Bread for the Journey

1 Corinthians 11: 23-25 & Mark 6: 7-12

Roger Lynn

October 1, 2017

World Communion Sunday

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

They come in a whole variety of shapes and sizes. They are know by a great many names. They are private and they are public. They are elaborate and they are simple. They are ancient and they are modern. I’m talking about rituals – spiritual practices – sacraments. Probably for as long as human beings have been aware of the world around us we have engaged in symbolic activities intended to put us in touch with the Great Mystery beyond ourselves.

For Christians, one of the central of these activities is communion. Gathering together to break the bread and share the cup has been at the heart of Christian worship from the very beginning of the Church. It is powerful in its simplicity – a meal, nourishment, fellowship, remembering, sharing, hospitality. It has always been a corporate act –  something which draws us together. In John’s Gospel Jesus prays at this meal for the unity of those who share it. 

And so it is that once a year churches of all shapes and sizes, from across the theological / liturgical spectrum and from every corner of the planet make an intentional effort to remember their common bond around the communion table. World Communion Sunday reminds us of the reality that we are one family gathered together to share in the feast of God’s all-encompassing love. At a bare minimum level we find at this table a call to remember our connection with others who also claim the name Christian. And even just that much has often proved more than we seem able to manage. But even so, I am convinced that the ultimate lesson of this table is our connection with all people everywhere. It is a meal which speaks to us of one of the most basic elements we share as human beings – food. And it points us ultimately to something even more basic which we all share – the nourishment of God’s love. Every week when we share in this feast of grace we are reminded that we are human beings who are bound to each other by our common humanity and bound to God by a love which is eternally present.

It is food for our souls – spiritual nourishment. We are replenished and renewed as we open ourselves to the fullness of the reality to which this meal points us. It is bread for the journey of life. But thus fed, where are we called to travel? Where shall we go when we get up from the table? I believe that Jesus himself gives us at least a glimpse at an answer in Mark’s Gospel when he sends his followers out two by two and challenges them to share healing and wholeness with the world around them. ‘What does it mean to be my followers?’ Jesus seems to be saying. ‘It means making a difference in the world.’ The connection with God which we experience around this table represents the beginning of our journey, not the final destination. We gather here to be fed and nourished and refreshed so that we will be ready to get up and go out into the world and take up the hard, challenging task of bringing healing whenever and wherever we find the need. Jesus sends the disciples out empty handed so they won’t even be tempted to think it is about what they can do on their own. It is not about being self-sufficient. They will know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that whatever happens out there, it is because they are open to the powerful presence of God in their lives and in their world. The nourishment of God’s Spirit is enough and more than enough.

On this World Communion Sunday may we remember that the world is where we are called to live out our faith. It is where we are called to go when we get up from the table. There is a church in the San Diego area that has a beautiful mosaic mural on the front wall of the sanctuary depicting paradise. The river of life flows out from this mural, runs across the chancel floor past the communion table and the baptismal font. From there it flows up the center aisle, out across the narthex, through the front doors, down the sidewalk, all the way to the street. (click here to view a photo of the Christ Lutheran Church sanctuary) The path of faith leads us from the table out into the world.

And there on that path we will find partners with whom to share the work. Some we already know – right here in our community, in other churches our UCC Conference, in other congregations where we have worshipped in the past. Some we have not yet met. Some we will never meet. Some are just down the street. And some are on the other side of the globe. Together we are a part of a vast multitude of those who seek to live out lives of faith and integrity. Together we are the body of Christ – fed and nourished and empowered to serve by God’s own Spirit.

And it is also in the world where we will find our mission and our purpose for living. It is the work we are being nourished for. And it will take all of who we are to accomplish. Whether it is right here in Helena, in the hurricane-ravaged parts of our country, or in some war-torn region on the far side of the planet, there are wounds to be healed. There is conflict to be mediated. There is peace to be proclaimed. There is darkness to be illuminated. It is the work we were born to do.

So, let’s eat! And then let’s get up from the table, fed and nourished and ready to share. Amen.