Today is World Communion Sunday! Today, we celebrate Holy Communion
with many Christians around the world. It’s a day to be reminded that we are
but a small piece of the Church of Jesus Christ. It’s a day to think of all of
the Christian churches in the world that do things and believe things a lot like
us. It’s an opportunity to remember how similar we are to each other. When
it comes to our friends in our own denomination, we are reminded how
amazingly similar we are. There are very few things that separate us in our
practice of Christianity and one item, faith in Jesus Christ, that inseparably
binds us to one another.

On Wednesday, our Session met with the Session of Westminster. They were
discussing questions and concerns about the possibility of merging our two
congregations into one. I think there were some great questions asked and
there will be some great answers to those questions in the coming weeks and
months. However, the best question asked was this, from someone that is
newer in the congregation at Westminster: What has been keeping us apart
for all these years? There was silence in the room, until one brave soul said,
the buildings.

We are separated by about a mile along with differences over bricks & mor-
tar. I know we could probably come up with a significant list of differences
in our congregations, but I’m sure most of those differences would pale in
comparison to how we are different from other churches in town and around
the world. In general, our worship is almost identical, our missions are simi-
lar and our people already have connections with each other.

This is where I am called back to the passage from Mark. It’s not the first
time we have read this passage in the last few months. We read it just a few
short weeks ago. It’s a passage that is commonly read on World Communion
Sunday to help us focus on unity and peace. But, it also helps us to focus on
salt. Salt is not a flavor. Salt brings out flavor. Without salt, most foods
taste less tasteful, I’m sorry Lendi, I just have to say it again, bland.
Jesus begins this passage with the story of a non-believer that is healing in
the name of Jesus. Well, do you really think this person was a non-believer is
they were actually healing in Jesus’ name? I don’t think so! This is a way Je-
sus could teach the disciples that belief can show itself in many ways. We
don’t all have to do things exactly alike, but we do have to have faith in the
one that is Jesus Christ.

When Jesus describes the interaction more fully, he speaks of someone that
give you a drink because you bear the name of Jesus Christ. If someone
does a good thing for you, because you believe in Jesus Christ, they will not
lose their reward. What is that reward? It sounds like its the same reward as
one that believes. It’s doing the work of Christ in the world, whether you
understand it as so or not. Even those that don’t believe, that serve Christ’s
work in the world, are included in the benefits of his sacrifice.

At the end of the passage, Jesus says to have salt in you and be at peace with
one another. This is how World Communion Sunday and the peace offering
get connected. This passage contains messages of: unity, even though we
may be very different - salvation, even though we only serve those that have
faith in Jesus - a flavorful life in serving Christ, but not so much as to destroy
the peace between us.

How does all of this effect your thinking? It does mine and it impacts what I
spend a great deal of time praying about. What is God calling this congrega-
tion to be?

It’s not about competing for members, nor is it about looking at what other
churches in our community are doing. As long as they are doing things be-
cause of their faith in Christ or for someone who has faith in Christ, that
seems to be the most important thing. If they do it in a flavorful way, it’s
even better. If they don’t promote peace between churches and people, then
we might fall away from Christ’s message here.

What can we do about this? That’s the rub. All we can do is look at how we
live our faith. The best way we can do that is: to pray for guidance, examine
the gifts we have as a congregation and individuals, and taking these two
things to see where our path in following God and our Spiritual gifts collide.
That’s where our attention must be focused. What gifts has God provided
you with? What gifts has God provided this church with? How can we lev-
erage those gifts to serve Christ?

That’s where we must focus. I spend a great deal of time praying about my
own gifts, the gifts of this church and the situation the community is in. I
must admit, I think about what other churches do, but I don’t think that is ef-
fective. What others are doing shouldn’t matter to us. All that matters, is
finding God’s will for us. We are successful if we follow God’s path for us.
We fail when we follow our own path or judge success or failure on human
terms. It’s hard to set aside our judgment, but that’s what we must do.
There are no set rules for how to be church or a Christian. That’s what
Christ is telling us, but there are certain gifts and situations we are put into.
Combining these with the guidance of the Spirit can show us the path. If we
respond, we will be what God wants for us and do the work God needs us to
do. We may stay small, we may grow, we may do new things or we may sim-
ply tweak what we are already doing. Whatever happens, it will be what God
wants for us.

Let us pray,
Creator God, we pray for your guidance. Show us the path you want each of
us to take and help us to be patient in staying on your path as a church. Re-
mind us that we are an important part of your work in the world, but only
you can know what the big picture looks like. Help us to focus on the work
you have set for us so we might do our part in creating the beautiful artwork
you call your kingdom.
Amen.