In this reimagining of the communion table, this sacred feast becomes a profound statement of radical inclusion and divine welcome. The table stands as a gathering place for all people—those from privilege and poverty, the oppressed and the oppressors, the financially secure and those with nothing—united in their willingness to come before God.
The liturgy boldly proclaims the sacred worth of Black lives in all their diversity and intersectionality, from Black trans lives to Black immigrants, from Black children to Black people with disabilities. This declaration of worth connects to the historical Jesus—a non-white, non-English-speaking member of an oppressed people who experienced refugee status, police brutality, and, ultimately, lynching.
Through sharing bread and cup, the communion ritual takes on deeper meaning as a call to give up privilege and embrace compassion for the oppressed. This sacred act becomes a definition of Christ’s greatness and a blueprint for discipleship, challenging participants to recognize and affirm the divine worth in every life.
“Jesus was not white. Jesus did not speak English. Jesus was not a Christian. Jesus lived as a citizen of an occupied nation. Jesus was part of an oppressed people. Jesus was a refugee who found protection on the continent of Africa.”
