Pineridge Blog

This Sunday as we gather at the Lord’s Table we do so with brothers and sisters around the world. October 7th is World Commun-ion Sunday. Open air churches in villages; open country churches in the country side; old stone churches in a decaying urban core; and only a few folks at a new church start in a restaurant diverse people will gather to celebrate in a collage of languages all proclaiming our “common-union” as Christians. Together we are the Body of Christ, nourished and inspired by the Spirit at the Table to continue the work of Jesus throughout the world.

“The key word for World Communion Sunday is communion, or unity. It is a day when we mark the almost universal Christian practice of breaking bread with one another and remembering both the night of Jesus’ betrayal when Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s Supper as a lasting remembrance and of Jesus’ sacrifice. So accounts of the last supper feature prominently, by virtue of World Communion Sunday being a celebration of the Eucharist. But there is a flavor of the Christian celebration of Pentecost as well, when people from around the Mediterranean world came together in mutual understanding and inspiration, by the power of the Holy Spirit. World Communion Sunday is a time for remembering that around the globe in different languages, with different traditions and customs, and in various forms of liturgy the Lord’s Supper is celebrated throughout Christendom. At its best, therefore, World Communion Sunday serves two purposes: it is both a joyous and meaningful partaking in Jesus’ sacred meal with his friends and a mind-opening exposure to different Chris-tian traditions from around the world.” (From MinistryMatters.com)

World Communion Sunday began in a Presbyterian Church in the 1930’s and was adopted by the World Federation of Churches in 1940. It began in a globally tense time when World War II was on the horizon, as an international, ecumenical celebration of Chris-tian unity.

The Table is a perfect symbol of healing and hope in brokenness as God’s unending love is poured out for all.

Jim