Message: Open Table / 2 Timothy 1:3-7, 13-14

Today’s second Scripture reading comes from the Second Letter to Timothy. It is written in Paul’s name, but most scholars believe it was composed later by someone who carried on Paul’s faith. The writer knew Paul well and spoke in his voice to share his wisdom and to encourage the early Christians who were facing challenges under the persecution of religious and political authorities.

The letter tells us about Timothy’s faith, a faith that first lived in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. It is a beautiful reminder that faith is not something we build on our own. It is passed down through those who love us. It is planted in us through care, through prayer, through memory, and through the genuine hearts of those who nurture us. It invites us into the presence of God.

Faith is not unquestioning obedience or absolute submission. True faith is rooted in love. This faith helps us rekindle the gift of God within us. It rekindles compassion within us. It rekindles courage within us. It rekindles hope within us. It rekindles justice within us. And it rekindles our calling within us. Because of this, we are not afraid of the darkness. Even in the darkest valleys, we keep walking with the light of faith that guides our way.

As we celebrate World Communion Sunday today, we are invited to share in the same faith that once lived in Timothy’s grandmother and his mother. At this table, we become part of that same living story, passed down through love, care, and community. Across the world today, in many languages and cultures, Christians are breaking the same bread and sharing the same cup. We join them in spirit as one family in faith.

Therefore, at this table, there is no discrimination, no prejudice, no isolation, and no judgement. As Paul reminds us, “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” That is why this communion table is open to everyone who longs to rekindle the gift of God within their hearts and to share that good news with others.

Communion is a gentle invitation, just as Jesus showed us. At his table, there were never only perfect people. He ate with those who were thirsty for God’s embrace and hungry for God’s touch. Among them were those considered sinners, such as tax collectors, the sick, and outsiders. When the religious leaders saw Jesus at the table, they were shocked. They were the ones who separated their tables from those in need of God’s grace, and so they said to Jesus, “You eat with the wrong people.”

But Jesus never closed his table. He did not worry about his reputation. What mattered most to him was rekindling the gift of God in every heart. His table was always open, a place of welcome, of food, and of friendship for those who needed it the most.

Jesus went even further. He not only shared the meal, he became the meal. At the Last Supper, he broke the bread and said, “This is my body, given for you.” He took the cup and said, “This is the new covenant in my blood.” Jesus gave himself completely to open the way to God’s presence. The one who welcomed everyone to the table became the bread of life and the cup of blessing on our communion table.

This open table is passed down from those like Lois and Eunice. It is steady, strong, and full of love. It gives courage in times of fear and strength in times of uncertainty. Around the table we discover that we are not alone. Around the table we discover that we are loved. Around the table we discover that we belong.

When we share communion today, we do more than remember. We meet Christ here. We experience the living presence of love. Christ invites us. Christ feeds us. Christ makes us one body. At the same time, Christ sends us out to live as people of open tables, people who make room for others, who welcome strangers, and who share God’s love in the world.

The bread and the cup are not meant to divide us. They do not show who is better or more worthy. They bring us together as one family. At Christ’s table there are no walls between nations, no walls between languages, no walls between sexual orientations or gender identities, no walls between rich and poor, and no walls between denominations. This table is not ours. It is the table of Christ. Because it belongs to Christ, all are welcome.

Today, we are invited to Jesus’ table. Here we celebrate the love that has carried faith through generations. Here we feel the Holy Spirit who rekindles the gift of God within us. Here we join our siblings in faith from many traditions and denominations. Here we stand with those who are forgotten, marginalized, and oppressed in the world. And here, we are made one body in Christ.

May all of us here today find welcome, love, and peace at the open table before us. 

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang