Holy Eucharist, Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, Year C

I speak these words to you in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, Please be seated.

We live in a world of categories labels. It helps naturally to decipher. What is different it helps us to keep us organized. However category categorizing people themself seems to be a problem in today's world. He might not know what I mean. But here are some example examples orphan. We like to categorize people as a liberal and conservative a hipster a Roman or them not live across the street. I mean the list really can go on.

In other cases we might ask simple questions that categorize people like who would you vote for? Who is your father or my personal favorite greeting from the East? What do you do?

People do this so that we can identify those who are like-minded versus those her not we all have to rely on these categories to Define our relationship as if they tell the whole story about that person. And in doing so we include some while excluding others. However, as much as we use categories, we are called not to seek out difference. But to find our unity in the fact that we are all God's children.

It doesn't matter whether you Worship in our church or in the moths down the road. We're not called to judge on behalf of God. We are not but rather consider how we build relationships with each other in God's name, but hey, don't take my word for it. Let us look at this Motif in Luke's gospel today. Jesus teaches us to break bread with those who don't fit into our preferences or categories or labels or whatever. You want to call it for the Pharisees. It was the blind the lame the deaf The Stranger and the added a new one the poor. Yeah, this is where God in Jesus fulfills the law and the unique Way by clearing up a law that was interpreted and then knocked it wrongly and Define this law we have to go back to Leviticus chapter 21 verses 17 to 23. and I'm going to go out here the sons of Aaron were forbidden to offer God spread to the blinds a lame mutilated face lamb to Long injured foot in Hunchback dwarf defect in site itching stops while men crushed but how do I say this crushed almonds? Value picked up on that and anybody with a blemish.

All right friends social experiment. You know, I wasn't going to stand up here the whole time. I'm going to put you in the loop setting now, right? Why are we here today?

Oh, we worship what what is it that we do and worship is not simply worship.

Where is celebrating? What? We celebrate cod in what? In Jesus in France, and what what's the central thing that we do in today's service? Communion Eucharist, so just like Luke's gospel. All of you. My friends are invited to partake in a banquet. So we're situated now the social experiment I need that page because there's a lot of categories here. I'm going to follow Leviticus for you.

So I'm going to be like the Pharisees here and everybody have a blemish. Can you raise your hand? skin blemish Freckle scar hand top

You're welcome. This is making you curse so much easier.

I'm not going to ask any minute that you have crushed almonds. Hunchback dwarf we have four people you're gone. It seems disease f****** your console. You guys are out of here. No, don't worry about it. The poor the poor could be economic and social you're gone.

And where are you from any Spruce grow? People hands out. Yeah. I don't want you here either those people becoming limited. We might be the only ones celebrating you Chris. But I want to invite my friends. people who I think I'm going to benefit from

Charles you have a good suit. You look rich you're invited. We'll just ignore those blemishes. Sorry when you hear the Wreckers weren't so I'm going to leave you sitting.

And I like the way you sing your in are you Chris for sure. Sorry. I'm passing you all up. Children, I don't know. Hey you back there. I have a special invite care come out. I need your help for a second in the sermon come all the way up. Don't be afraid. I haven't met you. I'm Billy. Ocean, you're part of my special VIP Eucharist today. I'm going to pretty much exclude everybody here. Do you think that's me? Do you think I'm doing God's work by doing that?

So when we come to cards table right Sharon food and we break bread. And we pray together.

Embry call to Sharon what?

coming soon

baby God's love To love. Thy neighbor don't worry about these folks. They're not here. So if your friend say we're new friends, do you think I would be sharing God's love by saying? You're a little bit different you can't come here. I'm a jerk, right? Yeah. So I'm not doing God's work. I might be making excuses not to invite these people, right? So, what do you think I should do?

Just go on Instinct here.

Be nice and invite all of them.

Be nice and invite all of them. Thank you. My friends. I won't put you on the spot. Thank you for coming up and helping me learn today's Gospel.

So as you can see by the law of Aaron, Jesus can leave this law unattended too because with frozen Trooper keishin interpretation, that's unjust we'd have nobody in the church. Cuz none of us qualify. Just on the blemish alone. Forget the lame foot and everything else.

So the Pharisees use these categories to purposely exclude these people the blind the poor the lame from the table, but also made an excuse not to do any healing Works Noir build any relationship. That's if I cut you off and I don't have to deal with you ever again. I would be a bad priest. Aaron would be about priest. We would all be bad ministers John Leslie if we did that he would call us to tasks. All of us should be called the task if we cut anybody off. That's the point here the Pharisees prefer to wine and dine with friends and Preferred Guest who shared their category value label and riches. They were like-minded. They wanted. The seats of power and honor and we're not willing to do the hosting and serving like work that God's will in tentative.

Though these categories the Pharisees casted Chapman through these categories.

They've already predetermined who you are and created an exclusive VIP Faith Club.

No, two ways about it.

Jesus calls us and invites us.

Everybody here myself included to fight anybody that weep use categories to exclude others to our table. Also, we're reminded that we would never use categories to look at a person right? I hope the answer is no. Because when we label and put people into a box, we don't hear their whole story. Where call to acknowledge that the day the day that we often use is actually not as they but they belong with us. And that it is in this us we need to come together and break this holy bread at our holy banquet around a Godly Feast a feast intended to celebrate our life and our continued given life visa fee God.

therefore we are reminded that we are to invite and share this Holy Eucharist. Not just with those who we get along with. But to share it with everyone unreservedly. After all, we don't need to know any one story or ailments or what category they fit in to know how we should treat them in the Name of Christ.