One to All the World – We continue our walk through the New Testament and, currently, through the writings of the apostle Paul, with a reading from 2 Corinthians 5.  Today is also another celebration of Communion as we’ve been considering the theme of gathering around the table as Paul wrote about table gatherings. Carol recounts her week with her family reunion and camp meeting, where she baptized 15 kids.  It’s an annual event that has taken place for 200 years.  She said that among those hundreds of people there have been arguments and conflicts.  Such disagreement and conflict can also happen at our Thanksgiving gatherings, for example.  The story of Adam and Eve reveals that they turned on each other, as later did their sons, Cain and Abel.  Paul’s writing in 2 Corinthians evidences that kind of thing, too.  The Christians in that context were from vastly different backgrounds, and Paul is clearly heartbroken at how divided they are.  He begs them to remember that we are all one in Christ, and it is through the power of Christ that they (and we) can live into oneness.  We are called to be reconciled with one another – right relationship with one another – by remembering that we are reconciled to God through Christ.  We are, through this, encouraged to move toward each other, to examine our lives to see where we need to move toward another through reconciliation.

(NOTE:  The video skips a piece from when the choir begins to come forward for communion to a bit farther into the serving of communion to the congregation.  NOTE: For technical reasons, there is a bit of chatter in the audio, especially noticeable in the organ music.)