Gathering for meals is something that for many of us defines who we call community. Whether it be friends or family, take out or sit down the act of being together and sharing a meal is one that provides so much meaning in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. Sharing food and breaking bread is an important part of our everyday lives, and of our journey of faith as well.
The first Sunday in October we at the Middletown Community United Methodist Church will celebrate World Communion Sunday. This is a time for us to come together and join in communion with people from all around the world. To break bread and extend the table. It is one of my favorite worship services, because it allows us all to connect.
What is World Communion Sunday? For decades, the congregation of a small Christian church in the Figi Islands, just west of the International Date Line, has claimed that they began the day called World Communion Sunday.
The day begins with their early morning communion service, and then spreads out for 24 hours until all lands and people are embraced in an affirmation of God’s love. It is an experience that is quite unlike any other day. Indeed, we might say that as the sun rises on each succeeding time zone, the table of our Lord is lengthened until, at last, the table encircles the entire globe.
The history of World Communion Sunday is quite interesting. It sprang out of the Great Depression when the world was engulfed in a sense of hopelessness, and the hearts and minds of people were clouded with despair. A small group of American church leaders initiated the idea of a day when Christians might symbolically express their common concern for God’s kingdom and their commitment to the way of Christ by gathering around the communion table. On of the first US churches to celebrate this World-Wide Communion Sunday was Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1933. The Rev. Hugh Thompson Kerr and his congregation sought to demonstrate the inter connectedness of Christian churches, regardless of denomination. By 1940, the National Council of Churches had called upon all constituent members to celebrate a world communion on the first Sunday of October. Soon thereafter the World Council of Churches joined in the celebration. The rest is history.
As we gather and celebrate the joy of communion as one body, one community, I invite us to think of the ways that we can each bring together our gifts to expand the table, the work of the church, and the ministry of transformation. We will see you at the table this Sunday!
Melissa Hurley is Pastor at Middletown Community United Methodist Church. “Please join us in Middletown at 11 as we celebrate World Communion Sunday together. All Are Welcome,” she writes.
