Preparing for Worship – LeAnn Hampton.
How ironic that in this environment when we are asked to be socially distant, we are participating in World Communion Sunday, an event first celebrated by the Presbyterian church in 1933. Communion itself implies closeness and intimate sharing but we are scattered in a variety of locations, living in pockets of deep division, experiencing political unrest, feeling lost in confusion, being overwhelmed by strong opinions, wearing masks and attending virtual church.
According to Presbyterianmission.org, the purpose of World Communion Sunday is to encourage churches to focus on the interconnectedness of each congregation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Interconnectedness, the state of being connected to each other, has taken on a new meaning in these pandemic days. Nine short months ago, we had never heard of coronavirus, yet daily we see how interconnected we are because of the worldwide pandemic. We long to be in close proximity and enjoy personal connections but know that we need to stay apart.
How do we celebrate communion in these times? Maybe during worship, we remember the scriptures describing God’s faithfulness in the past and think of times we’ve sensed God’s presence in our daily lives. We can confess that for too long we’ve taken our blessings for granted, and in this time of pandemic, we’ve realized that many things in our personal lives, our neighborhoods, our city, state and world need to change. We realize that to truly experience interconnectedness, we need to reach out to our neighbors and walk alongside them regardless of our differences.
We tend to be forgetful, so on World Communion Sunday, we need to be reminded again of how Christ showed us God’s deep desire for communion with all of us, wherever we are and whatever our circumstances. Thanks be to God!