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When Jesus attended a dinner (Lu. 14:1-14), a disabled man appeared. The host, a Pharisee, or perhaps his other guests, apparently invited the man simply to test Jesus. Jesus healed him and sent him away. Then Jesus gave instructions about banquets. Instead of inviting friends, relatives and friends to dine, hosts should “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame [and] the blind.” In the accompanying “Parable of the Great Banquet” (Lu. 14:15-24), when original dinner invitees decline, the host extends invitations to just such people - and vows to exclude the original invitees.
 
Jesus’ action and instructions challenged his audience. Consider observations about this passage in Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion (2021) by Dr. Lamar Hardwick. (Hardwick was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at age 36 while serving a church and so is known on Facebook as the “Autism Pastor.”) Hardwick notes that the Pharisees needed to “reprioritize their guest list” because “God desire[s] … all … to have a place where we can belong and where our faith journey can begin.” For dinners, the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame may be unable to reciprocate - but God will.
 
Showing disabled persons and their families that they are welcome and loved remains a challenge, including for us. Approximately 20% of the United States population lives with a disability. Church programming often fails to consider them, and church systems for facilitating relationships may prove “a barrier for people with developmental disabilities.” But disabled bodies – whether from autism or other causes – “are no less worthy of th[e] honor” of becoming temples of God than other bodies. More specifically as concerns his own disability, Hardwick cites a 2018 study indicating that “families impacted by autism are nearly 84% more likely to never attend religious services due to a felt lack of inclusion.” Our congregation is experiencing this challenge, including because at least one of our families has an autistic child with limited ability to communicate.
 
How should we help – and how are we? According to Hardwick, “more than 90% of churchgoing special-needs parents cited the most helpful support to be ‘a welcoming attitude toward people with disabilities.’” Last week, our autistic child’s family expressed their gratitude for the congregation’s understanding of the child’s behavior and its kind gestures to him. I too appreciate the support shown this family. I also urge that we expand such efforts. We could become more familiar with such families’ needs with resources available at Understood.org. And as Hardwick explains (citing 1 Cor. 12:20-23), “authentic Christian community cannot be achieved without the presence of those who are considered weaker.” Consequently, “the disability community must be seen as necessary to the health and growth of all other members of the community.” - Lloyd
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