But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth. It is good to be reminded far more often than once a year that this Table encompasses a fellowship more powerful than Queen Victoria's army, and more inclusive than the vision of her Poet Laureate. We come to this Table along with people of every race and nation who have been made one by the cross of Jesus Christ. In a world rent by racial hatred and simmering injustice, this meal is a taste of the new reality the world doesn't see. For it we offer our thanks and praise.
Today is also a kind of anniversary for our own congregation.
It was a year ago today that we began celebrating the Lord's Supper every Lord's Day, not as an experiment, but as an affirmation that Word and Sacrament belong together in the Service for the Lord's Day. I had hoped that, as we ate and drank together at our Lord's invitation, eyes and hearts would be opened to the wonder of this meal, which is pure grace. I fully expected that not everyone would welcome this meal each week because I know that worship shapes people in profound and powerful ways. Most Presbyterians have been shaped a Sunday service that does not include the Supper. We have learned to approach the sacrament, when it is served, with reverence, with repentance, and with awe, remembering Jesus.