A
Call to Worship for World Communion Sunday
Leader:
Today we gather around God's table from near and far
People:
We are the People of God!
Leader:
Though we differ in language, custom, and tradition
People:
We are brothers and sisters in Christ!
Leader:
For there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism
People:
We are One in God's Spirit!
Leader:
We are one and together we remember our Lord Jesus
People:
For we are the people of Redemption!
Leader:
He gave himself up for us, so we could be
reconciled to God.
People:
Come, let us worship the God of our Salvation!
Opening Hymn:
Lift Every Voice and Sing
The Church's One foundation
Christian People Raise Your Song
O God of Every Nation
This is the Feast of Victory
Readings: John
6:51-58;
Galatians 3:26-29,
Ephesians 4:1-6;
John 17:6-26
World Communion Sunday
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Devotion: One God, One
People
based on Galatians
3:26-29
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
________________________________________________
Galatians 3:26-29
So in Christ
Jesus you are all children of God through faith,
for all of you who
were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew
nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female,
for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If
you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise.
When I think of World
Communion Sunday, I get excited about the fact that tens of thousands
of Christian brothers and sisters around the world are coming to the
Lord's Table to remember our Lord and to proclaim his final victory to
the world.
It doesn't matter what part of the world we're hailing from, because
from God's perspective there are no political, ethnic, cultural or
national boundaries. From God's perspective we are One people, the
People of God!
One of the
things that excites my about church history is that the first-century
church
believed that Christ’s church stands for a radical inclusion of all of
God's children. They believed that all those barriers we as
humans work so hard to build, God in Christ broke through. In an
anonymous letter that survived from the early 2nd century addressed to
Diognetus, a Roman official, the author actually speaks about
Christianity as a "new race:"
The Mystery of the New People
To His Excellency, Diognetus: I understand, sir, that you are really
interested in learning about the religion of the Christians, and
that you are making an accurate and careful investigation of the
subject....
... You would also
like to know the source of the loving affection that they have for
each other. You wonder, too, why this new race or way of life
has appeared on earth now and not earlier.
These three questions are dealt with in the text, more or less
in order, but with some overlapping. The reference to the "New
[third] Race" calls attention to an issue of great importance for
the life of the Early Church, which concerned such varied questions
as the Church's understanding of its vocation in history and the
Roman world's attitude toward the Church.
[1]
And that
should be the message of the church worldwide
“You are welcome here—every single one of you! For God's grace is
enough for all! God's love is poured out to all, and whosoever
believes shall be saved” (John 3.16). Whosoever!
With
the arrival of the church of Jesus Christ a new age has dawned. Nobody
ever needs to feel excluded again;
for, as St. Paul says it: “all of you
who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor
free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ
Jesus.” [2]
Brothers and
sisters, Paul clearly declares to us that there are no second-class
Christians; if you are a baptized believer you’re all the way in the
inner sanctum; you are in the holy of holies; the veil has been
torn. Everyone is welcome and everyone is equal in God’s eyes. We
are all children of God. We are to be one in Christ; we are to be
the new race made up of a multitude of diverse people.
We are
one and in our oneness lies our strength; in our oneness will the
world see the difference in us—through our love with the world see the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Happy World Communion Sunday!
[1]
Letter to Diognetus:
AN ANONYMOUS BRIEF FOR CHRISTIANITY PRESENTED TO DIOGNETUS
[2] Galatians 3:26-29
World Communion Prayer of Confession
Lord, on this world communion Sunday, help us examine our hearts so
that we may pay proper respect to Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
Thank you for offering reconciliation to all of humankind, the
forgiveness of sins through Christ, our high priest.
Almighty and ever-present God, we confess our sins to you. We are
truly sorry for our wrongdoings and shortcomings, for sins of
commission and sins of omission. Forgive us,
we pray, in Christ's name.
Empower us to serve you fully, to share the resources we have with
those who have less, to weep with those who weep, and to laugh with
those who laugh. Help us to be good stewards over the earth you have
placed in our care; help us to unite in love and concern for one
another, not just in our local community, but with brothers and
sisters in all the world.
As we draw near to your holy table we thank you, Lord, for
providing the Bread of Life for us. As we partake, impart on us
your grace and mercy, unite us with Christ, our Lord, and with one
another. May your kingdom be established in all the earth.
Amen.
"Your Sacred Table"
adapted from a prayer by St. Francis de Sales
Divine Savior,
we come to Your sacred table to nourish ourselves,
not with bread but with Yourself, true Bread
of eternal life.
Help us daily to make a good and perfect meal of your divine
nourishment. Let us be continually refreshed by the perfume of Your
kindness and goodness.
May the Holy Spirit fill us with His Love. Meanwhile, let us
prepare a place for this holy food by emptying our hearts. Amen.
Communion
Closing Hymn:
The Bread of Life For All is Broken
Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether
Become to Us the Living Bread
Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive
Help Us Accept Each Other
Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees
You Satisfy the Hungry Heart
Closing Prayer:
Blessings Upon
You
adapted from a prayer by Margaret A. Davidson
Blessings upon you, upon those you love
and those you shall never know.
Blessings upon your steps
and upon the vision of your eyes.
Blessings upon you in all circumstances;
joy and sorrow, for wisdom rests in them,
twin experiences with different faces.
Blessings be upon what lies before you,
the challenges and decisions,
the pain and the relief.
Blessings upon you, my friends in Christ.
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