No Longer Guarding the Table

The levitical priests alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards. - Ezekiel 44:16

This image from the prophet Ezekiel makes sense out of how a lot of churches handle the communion table: it is guarded, and the professional religious leaders serve as gatekeepers. There could have been plenty of good reasons for this at the time. Jesus shifts away from that approach, throwing open access to his table. He would pretty much eat with anyone who would have him, regardless of their profession or lack thereof and regardless of their moral purity.

At one point, when Jesus is telling a story, you get the sense that his heart comes out in this line: So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find (Matthew 22:9).

Jesus is committed to radical welcoming, to lowering any religious barriers to entry, and to making special effort to include those on the margins.

How might you follow Jesus into today with that approach to radical hospitality?