"We All Belong to God"

A Sermon by the Rev. Amelie M. Sell

Preached at Pleasantville UCC, October 2, 2011

   Today is World Communion Sunday, a day in which Christians throughout the world will gather and celebrate Holy Communion.  We join them in not only our celebration of the Lord’s Supper, but also in our belief Jesus is present wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name. (Matthew 18:20)  Today, Christians of diverse denominational and cultural backgrounds will put aside our differences and join together in sharing our common meal commemorating Jesus’ gift of his body and his blood for us.

   Just as God established a list of basic rules for the Hebrew people to follow when they were out in the wilderness, God establishes for Christians a few basic beliefs.  First and foremost, we are to believe in God and work to faithfully live out God’s teachings.  Most Christians believe in the Trinitarian understanding of God: God is expressed as the Creator, the Redeemer (Jesus) and the Sustainer (the Holy Spirit).  We are to follow the Greatest Commandment: We shall love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and we shall love our neighbors as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40)  All Christians keep at least two Sacraments—we baptize new Christians in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and honor Jesus by eating the bread and drinking the wine of Holy Communion.  Like the ancient Hebrew people, we continue to use the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai over three thousand years ago as moral guideposts for our lives.

   When God gave the 10 Commandments to the Hebrew people, they were a “lost” people.  Their lives had radically changed over a short period of time, as they suddenly left their lives in Egyptian slavery and were out in the wilderness following God to the Promised Land.  Everything they took for granted was over….no more could they wake up in the morning and know where they would lay their heads at night.  God gave the 10 Commandments to God’s followers in order to establish a few basic rules for them to follow in the midst of changing circumstances.  Unlike their days in Egypt where the people would perhaps honor Egyptian deities alongside our God, the people were now only supposed to Worship God.  They were instructed to not worship other gods and not to misuse the name of our God.  The people were to keep a Sabbath day to rest and worship the Lord.  The people were commanded to honor their parents and live harmoniously with their families.  The people were to follow laws of civility: they were instructed not to murder, commit adultery, steal, make false claims about others, or want things that belonged to other people.   The 10 Commandments are ground rules that lead to an orderly society for God’s followers.

   For many of us, we also feel like our lives are not always under control.  Many of us are dealing with changing circumstances and unexpected transitions.  Although our lives may not be undergoing the kind of radical changes the Hebrew people were dealing with out in the wilderness, many of us may wake up in the morning without a clear idea of what the day will have in store for us.  Even though we live over three thousand years after the 10 Commandments were given to God’s followers, we can take refuge in the guidance and 10 simple rules: we are to only worship God and not put anything else as a priority over God….not our jobs, not the money we have or the money we wish we had, not our hobbies or the things we find gratifying.   We should not misuse the name of our Lord.  We must take time off from everything else in our lives and rest and honor and worship God.  We must work to have good relationships with our parents, our children, our spouses, and our families.  And, we must follow the laws of civility: we must not murder, commit adultery, steal, make false claims about others, or want things that belong to other people.  The 10 Commandments give us a simple list of rules to follow in order to keep our lives focused on doing the right thing and valuing our relationships with both God and the people of God’s world.

   This morning, on this World Communion Sunday, we are reminded that we are not alone in our following the basics of our faith.  Throughout the world, Christians in every country are taking time this morning to honor our connection with each other by joining together at the Lord’s table.  We are not alone, we all belong to God.  The same God who led the Hebrew people out of slavery and gave them the 10 Commandments is the same God who many years later chose to be born as the baby Jesus and live a life of piety and service for others—that same God is with us today, guiding Christians around the world though the Holy Spirit.  This morning, we will remember our connection to Christians throughout the world as we come together at the Lord’s Supper. 

   As we planned communion for this morning, the Worship and the Arts committee chose to honor our connection to Christians throughout the world by gathering around tables covered by cloths our church members have gathered from our travels to distant lands.  As we commune, we will eat breads baked using recipes from other countries, so when we taste the bread we will be reminded of our brothers and sisters in other countries who will taste the same flavors in the bread they eat this morning.  We will move around the sanctuary and commune at stations rather than at our seats, so that we are reminded many people throughout the world journeyed a great distance to participate in worship and Holy Communion this morning.  And, Pastor Hilary and I will welcome both children and adults forward for a blessing. No matter how old or how young we are, by receiving a blessing we are all nourished for our journeys of faith and for our work of service to our God.  May it be so.  Amen.