October 2, 2022 World Communion St. Andrew Church Rev. Anne McAnelly
First Lesson: Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
Second Lesson: Luke 17:5-10
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
7 “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8 Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me; put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”
Thank God for Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. Back in 1933, the saints there kick-started what eventually became World Communion Sunday — now celebrated the first Sunday in October. Today. The national Presbyterian church adopted it in 1936. In a world of discord and distrust and given the dismal track record of Christians in cooperation, World Communion Sunday is more important than ever. But it had a slow start. In the 1940s, the precursor to the World Council of Churches invited other denominations to participate in this global communion. And the response was strong and empowering. Of course, the stress of WWII also contributed to the need for Christians from around the world to join together. World Communion symbolized the effort to unite, in a spiritual sense. It emphasized that we are one in the Spirit and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It embodies what the psalmist declared, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” When we think of the human race as one people, all kindred and blessed by God, then unity becomes possible, even probable.
Communion is a sacred act of claiming our unity.
Today the world is very much in need of coming together with war in Ukraine, and power dynamics shifting all over, Germany is just the latest example. Our own divisive political landscape. Uniting in our common love of God and actively being fed in a holy sacrament is our way of declaring our commitment to Christ and the church.
You might respond to this much like the disciples did, “Lord increase our faith!” Several people I know have just stopped watching the news because it increases the blood pressure, or it feels so overwhelming. We might think we need more faith to face what the world is dealing with right now: climate change, inflation, stock market volatility. Of course, we would like more faith, we would like to have confidence and trust in the systems and lives we have created.
I almost chose a different text to speak about unity and God’s love. Like this from John, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (13:34-35). It offers a Kumbaya moment. Yet I think our gospel lesson gives us something to chew on as we ponder unity and communion. I must admit I have a love hate relation with this text. I love the idea of asking Jesus to increase our faith. But I hate this parable about what we expect of a slave. I don’t even like thinking about how a slave was expected to work all day outside in the field and then come in and cook and feed the master before he or she even gets a break. Don’t get me started on not saying thanks because oppressive servitude was expected.
Yet the very things we love, and hate are what divide us and hurt us. The openness of California culture most of us love, but it can also be the bane of other’s existence (think of all the jokes about California). We love our political views and causes, but they can also divide us within our families and friends. Certainly, they have divided our nation. We favor the groups we belong to, while dismissing those groups that contradict our beliefs. But here in lies the rub, the challenge. When we stop and consider what we love and hate it also helps us to see what we need to lay before Christ to embrace our brothers and sisters with differing perspectives. The great theologian Paul Tillich used to say, “Accept the fact that you’re accepted.” Since I am accepted then maybe I can accept you as well. This is a first step in finding our way to the unity that World Communion strives to create.
This World Communion Sunday we get to see this through Jesus’ parable about a slave and his master. It is a hard teaching, because we are not slave owners, and the very idea turns our stomach. Yet it reminds us of the economic and racial challenges we face as Christians. Is everyone welcome at our table, at Christ’s table? Do we welcome every one of every color and every class? World communion Sunday reminds us that we are all equal in God’s sight. We are on par with people from around the world, educated or not, Presbyterian or not, liberals or not, conservatives or not.
It is good to note that when the disciples ask Jesus to increase their faith, they have just been told to forgive seven times, the same person, seven times, if they repent. Talk about a challenge, a time when faith is needed. Imagine forgiving the same person seven times in one day!
Three things I want to focus on about disciple’s request of increasing our faith; admitting our weakness, faith is a matter of efficiency not quantity and your faith is enough.
As we seek to be unified this World Communion Sunday a good place to start is admitting our weakness. We all need help, we all need more faith, and asking God to increase our faith is one way we acknowledge we cannot do this with our unaided human will. We need God’s support. We might ask God to help us see people different than us, through God’s eyes. We might ask God to help us quiet our conviction that our way is the only way. We might ask God to give us the confidence to make positive changes in our community. Admitting our weakness enables us to partner with God in a stronger way. Leaning into our faith and caring for those in our midst.
Secondly, when faced with forgiving seven times the disciples ask for more faith. We all know their fear, I can’t do this, or the storms of life are too powerful. Increase my faith. But Jesus gives them a simple answer, faith the size of a mustard seed is sufficient to do the job. As you recall Luke likened the kingdom of God to a mustard seed (13:19). Here this tiny seed, small by any standard, has the power to get the job done. It is not the size of your faith but its efficiency. Jesus then tells of moving a tree into the sea. A gigantic task to be sure, but a doable task with faith on your side.
Finally, Jesus is helping us see we have all the faith we need. Faith the size of a mustard seed, I think anyone here can say we have at least that much. Maybe not enough to move a tree, or to forgive seven times, but we do have a tiny bit of faith. Jesus is saying to the disciples, and us, your faith is enough. One commentator writes, “When it comes to faith (also translated as trust, confidence, commitment), Jesus suggests that size does not matter; even a seed of faith holds tree-like potential. Jesus’ followers can live and act on the basis of whatever faith is theirs, no matter how small or insignificant it seems…Instead of worrying about the size of their faith, perhaps these Jesus-followers should just get on with living it out in obedience to Jesus’ commands (Working Preacher, Audrey West). You have all the faith you need and asking for more invites God into your project and creates unity among God’s people, because egos have been put away.
We can take what little faith we have and bring it to bear on the world we live in the pursuit of unity.
Communion is a beautiful way of creating unity, joining with each other in a sacred meal and join with God at a heavenly banquet. Our efforts here strengthen Christian unity worldwide. If ever there is an antidot for the fascist radical ideas arising in the world it is the love of God found in our Christian faith.
In closing Jan Richardson writes, “World Communion Sunday reminds us that Christ calls us to a table where the welcome is wide. He offers us a space with bread and wine in abundance to give solace to our sorrow and to stir our joy. Even as Christ invites us to this table, he does not mean for us to linger here forever. He gives us sustenance in order to send us forth, carrying a space of welcome within us, called to offer it to those we meet” (The Painted Prayer Book). How will you use your faith to share God’s love and unite our world? Amen.
