World Communion Sunday and the Eco-Challenge

Bonjour! Salaam! Habari, bwana! Habari, bibi! Annyong! Buenos días! Malo e tau ma'u 'a e 'aho' ni! Those are words of greeting and invitation. That is how you say “Hello” in French, Arabic, Swahili, Korean, Spanish, and Tongan. For years I have used those words to invite folks to the Lord’s Table on World Communion Sunday. This year, I have a special word of invitation for you in advance of World Communion Sunday, but we’ll get to that in a second. I am fond of saying, "World Communion Sunday should be one of our highest of Holy Days for the Disciples of Christ." Think about it. It is a worship-filled Sunday that is:

• Dedicated to the Unity We Have in Christ!
• Celebrated around the Lord's Table!
• Participated in by Christian Communities All Over the World, Regardless of Denominational Identity!

If those themes sound familiar (unity, ecumenism, the centrality of the Lord’s Table) they should! These are the characteristics that best define us as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). As Disciples we come to the table every Sunday to be transformed by the love of God, renewed by a holy meal of remembrance, and empowered by a welcome that will not let us go. These are the habits of our faith (welcome, generosity, hospitality) and we practice them every time we gather at the Lord’s Table. So here is the invitation: This year as you are celebrating one of our highest of Holy Days, I’d like for you to consider putting the World at the heart of your World Communion Sunday services. Green Chalice has put together a team for the 2018 EcoChallenge. We are rooting our Green Chalice EcoChallenge Team in the same Open Table Theology that defines our Disciples of Christ faith — everyone is welcome to join and everyone is invited to be a part! The EcoChallenge is a fun, social, easy way to take measurable actions on the creation care issues that mean so much to us! Learn more (and join the Green Chalice Team!) by visiting https://2018.ecochallenge.org/ Just like the Lord’s Table, may the EcoChallenge be a place of community, transformation, and renewal where we develop new habits that truly make a difference! Au revoir! Ma as-salaamah! Kwaherini! Annyong-hi kashipshio! Hasta luego! Po’uli! Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a proud partner of Blessed Tomorrow, a coalition of faith leaders committed to serve as faithful stewards of creation. Founded by ecoAmerica, Blessed Tomorrow offers tools, resources, and communications to demonstrate visible climate leadership, inspiring and empowering faith leaders to speak about, act on and advocate for climate solutions. Learn more about our partnership and the resources available to you here.

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