One in the Spirit (World Communion Sunday)

John 17:20-26; Ephesians 4:1-16

A group of new arrivals in heaven met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. He began to show them around, pointing out areas of interest and filling them in on the rules of the kingdom. There were many “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, and they were obviously enjoying themselves immensely. Suddenly Saint Peter stopped a short distance from a massive building which was miles-wide, long and high, and without doors or windows. “While we pass this building,” he said, “you must walk quietly and utter not so much as a sound.” So the entourage tiptoed obediently past the monolith without a word.

Once they were past, however, an inquisitive soul inquired, “Why did we have to be so quiet when we passed that building?”

Saint Peter responded, “God put the Methodists in there; they think they’re the only ones up here.”

Today is World Wide Communion Sunday.  We are not the only church sharing in communion this day but we can also know that not all churches and not all denominations will celebrate this special day but there will be many who are taking part in this sacred meal.  The point of this special day is the concept of unity.  It is through Communion that we remember Jesus Christ and unite with Him in this very sacred meal.  As we are in communion with Him we are also united with all those who are His.  This is the picture that is created in our Gospel text from John 17.  Jesus is praying for all believers to be united with Him as He is united with God.  Verse 23 sums it up best, “I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

As I prepared for this day I wanted us to try and grasp what unity in the Spirit means.  Does it mean that we are all going to become one denomination?  No, of course not, there are too many human opinions and beliefs out there.  Does it mean that we will all agree on every theological doctrine? Again No.  Does it even mean that within even this local church there will be a unified body that never disagrees or has conflict?  Unfortunately not.  Unity or being One in the Spirit is the connection of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and choose to walk and work with the guidance of the Holy Spirit we are as One.

This is the same concept as a marriage.  When a woman and a man take their wedding vows Jesus says they become one.  This is not a physical action that conjoins the man and woman but instead it is that they become one in the Spirit.  They share life and live in union with each other.  Now tell me, does every married couple agree on everything?  Of course not.

We can read the beginnings of the Christian Church the Book of Acts and we can read quite clearly that even in the beginning there were differences of opinion.  So in Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus he is encouraging them to live in unity.  He calls them to live “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,” and to use the gifts we were given “for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.”

Living as One body takes work.  It takes self-control and lots of love.  Living as One in the Spirit is about each of us doing our part to fulfill the ministry of the Gospel.  Paul writes, “We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine…but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped…”  In other words we must mature in our faith and through love work together in unity.

Each of us here and some who are not here today, bring to this specific church a special gift or talent.  We are all given a gift that is meant to join with others to make up a whole body with Christ as the Head.  Everyone from the youngest to the eldest, from the most educated to the less educated, from the newest members to the lifelong members we are all called to join together in Unity through the Spirit.

I would like us to visualize this concept in a special way today.  Our communion bread today is a multigrain bread.  We will all be partaking of this one loaf made up of many grains.  In the larger picture we can see how the many grains symbolize the many different people around the world who are joined in Christ and share in this Communion meal.  I would also like us to take this down to the smaller picture.  There are 6 different grains on the table surrounding the globe:  oats, Couscous, rice, quinoa, sunflower seeds and flaxseed.  I invite each of you to take a pinch of one grain and put it into the glass container.  As these grains are put together they are no long a separate entity.  Oh, yes each kernel may still be its own grain but it is now a part of a larger whole.  It would take a very long time for someone to try and separate each of the grains again.

This image is our church.  Every person is unique and yet when we come together in Christ we are united as one.  Let us remember today as we share in this World Wide Communion Service that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and choose to follow Him we become a part of bigger unit.  We are a member of Christ’s body which is made up of so many parts, all that rely on the other.  Let us celebrate our Unity.  Let us truly become One in the Spirit.