine, they were celebrating both World Communion AND a Blessing of the Animals.
Now, I don’t know if you’ve been to St. John the Divine. But it is big. Jo describes the service as full of liturgy, and dance, reminders of our connection to all creation – and if I read her right, at that World Communion Sunday and Blessing of the Animals – there was a sizeable human congregation (she was in the SRO section)... AND, there were “dogs, cats, snakes, and birds, along with an elephant, a horse, a monkey, and a camel.” And Jo says that she thought: “Only in this city of color, energy, and show business, could such an extravaganza take place,” but then she thought, “Why not?” If they can extend a welcome that big here, then surely, in Sioux Falls, we can do what needs to be done. From that experience of World Communion Jo writes: “What was it Christ said? “This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Christ’s words are not “think this” or “consider this” or even “pray about this.” Jesus said, “Do this.”
And they went back home. They put together the resources. They decided to forego government grants – and instead built a community of communities – inviting donations from faith communities, civic organizations, businesses. But here’s the thing: When they invited donations, they also asked that the organizations also participate in the actual feeding – that they give money AND volunteer.
What emerged, and came to be called “The Banquet,” was a kitchen and dining hall – where organizations would take turns and come and prepare and serve meals – and feed the hungry. At the end of her book, Jo gives an appendix with the names of all the organizations that had participated by 1985. Page after page. I did a rough count and there are over 400! “You give them something to eat.”
Now, that ministry was shaped by what they had seen and learned along the way. The way they served the hungry and needy was very particular – and we know what that looked like – because Jo taught us that here when we participated in the REST shelter – feeding the hungry once a week (at least once a week) in Duncan Hall.
Jo insisted: “The poor should never be served poorly.” Jo was clear that when we serve folks as Jesus did it must be in a way that met not only their bodily needs, but that also honored their – and our – full dignity. And so, when we extend hospitality: We bring out the tablecloths, and the cloth napkins, and real plates and silverware. We might put some flowers on the table – preferably gladiolas. Sometimes there’s music. Everyone gets a nametag – so that each person is known, and can hear their name spoken out loud – but only first names on those name tags – no titles – no barriers – we are all companions.
We also know that Jo insisted: “We eat with the guests we welcome and serve.”Yes, we are to serve our guests – and serve them well – those who are hungry are to feast. And we are to feast together. We welcome each other; we extend hospitality to each other. Serving people like Jesus served people means eating alongside each other. It was all about table fellowship – conversation – creating community.
It was A Welcome Table. In her book, Jo explains: “A meal at a welcome table is a locus for interaction where people share out of their common humanity” – “it is a sacrament” – “it is a meal with a message.” Doing this – feeding the hungry and sharing a meal at a welcome table – is nothing less than doing what Jesus does. Not just one of the things that Jesus does. In The Welcome Table, Jo argues that feeding people is the main thing that Jesus does – she calls it “his opening line.”
So if you ever volunteered with the REST program, or if you’ve volunteered with a feeding ministry – for a moment, remember what that was like. Silence for reflection.
Or remember a meal you have shared with those you love, or a meal shared with a stranger, or a meal that we have shared here. Silence for reflection.
The Banquet in Sioux Falls is still going strong, nearly 40 years later. I think of all the folks that have been fed there. I think of all the folks who were fed through the REST shelter – here – and by all the faith communities that participated in that shared, collaborative ministry. I am pretty sure that we are talking about a multitude – with basketsful to spare.
I think we should be careful not to discount the miraculous that we experience in the work we do here in the world. I think that we should not shy away from calling the miraculous “miraculous.” Jesus says, “Give them something to do.” And sometimes – working together – and by the power of the Spirit at work in community – sometimes we actually do – we actually can. Out of what we think is not nearly enough, a multitude is fed at a wide-open welcome table, with basketsful to spare.
I want to be clear. Jo Gross is correct: This is the work of Jesus we are talking about. Jesus invites us to the welcome table, one and all, and when we gather the deep need of the world becomes clear. Now, these stories are important to remember, but the work is by no means done. We know – and see – the deep need that continues in the world today:
I don’t know about you, but my heart is breaking as I see images of how folks are suffering in North Carolina. Homes, businesses washed away – roads passable only to donkeys carrying in essential food and medicine. I don’t know if you know this, but Western North Carolina has a lot of Presbyterians – one of our retreat centers is there – so I know a good number of people there. It’s not just the power being out – pipes that carry the water supply are gone.
We had our Presbyterian Disaster Assistance colleagues with us just a month ago. You can give directly to PDA, or, next week, we’ll take up our denominational Peace and Global Witness offering – there’s a local part of that that the denomination is inviting churches to contribute to the relief efforts. With churches across the country, we hear those words of Jesus, “You give them something to eat.”
I returned from my trip this week, and I was amazed to see what the refugee-housing team has been up to. We know there are so many migrating people in need of a home – and there’s renewed energy here (after that visit from PDA) to build out a guest room here. I haven’t heard everything they’ve done – but they are on it – there’s a proposal in motion – including a grant request – a promising partnership with the Marin Interfaith Council. “You give them something to eat” – or maybe a safe place to sleep.
There is a certain flow to our life in community this weekend – with this story of Jesus and the disciples feeding the multitude, the story of The Banquet ministry in Sioux Falls, the story of the REST shelter here – these stories of miraculous provision – each with its own Welcome Table. At the Welcome Table, Jesus invites us one and all to gather together; in community, the deep need of the world becomes clear; and Jesus says to us, “You give them something to eat.”
And on this World Communion Sunday, that flow of our life in community is all towards this Welcome Table – Christ’s own table – the table to which folks will come from north and south and east and west – to feast in the kingdom of God – in the world where God’s will is done – where no one goes hungry and everyone has enough.
Let’s let this prayer from Jo’s book – it’s by Sister Marily Robinson – be our invitation to the Table:
The Kingdom of God is like a seed planted in a woman’s heart
slowly, silently stretching it
beyond family and friends, church and nation,
until one day that heart bursts open
revealing a Table
wider than the world
warm as an intimate embrace.
To this Table everyone is invited
no one is stranger, no one unfit:
each brings a gift, work of one’s own hands, heart, mind,
a morsel for the Table –
and there is always enough –
enough because no one keeps hidden the bread for the morrow
enough because in the sharing is the miracle of multiplication.
Around this Table everyone eats
and no one is stuffed;
each sips deeply of love unearned
and offers the cup to another.[4]
© 2024 Scott Clark
[1] For general background on this scripture and the Gospel of Mark, see Pheme Perkins, “The Gospel of Mark,” New Interpreters’ Bible Commentary, vol.viii (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995); Herman Waetjen, A Reordering of Power (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1989). The particular reading in this sermon is informed by Professor Ann Wire’s framework for understanding healing and miraculous provision stories. She posits that such stories have a common structure: (1) there is a need, (2) the need is voiced, and (3) need is met. She encourages the reader to look for the particulars of how each story brings those common elements to life. See Antoinette Clark Wire, Holy Lives, Holy Deaths: A Close Hearing of Early Jewish Storytellers (Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, GA: 2002).
[2] See Waetjen, p.128.
[3] Jo Vaughn Gross, The Welcome Table: Reflections on THE BANQUET (Ross, CA; Comaro Press, 1995).
[4] Marilyn Robinson, quoted in Jo Gross, The Welcome Table, supra.
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