In a world quick to draw lines between "us" and "them," theologian and author Sara Miles reminds us of a deeper truth rooted in the Gospel: everyone belongs at Christ’s table. In Episode #4182 of Day1, Sara joins host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime for a moving conversation on what it means to undo the mechanisms that push people to the margins.

Known for founding a vibrant food pantry and writing works like Take This Bread, Sara brings her theology to life in community. In this brief but powerful clip, she reflects on the Eucharist as a radical act of inclusion, drawing from the fourth-century mystic Isaac of Nineveh to challenge the church to make no distinction between the worthy and unworthy.

At a time when churches struggle with decline and cultural change, Sara invites us to return to the essence of the Gospel: love, service, and shared tables.

Sara Miles
What I'm interested in looking at is what's the mechanism by which some people are pushed to the margins, and what can we do to undo that? What's surprising about people who have been pushed to the margins is how many people are able to retain their humanity more than the people who are doing the pushing.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
What have you learned, or what would you advise to those pastors who are ministering to those who might be doing the pushing to the margins?

Sara Miles
You know, Katie, I think that one of the most important things we can do is simply to eat with other people. I mean, there is this—this is the genius of the Eucharist, right? And as much as we try to manage it and fence it and just allow certain people in and control it. It is a meal in which everyone belongs, and it is a meal in which we are made new, everybody. It's not that some people are dispensing it and some are receiving it.

We are all guests at Jesus's table, you know, at St. Gregory of Nyssa. The altar table is in the middle of a rotunda. And it has these amazing words on it from the fourth century mystic Isaac of Nineveh. And it says, "Did not our Lord dine with publicans and harlots? Thus, make no distinction between worthy and unworthy."

All must be equal in your eyes, to love and to serve.

Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Right on the table, it says that?!

Sara Miles
Right on the table, and in really fancy gold lettering. [Laugh]

REFLECTION

The Christian Eucharist is more than a ritual—it’s a revolutionary reminder that all are invited into God's grace. Sara Miles’ words strike at the heart of this truth, challenging us to resist the temptation to curate our communities based on worthiness.

The mystic Isaac of Nineveh’s words, carved in gold at St. Gregory’s altar, invite the church to live into its radical welcome: “Make no distinction between worthy and unworthy.” In a time when fences and boundaries dominate public discourse, this clip brings us back to the table—a sacred, shared place where we are all guests.

For preachers, educators, and everyday Christians, Sara’s insight is a call to reflect on how our churches embody hospitality not just in word, but in practice.

Let these questions guide your reflection this week:

• Who are the people our churches have unconsciously pushed to the margins?
• In what ways can the Eucharist reshape our understanding of community?
• How might we create spaces where all truly feel they belong?
• What personal boundaries or assumptions might God be inviting you to lay down?
• What does it mean, in your context, to “make no distinction between worthy and unworthy”?

Explore Sara Miles’ full sermon from episode 4182 >>>