October 5, 2025, World Communion Sunday
John 14:1-7
Introduction
What comes to mind when you think about World Communion Sunday? Does anything come to mind when you think about World Communion Sunday? Do you ever think about World Communion Sunday? Have you ever heard of World Communion Sunday? If your answer to any or all of these questions is “No”, don’t feel bad. It’s not something most of the world knows about—even though it’s a “World-ly” day. It’s not something a lot of Christians even know about—even though it is a Christian event and observation. And, in recent years it has become even less prevalent.
I’ve said it before, there are no World Communion Sunday cards to send or presents to be purchased. I suspect most of the world has never even heard of it and many outside the church who have, probably find the idea of the world coming together to eat a piece of bread and drink a sip of wine or juice as rather ridiculous.
And there’s some rational reasoning for such an argument. After all, we can’t agree on how often communion should be taken. Some take it weekly; some monthly; some quarterly; some just on special occasions. We can’t agree on how to take communion. Some take it by passing it among the people; some have the host placed on their tongue then drink from a common cup. Some receive both the bread and wine mixed together from a common spoon. Some use grape juice and some use real wine. Some use bread and some use wafers and some use chiclet-like crackers. We don’t even agree on what it means. Some see it as symbolic, and some see it as the actual body and blood of our Savior.
Consequently, communion has become a great dividing wall for Christians. There are churches that will allow Christians from other churches to participate in their worship service through singing and listening to the Word; they will even take their money—but when it comes time to receive the sacrament of communion, they are excluded—and I’m not talking about the obvious implications. I know of a Disciples church that for decades had the stipulation that you had to be a member of that church to take communion.
So you can’t blame the majority of the world for not getting excited about World Communion Sunday, a day when Christians from all branches and denominations around the world have agreed to take communion in a show of unity—because what are we united on?
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No doubt Christians have many reasons for partaking of communion, and reasons for the way we partake. But beyond all that, I believe there lies within us all, a common reason, a common purpose that makes today, World Communion Sunday a significant and critically important day.
When you peal back all the secondary layers we pack on top of this holy act, at rock bottom, all of us gather around the table because what sits upon it we believe to be the Truth. The Truth. As one someone once said to me, “I don’t want to believe because it comforts me or makes me feel good. I want to believe because it is the Truth.” Communion reminds us of the Truth.
Move 1
Happiness, peace, prosperity, and fullness of life are never a given in our world. In fact, we are made to believe that our lives are void of these blessings until we ourselves find them for ourselves.
So often we are told the lie that salvation, happiness, peace, prosperity, and fullness simply depend upon having the right government or the right party or the right person in office. We are told corruption is not a universal problem, only a problem with the other political side—which tempts us to place all our hopes for the future upon a politician or a party or a group who will say whatever they have to say to convince us they will bring all the good we need.
Next, we are tricked into believing materialism can fulfill us. If we buy the right car, wear the right clothes, follow the right diet our life will be full of all the right stuff—but we can’t be certain which is the right stuff and which are lies, so we most certainly become lost and confused.
But then we come here, around the table, and commune with the One who believed none of these lies—and we are introduced, again, to the Truth. We come here and we know that God, and God alone, has the power to save our lives and fill our souls to overflowing. We come here, and these elements remind us that our struggles in life are struggles of the heart, and that sin is the corrupting force that drives every human being on earth. We come here and we realize that until we have found the grace of God that frees us from our selfish ways, and experience God’s love poured out upon us unconditionally, no government, no political party, no politician, and no thing can ever fill the void in our soul. Only God’s grace and love can fill that void. When we come here, we communion with the Truth.
Move 2
That may be how it is when we come here, but what about when we are somewhere else? Whenever we are away from the communion table, we are at risk—at risk of being enveloped in a world where we are brainwashed with the message of living only for ourselves; doing unto others before they do unto us; the message of success and win at all cost; triumph or be triumphed over. Revenge is how we right wrongs, according to the world. But according to God, righting wrongs is done another way. No wonder we grow confused and lost.
How are we to live? How are we to treat our fellow human beings? How are we to act toward our enemies? Out there—we are to get angry and vengeful. But we come in here and commune with the One who was in the world but refused to of the world. And we know the Truth again.
