Today is
World Communion Sunday, the day that Christians all around the world gather at
the table of the Lord to celebrate their oneness in Christ. No matter how
different we are in our cultural background, in our understanding of just who
God is and how God works, or in our style of worship, we are, in the end, all a
part of the worldwide body of Christ. We are truly all one in the Lord! That’s
why, on most World Communion Sundays, I use readings and prayers from all over
the world. It’s good to be reminded that we middle-class North American
Christians aren’t the only ones who sit at Christ’s table! But today, I’m doing
something a little bit different. Instead of emphasizing that God is in all places, I want to highlight that God has
been there in all times! The
readings, prayers, and hymns in today’s worship began with some that were very
old; and our worship concluded with a hymn that was written fairly recently.
Whenever we
celebrate this sacrament, I proclaim the familiar words that Jesus said at the
very first Holy Communion: “Whenever you eat this bread or drink this cup,
remember me.” It was important to Jesus that we remember what God has done for
us across the centuries. Whether we are sitting in a pew here in a Protestant
church in the United States, sitting on a dirt floor in a small church in
Africa, or standing in an Orthodox church sanctuary in Russia, we have a
Christian heritage to celebrate and remember!
That
heritage began with the very earliest church. We can all trace our beginnings
to the early Christians who met in secret to hear scripture proclaimed, to sing
hymns to the resurrected Christ, and to share a meal at the table. Some of them
became martyrs, killed because of their faith. And whether they lived or died,
God was there.
We remember
the Christians who began monasteries where they could practice their faith
without the temptations of the civilization that swirled around them. When they
said their prayers at dawn, at noon, and in the evening, God was there. And we
remember the Christians who stayed in the middle of civilization and raised
children who grew up to be good Christians themselves. God was there with them,
too.
We remember
the schisms of the church: the fracture between eastern Orthodox and Roman
Catholic Christians in the 10th century; and the split between Roman
Catholic and Protestant Christians 500 years after that. God was there with all
of them, no matter where their faith led them.
We need to
remember, too, the history of the Christian faith in cultures that are not our
own. North African Christians remember those who held fast to their faith when,
in the 8th century, their Muslim conquerors wanted them to convert
to Islam. God was there with them. Russian Christians remember those who
resisted Lenin and Stalin in the early 20th century when
Christianity was outlawed, and churches were either demolished or turned into
museums. They remember the priests who taught their children faith whenever and
wherever they could gather them together. God was there with them. And Chinese
Christians remember those who were executed by Mao Tse-Tung after the People’s
Republic of China was established in 1949. Even now, Christianity is illegal in
that country; but Christians still gather to worship in private homes, often
putting their lives at risk. And God is there with them.
This
morning, we will once again eat the bread and drink the cup; and we will
remember what Jesus did for us so long ago. And I hope that we will also
remember what Jesus has done for us over the centuries; and what he has done
for all Christians, around the world, over those same centuries. Because of
Jesus, God has been with Christians in all times and in all places. Because of
Jesus, God has been with us, right
here in Nashville UCC. And because of Jesus, God will remain with us forever!
Thanks be to God!
