The only thing that counts is
faith working through love.
Galatians 5:6b

On Sunday morning, October 4^th, from our socially distanced spaces, we will gather around the Lord’s Table, and with believers around the world we will celebrate World Communion Sunday.  What a glorious occasion this will be, for not only does the Lord’s Supper issue an invitation to share the gifts of God with our sisters and brothers across the globe, but the sacrament also reveals that the triune God freely and graciously shares a life of love with humanity in Jesus Christ. As a public, open, joyful, hopeful meal, a new humanity is evoked at the Lord’s table, where people from all cultures, backgrounds, lifestyles, and theological perspectives share the same bread and partake of the same cup. In addition, because the natural elements of the Lord’s Supper are grain and the fruit of the vine, the sacrament symbolizes the interconnectedness among God’s good gifts of all creation and the stewardship of the earth with which human beings are entrusted.

On World Communion Sunday, we are also invited to make a gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering. Contributing to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the peace of Christ by addressing systems of conflict and injustice across the world. Individual congregations are encouraged to utilize up to 25% of this offering to connect with the global witness of Christ’s peace in our community. Presbyteries and synods retain an additional 25% for regional ministries of peace and reconciliation. And the remaining 50% is used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative projects of
education and Christian witness.

As we begin the month with communion, it certainly sets the tone for the ways in which our congregation can embody the presence of Jesus Christ that we discover at the Lord’s Supper. As a result, it is our hope that all of us will make every effort to enrich our time together, as we share our time at the Lord’s table, where the fellowship of the church overcomes all divisions, where we renew our commitment to the promised realm of God marked by justice, love and peace, and where we experience a fresh opportunity for the Lord to be made known to us.

Blessings,

tom