United We Stand – Around The Table (World Communion Sunday)

1 Corinthians 11: 23-26
Roger Lynn
October 4, 2020
World Communion Sunday

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Perhaps you are aware that in about a month there is an election coming up. And maybe you’ve noticed that there is a lot of animosity and divisiveness and sometimes open hostility free-floating in our country right now. But God has something more than that in mind for us. We are called to something bigger and better and richer and deeper than that.

This morning I want to focus on a very old ritual which has the capacity to expand our horizons and move us beyond the differences which we so often allow to divide us. It holds the power to cross all our borders, transcend our differences, and bind us together in rich community. In these days which seem so filled with strife and fear, we will do well to turn our attention to those things which bring us together and fill us with strength. World Communion Sunday provides us with an opportunity to remember and experience the power of God to bring us together. We gather around this table and remember that in countless places around the world, in a wide variety of settings, in places of worship which span the spectrum of denominations and culture and politics and geography, millions of people are meeting to share in this same mysterious feast of grace. They will call it by many names – communion, the Lord’s Supper, Eucharist, and names in other languages which I can’t even pronounce. They will surround this moment with a variety of worship forms and styles and traditions. Some will be very formal, with incense and liturgies, while others will be quite simple and plain. It is good to be reminded from time to time that God’s love and grace are more powerful and more expansive than any of the forces which threaten to separate us – that the Church extends far beyond the walls of this sanctuary, or the membership lists of the United Church of Christ, or the boundaries of the United States. The Church includes ALL Christians everywhere, regardless of their color, their nationality, their politics or social agenda, their church affiliation (or lack thereof), their level of wealth or poverty, or any of the countless other categories which we sometimes use to divide people into “us” and “them.” Around this table we discover the common ground upon which we all stand and the unifying force which binds us all together. United we stand – around the Table of the Lord!

So what does this mean? Does participating in this feast of grace magically transform us into nicer people who live in a nicer world where everyone just naturally gets along? Obviously not. Christians have been taking communion for 2,000 years, and we are still fighting among ourselves and with those around us. But it does mean that we are not on our own when we try to rise above our differences and seek peace in our relationships, our communities, and our world. We have nothing less than the very power of God at work on our side. When the church in Corinth was experiencing internal stress and dissension, Paul sought to bring them together by reminding them of the common meal that they shared. Does it mean that our differences don’t matter and aren’t important? Not at all. When Paul told the Galatians, “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.” (Galatians 3:28) he was speaking in ultimate terms. Within the context of that ultimate unity, our differences make us distinctive and flavor the world around us with the richness of our diversity. In Christ our differences no longer hold the power to divide us – unless we give them that power. When we come together around the Table of the Lord we are reminded of who we are and whose we are. Reminding ourselves of the countless others around the world who also gather around this table is a way of remembering that the God who loves us and meets us here is the same God who loves the whole world. Indeed, ultimately the power we find when we share in this very old and very powerful experience can allow us to transcend even the walls of Christianity itself, as we begin to recognize that the Sacred Presence we encounter at this table can also be encountered in the lives of our Muslim and Jewish and Buddhist and Hindu and Pagan and Atheist brothers and sisters.

“United we stand – around the Table of the Lord” means that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. It means that we are the recipients of God’s amazing gift of grace. It means that we are brought together as family (in the very best sense of that word) – sisters and brothers in Christ and beyond. It means that we are sent out nourished by the power of God’s Spirit alive and at work within us to share the good news that love and peace and joy and hope and community are within our grasp if we will open ourselves to such gifts from God. Sometimes when we gather around this table it is easy to allow familiarity to leave us feeling complacent – just one more thing we do so often that it becomes simply routine. Today as we share together in the bread and the cup, let us remember that we are not alone, even in these days filled with separation, distance, and discord. United we stand – around this Table, with each other and with all those around the world who join us in this feast of grace. Together let us remember that since we are surrounded and embraced by God we can begin to open our arms and our hearts to embrace the whole world. Amen.