WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY 2015

Mark 10:13-16
The people brought children to Jesus, hoping he might touch them.  The disciples shooed them off.  But Jesus was irate and let them know it:  “Don’t push these children away.  Don’t ever get between them and me.  These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom.  Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.”  Then, gathering the children up in his arms, he laid his hands of blessing on them.

Today is World Communion Sunday and I do not have a sermon, per se.  Instead I have a poem and a couple of questions...and one observation.  Observation first, because I want you to hold this thought while you listen to the poem.


In today's reading, Jesus appears, at least, to clearly be speaking about actual children -- but in other places in the gospels Jesus when Jesus speaks about children, the little ones, he is speaking more of the powerless, those with no status in society, those without political or cultural clout of any kind -- the poor, the voiceless, invisible people.  Listen to the words of our scripture in that light ... and then listen to this poem by Jan Richardson:

“And the Table Will Be Wide”
A Blessing for World Communion Sunday

And the table
will be wide.
And the welcome
will be wide.
And the arms
will open wide
to gather us in.
And our hearts
will open wide
to receive.

And we will come
as children who trust
there is enough.
And we will come
unhindered and free.
And our aching
will be met
with bread.
And our sorrow
will be met
with wine.

And we will open our hands
to the feast
without shame.
And we will turn
toward each other
without fear.
And we will give up
our appetite
for despair.
And we will taste
and know
of delight.

And we will become bread
for a hungering world.
And we will become drink
for those who thirst.
And the blessed
will become the blessing.
And everywhere
will be the feast.

                © Jan Richardson, The Painted Prayerbook

I'm not sure that I could say anything about World Communion Sunday that says it better than that ... so I will ask my two questions for Reflection:  1) With all the best will in the world, with whom would you still find it difficult to share God's table?   2) Are you willing to do so, when Jesus invites them anyway?

And I will leave it at that.  May there be blessing and plenty for all of us.