Each month we gather around many tables together. We gather for committee meetings; we gather at Coffee Hour; we gather in God’s Garden. In large and small groups we meet and talk, offering our time and love to the mission of the church, striving, as we proclaim, to “walk in the ways of Jesus.”
It’s with this ultimate purpose at the heart of our life together that we can admit there’s one table around which we gather that’s more important than all the rest. It is the table of Holy Communion. What an honor it is to be invited to that meal! What a joy it is to share in that sacred way! Through Communion we celebrate our unity with God and one another in word and deed, and that’s why I’m grateful we celebrate this sacrament on the first Sunday of each month and at our Ash Wednesday service. Holy Communion is a ritual that allows us to acknowledge our hunger for human healing and spiritual unity in a most physical way. In prayer and contemplation we’re joined with the One who calls us into new life, offering us a chance to recommit ourselves to “the living body of Christ.” What a great thing to be a part of!
It’s with this sense of excitement we can move through 2010 together. With our new slate approved at the Annual Meeting and with our fellowship and service groups and education classes in full swing, we’ll gather around many tables in the months ahead. May our thoughts and words always be inspired by the table set by Jesus: the table of abiding and inspiring communion with God. Amen.
With love from The Reverend Lael Atkinson