Kati Mani, an Australian freelance writer with a love of travel, once wrote an article about a trip she took to Italy. While there, she was fortunate to share a Sunday lunch with a large, gregarious family in Florence. As mealtime approached, and the polenta and polpettine were nearly ready, someone asked: “What is the chief difference you have noticed between Australian culture and Italian culture?” With wonderful aromas emanating from the kitchen, she noticed the playful children in the house. She realized the answer was running all around her. While the Italian food was going to be fabulous, it was the enthusiastic gathering of family for the meal that made the Italian experience so unique. She concluded, “…Florence has taught me that the experience of eating, not just the food itself, is something to be savored.”
At the center of Christian faith is a meal. This meal, through the centuries, has been practiced differently, and given varied theological meanings. Even today, one of the prime reasons that churches are not unified is the varied way the sacrament has been interpreted. In some of the earliest churches, disagreements around the meal were more social. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, we see that Communion was attached to a larger, full meal. Paul realized that not everyone was being given equal treatment at the meal, and those of means were eating before others. This resulting division was a denial of the very purpose of the holy meal. This table of communion should help us love more, not less.
We’ll talk about this in worship this week as we mark World Communion Sunday. The sermon, taken from I Corinthians 11: 17-26, is titled, “Widening Circles that Reach Out Across the World.” The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Lois Leong, will sing two anthems. We’ll have a moment for children, sing and pray together, and celebrate Holy Communion.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream.