Come to me and I will give you rest [Matthew 11:28] is a lovely message to people who are worn down by the stresses of life. And in Luke 14, Jesus tells of a banquet, where the host tells his guests "Come, everything is ready" - Jesus has prepared a banquet, a rich feast of abundant life - and it is for everyone. The Good News of Christmas is for all people- it is not restricted to the rich or the righteous, the important or the intellectual, it is Good News for ALL.
I love that truth. Stuart Townend has written a brilliant song about this [he tells the story behind it here] Great words, and it's got a brilliant toe-tapping tune too. We sang it last week at UCF - a useful reminder at the start of Advent that our church needs to be welcoming all who come. [and as Sue put it so cogently on Thursday, if you are not welcomed "then find another church...because if [they] don't make a stranger feel welcome, then they are not doing what they should be doing"]
Come, all you vagabonds,
Come all you ‘don’t belongs’
Winners and losers, come, people like me.
Come all you travellers tired from the journey,
Come wait a while, stay a while,
Welcomed you’ll be.
Winners and losers, come, people like me.
Come all you travellers tired from the journey,
Come wait a while, stay a while,
Welcomed you’ll be.
Come all you questioners looking for answers,
And searching for reasons and sense in it all;
Come all you fallen, and come all you broken,
Find strength for your body and food for your soul.
And searching for reasons and sense in it all;
Come all you fallen, and come all you broken,
Find strength for your body and food for your soul.
Come to the feast, there is room at the table.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.
Come those who worry ‘bout houses and money,
And all those who don’t have a care in the world;
From every station and orientation,
The helpless, the hopeless, the young and the old.
And all those who don’t have a care in the world;
From every station and orientation,
The helpless, the hopeless, the young and the old.
Come all believers and dreamers and schemers,
And come all you restless just searching for home;
Movers and shakers and givers and takers,
The happy, the sad, and the lost and alone.
And come all you restless just searching for home;
Movers and shakers and givers and takers,
The happy, the sad, and the lost and alone.
Come self-sufficient with wearied ambition,
And come those who feel at the end of the road.
Fiery debaters and religion haters,
Accusers, abusers, the hurt and ignored.
And come those who feel at the end of the road.
Fiery debaters and religion haters,
Accusers, abusers, the hurt and ignored.
Come to the feast, there is room at the table.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.
Come let us meet in this place.
With the King of all kindness who welcomes us in,
With the wonder of love, and the power of grace.
... the wonder of love, and the power of grace.
Maranatha!
ReplyDeleteI am pleased to say that "All are Welcome" is the mantra that my church tries to live by - at worship - and through everyday works.
ReplyDeleteWe are inclusive - and the congregation - if not the official governing body of the church in Canada - fully supports this - we have had an LBGTQI social group for nearly 40 years now and our Associate Minister is openly gay.
Our Communion and Sunday services are often attended by Catholics as we are a convenient church to many downtown hotels and offices - plus our hall is used by a Moslem prayer group on Friday afternoons.
The poor and homeless find refuge from the cold and are fed a few times per week and refugee families are supported and welcomed no matter their religion. There should always be "room at the table".
Wow, what a busy church
DeleteOoh. We like. Husband says "one for communion in the new church..." 🙂
ReplyDeleteHope everything goes smoothly as you settle into the new work
DeleteWonderful post!
ReplyDeleteI love Stuart Townend's songs! Good News for ALL!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting that you should mention a banquet prepared by a host who tells his guests to come, everything is ready, on this Sunday! I could identify with that host! For, I, too, prepared a feast and invited guests, today. :)
ReplyDeleteI suspect your generous hospitality is legendary among those who know you, Bless
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