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We were not given this life to horde and keep, but we are given this life that we may give it to others. Here we are called to love not just our friends and family, but even our enemies and those who hurt us. Here, the truth is forgiveness replaces revenge. Here is one who died for, and forgave, even those who crucified him and we are called to follow his way because it is true.
Communion opens our hearts and souls to living in the world but not being of the world. Communion reminds us that hatred and revenge lead only to ruin and destruction, and that life and renewal are found only through forgiveness and grace. No amount of success or victory can give our life meaning and purpose if it is obtained by tearing down another. In the broken body and spilled blood of Christ Jesus our Savior, we see once again what God wants life to be about—mercy, grace, forgiveness, and unconditional love.
Move 3
It is certain we live in a world that had gone mad. It is a world that rocks and reels with economic turmoil. Many are wondering if there is any hope at all. People are frightened about what the world is coming to. The future appears no longer to be a horizon where we expect the sun to rise; the future is now the place where the sun sets, leaving only a dim world groping in chaos.
But today, on World Communion Sunday, groups of people are gathering around a common meal to remember what it is God did because God so loved the world. We remember who the Creator is and who is the creature; that God is part of everything that is happening, and that God has the power to bring something out of nothing; life out of death; salvation out of defeats.
Yes, our world has gone mad, but the world is no different now than it has always been. It is no more chaotic and uncertain than when Caesar ruled the world. But into that chaotic, dim, Roman world God shined forth a star of hope. What we must remember is that into that chaotic dim world God trumpeted forth the sound of new life from the tomb of silent death. These elements, in whatever form they may come, confront us with the Truth that the world is not in the hands of human beings; rather the world is in the hands of God.
Wherever we Christians live in this world, we all face the same terrors and challenges and heartbreaks. Grief, fear, pain, and despair know no boundaries. And then we come here to communion and see that there is another who also faced these universal enemies. There is another who was torn apart, heartbroken, ground into the earth and yet we are celebrating the triumph of Jesus over all the powers that threaten to destroy us all and we are reminded that life overcomes death, joy defeats sorrow, and blessings will outshine chaos. It is called “communion” because it is here that we commune with the Truth and get ourselves right again.
Conclusion
Today is World Communion Sunday. And though such doesn’t create much of a stir in the world, this day is significant and important nonetheless. The vision of World Communion Sunday is that one day the entire world will meet at the Lord’s Table because the Truth is, the Lord’s Table is the place where all are welcome.
This table, Jesus said, is the place where all the boundaries that divide the human family are transcended and where reconciliation actually happens. Here we are reminded that our diversity is God-made; but our divisions are human-made. Here we commune with the Truth that we are all one family—God’s family.
Today the world will note little of what we do, but I ask you, what is happening in the world that is more life changing, or has more world altering significance than World Communion Sunday? Because around the world today are millions of Christians who, though we may differ in many ways, agree on this one thing: Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and communion is where we receive him, share him and are saved by him. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer, October 5, 2025, World Communion Sunday
God of all nations, on this day we are in solidarity with the faithful around the world. As we break bread together, we remember we are still one body in you, even though we have different languages, cultures and traditions, different ways of worship, praying and praising.
In solidarity we eat and drink together the bread of hope, the cup of new life, knowing that Your will is for Your people to be one body.
Holy God, in a world which floods our eyes and ears and souls with lies, half-truths, and deceptions, the communion table is where we come and commune with your truth. The communion table is where we get ourselves set right again. The communion table is the one true vine in a jungle world.
And then, on a day like today, on World Communion Sunday, we discover a deeper meaning for truly World Communion Sunday means:
The world will continue to be salted with people who do not follow the ways of the world because we follow the way of our Creator.
The world continues to have in its midst a people who do not believe all the lies we hear because we believe the Truth of our Lord.
So on this day remind us we will not find that needed justice in our apathy; we will not find that elusive wholeness with our quarreling; we will not find our hoped for unity with our doctrines; we will not find our misplaced love with our hating; we will not find that rest we crave in our overflowing schedules; we will not find the peace you offer in our well nursed grudges.
Yet on this day, may you make it so that we will find you in the brokenness of the bread of life; that we will find you when we drink from the cup of salvation. Make it that we will find you when we squeeze closer together, making room at the table for all your people.
We ask that you would hear now the prayers of our hearts as we offer them to you in this time of Holy Silence.
All this we pray in the name of Christ Jesus or Lord and Savior, who taught us to pray saying, “Our Creator…”