October 7, 2007

27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

World Communion Sunday

Preparation for Worship

We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done.

Luke 17:10

Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit.

We become just by doing just acts,

temperate by doing temperate acts,

brave by doing brave acts.

Aristotle

I long to accomplish great and noble tasks,

but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble

tasks as though they were great and noble.

The world is moved along, not only by the

mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the

aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

Helen Keller

World Communion Sunday originated in the Presbyterian Church (USA) in 1936. From the beginning, this event was planned with the hope that other denominations would embrace it. Today it is observed by congregations in the United Methodist, United Church of Christ, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) among others. As we join Christians from around the globe at the Lord’s Table today, we will celebrate the sacrament and worship in special ways.

     The liturgy, hymns, and music offered in worship of God today are drawn from different cultures, countries, and traditions throughout Christ’s global church. The country of origin for each element of the service has been identified in the bulletin.

     As the service begins, a procession of young Christians, Chancel Choir, and worship leaders will enter the sanctuary from different directions to symbolize that we “come from the North, the South, the East, and the West” to take our place at the table of our Lord. Our young people will bring different varieties of bread, which serve as symbolic reminders of the cultural diversity of the body of Christ. Despite diversity in appearance, we are all united by one bread, one body, and one Lord of all. As an outward sign of this unity, we will hold the bread and partake together.

     Today we receive the Peacemaking Offering and, as we share the bread, we will sing together a response from the Taize Ecumenical Community that proclaims a spirit this spirit of God’s peace that unites us. Taize, in the south of Burgundy, France, is home of an international, ecumenical community, founded there in 1940 by Brother Roger. The brothers are committed for their entire life to material and spiritual sharing, to celibacy, and to a great simplicity of life. Today, the community is made up of over a hundred brothers, Roman Catholics, and Protestants from more than twenty-five nations. Since the late 1950s, many thousands of young adults from many countries have found their way to Taize to take part in prayer and reflection, which often includes the use of musical prayers such as “Come and Fill Our Hearts.”