Blog
Sep 19, 2023
World Communion Sunday 2023
Opening Prayers | Calls to Worship | Prayers of the People
Prayers of Confession | Assurances of Pardon
Celebrating World Communion Sunday
World Communion Sunday (October 1, 2023) is an excellent occasion to remember together in word, song, and action that Christ has one body, spread though it may be across denominations and national borders. This is an especially important moment for the Church to display its unity, as national and international politics have become sharply divisive over the last decade. The options for how your congregation could observe this Sunday are endless. Let the Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:3-5 guide your creativity:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (NIV)
Ways to Observe Christian Unity in Word
Millions of Christians say the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed every Sunday. If you don’t normally incorporate these in your worship, consider doing so!
Pray internationally and interculturally! Enlist your congregation to pray for the Church in different parts of the world. Even better: do your missionaries or international contacts in your denomination have specific intercessions or thanksgivings that you can offer?
Swap videos with a sister church, an international or intercultural church contact, or missionaries with greetings, prayers, or songs.
Consider incorporating prayers or reading Scripture in other languages to let your congregation join Christians who speak other languages in worship.
Ways to Observe Christian Unity in Song
Work with your worship minister or leader to come up with songs about Christian unity or that showcase the diversity of cultures and languages within Christianity.
Because of the emphasis on the eucharist, consider how you might use music during communion to highlight Christian unity, again, perhaps featuring songs about Christian unity or featuring songs in other languages.
Ways to Observe Christian Unity in Action
How might your congregation give to help Christians around the world? Does your congregation have a general fund for missions or international relief? Perhaps even better: do your missionaries or international churches in your denomination have specific needs you can give to?
Find a service project in your community to get involved in. American churches are especially prone to racial or ethnic segregation. Reach out to congregations with a different racial or ethnic makeup. See how your congregation might serve them. Be sure not to make it about giving a certain sort of experience to your congregation — make it about love through service.
Find ways to break bread across races and denominations. Potlucks or picnics could be a great way to bring your congregations together.
