World Communion Sunday

This is a devotional that I put together to be used in a service at my office ~

Although it is a Monday, today we are celebrating World Communion Sunday.  This particular day was established by the Federal Council of Churches in 1940.  Although different denominations focus on specific ministries and/or monetary offerings on this day, its main purpose is to call the church to be the ‘catholic inclusive church.’   Of all the ways humans have found to divide themselves over scripture, the passage we just heard (Matthew 26:26-30) is probably the one that unites all believers of Christ.  Despite the differences in liturgical worship in our parishes, or the theological understanding we have about Communion, the Words of Institution that our Lord provided to us is a uniting gift from God.

Whether your church calls it Holy Communion, Eucharist, The Lord’s Supper, Mass, or the Divine Liturgy, the common thread that exists in all of them are the words Jesus used after he blessed and gave thanks:

Take eat; this is my body and Drink from it all of you, for this is the blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins…Do this in remembrance of me.

The church, as in the catholic inclusive church – meaning all of us, despite our varying denominational differences, receives the Eucharist as a gift from the Lord.  God created a covenant with his people and promised to keep that covenant.  Jesus Christ is the promise of that covenant.  It is a gift to us – it is not ours to hoard, nor is it our gift to give; it is God’s gift to us.  In our varying places of worship we share in one bread and cup.  The whole church is involved because God promises us that Christ is present with all of us – notice his words

Drink from it ALL OF YOU.

There is an entity within the World Council of Churches known as the Faith and Order Commission.  Beginning in 1927 the Faith and Order Commission went through a 50-year process of studying and discussion around three essential prerequisites that churches should have some basic agreement on if we hope to achieve true Church unity.  The fruit of this work is published in a paper known as Baptism, Eucharist, and Ministry.  If you take seriously the mission for Church unity, I highly recommend it as an addition to your library.  It is not a long read but it has incredible depth and therefore requires one to “read and inwardly digest.”  Here is an excerpt from the section on Eucharist:

The Eucharistic celebration demands reconciliation and sharing among all those regarded as brothers and sisters in the one family of God…the Eucharist involves the believer in the central event of the world’s history.  As participants in the Eucharist, therefore, we prove inconsistent if we are not actively participating in this ongoing restoration of the world’s situation and the human condition.

Our behavior becomes inconsistent when we are faced with the presence of God in Holy Communion.  How can we not become weak in the knees and humbled to our very core when we come this close to God’s presence?  God became Incarnate in Jesus; Christ Ascended; and yet we still have him with us.  A gift freely given by God, not us!

In his Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, St. John Chrystostom, one our early church fathers, wrote this about communion:   

 Let us submit to God in all things and not contradict Him, even if what He says seems contrary to our reason and intellect; rather let His words prevail over our reason and intellect. Let us act in this way with regard to the (Eucharistic) mysteries, looking not only at what falls under our senses but holding on to His words. For His word cannot lead us astray. . . When the word says, `This is My Body’, be convinced of it and believe it, and look at it with the eyes of the mind. . . How many now say, `I wish I could see His shape, His appearance, His garments, His sandals.’ Only look! You see Him! You touch Him! You eat Him!

One of my favorite books is The Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen.  Listen to how he summarizes the life of Jesus and us

I would like to talk a little about how to live the life of the beloved. There are four words that I want to use, words that come from the gospels, words that are used in the story of the multiplication of bread, words that are used at the Last Supper, words that are used at Emmaus and words that are used constantly when the community of faith comes together. Those words are: He took, He blessed, He broke, and He gave.

To be taken, to be blessed, to be broken and to be given is the summary of the life of Jesus who was taken, who was blessed by God, broken on the cross, and given to the world. It is also the summary of our life because just as Jesus, we are the beloved.

A favorite activity for me is SILENCE.  Yes, I consider it an activity.  Too often in our churches we don’t allow enough silence, busying every moment of worship with words.  So, on this busy Monday, I invite you to sit in silence for the next couple of minutes.  Close your eyes if it helps.  Breathe deeply and think about the gift you are about to receive in bread and cup.  God says to us, ‘you are my beloved.’ 

Take, eat and share with others the foretaste of the feast to come in God’s Kingdom.