the waiter

from my sermon on 12/6/09 from Luke 3:1-6

Hello, my name is Lynn and I'll be your waiter this morning. I see you have already found your seats. Isn't it wonderful that we are so informal around here and that you can sit anywhere you like. Some of you want to sit close to the front, and more of you fight to sit in the back!

But no matter where you sit, you are welcome here! All are welcome here. No shirt, no shoes, no problem! You are welcome here. You may have doubts about God, can 't understand why
God has come in human flesh in Jesus, and have a hard time with the Holy Spirit, but you are welcome here. You may have questions about divorce, about disease, about death, but you are welcome here. You may wonder about war and you may worry, but you are welcome here. Some of you may think you are too young to eat the feast, but we have a children's menu. Some of you think you are too old and have outgrown the faith, but we have a seniors' special. All are welcome. Some of you are angry at God. Some of you haven't eaten at this table in a long time. Some of you know that you don't deserve to be here, but you are all welcome here.

As some of the head waiters from our past, Isaiah and John the Baptist, have said, "Our job as waiters is to make the uneven places level, and the crooked places straight and the rough places smooth, so that all may see the salvation of God." We are to set the table for the feast of life so all may partake.

On the menu today...well, it's fairly simple...bread and grape juice. The bread we serve here is gluten free. We found that some were being excluded because of their allergies. The chef is still working on the recipe so that we can accommodate those with allergies to wheat, eggs, and milk. We want all to be welcome here.

We use grape juice, out of our concern for those who have problems with alcohol. John Wesley who start the Methodist reform movement in the 1700's lived in an England where the common folks medicated their feelings with gin. The phrase from that time was you could get drunk for a 1/2 penny and dead drunk for a penny. We have long been on the side of abstinence.

But there is so much more going on besides just bread and grape juice. We are bold to say that this is Body and Blood of Christ. We really meet Him here in this meal. We give thanks at this table, remembering all the ways our God has saved us down through the ages, especially in His coming to us in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. We look forward to His coming again and sharing with Him in an eternal banquet. We remember how Jesus had many meals with common people and even ate with sinners. He continues to share in this meal with us and makes us community. More than that he changes people's hearts. All are welcome at this table.

Now you may be wondering about the tip. Fifteen to eighteen percent is the usual standard. Smile just a little bit. Ten percent would be wonderful. However, most UM's give on average about 2%. Please know that you don't have to give anything. You get to make a gift for the service you have received. I suspect some of you have been waiters in the past. You know that any gift is appreciated.

I hope some of you might feel called to become waiters. You know that you don' have to be ordained like me to be a waiter. It is part of being a Christian who is waiting for the coming of Christ. It is active, not passive. It is like what happens in this story.

A room-service waiter at a Marriott hotel learned that the sister of a guest had just died. The waiter, named Charles, bought a sympathy card, had hotel staff members sign it, and gave it to the distraught guest with a piece of hot apple pie. Mr. Marriott, the guest later wrote to the president of Marriott Hotels, I'll never meet you. And I don't need to meet you. Because I met Charles. I know what you stand for. ... I want to assure you that as long as I live, I will stay at your hotels. And I will tell my friends to stay at your hotels. -- Roger Dow and Susan Cook,Turned On(New York: Harper Business, 1996).

The table is set. All is ready. Come, eat. It is my pleasure to be your waiter today. That is the good news I have to share.