I Believe in the Communion of Saints

Revelation 7:9-17

Georgetown Presbyterian Church

Rev. Stephen H. Wilkins

October 1, 2006

One Sunday a pastor announced from the pulpit, "There will be a meeting of the Board immediately following the service." After the end of the service, the group gathered at the back of the auditorium for the announced meeting. But there was a stranger in their midst. He was a visitor who had never attended their church before. "My friend," asked the pastor, "did you understand that this is a meeting of the Board?"

"Yes," said the visitor, "and after that sermon, I’m about as bored as I can get!"

… There will be no meeting of the Board today!

It’s too bad that some people find worship to be boring. We don’t generally have that problem in this congregation. There are, however, some churches where there is no joy in worship, where discipleship is a duty and a chore, and that is sad.

It’s sad for a couple of reasons. For one thing, a lack of joy in worship tells me that there are people who have it all wrong about God, people who obviously haven’t experienced a relationship with the living God, people who obviously don’t know Jesus. Because if you know God, and if you know Jesus, then you can’t contain the joy.

It’s also sad, because if people have a poor image of worship, then heaven is not really a very attractive place for them. You see, one of the most prevalent images of heaven that we have in the book of Revelation is an image of unending worship. And so for people whose idea of worship is tempered by bad experiences on earth, the thought of worship in heaven isn’t something they look forward to. But if you look at the worship in Revelation, it’s an incredible image unlike any worship we experience here on earth. There are no people falling asleep. There are no people looking at their watches and wondering if they’re going to beat the Baptists to the buffet line. There are no dour expressions.

It’s a celebration of the face-to-face presence of God.

It’s a celebration of the people of God in the presence of God.

It’s a celebration of ALL the people of God.

It really is a striking image in the seventh chapter of Revelation. A great multitude of people – so great, in fact, that the multitude is beyond counting; people from every nation, every tribe, every language, every race.

The vision in Revelation is, for me, a great description of the communion of saints. Do you ever think about what it means when you say you believe in the communion of saints? At the 11:00 service, we say it virtually every Sunday: I believe in the communion of saints. Have you thought about what it means? "I believe in the communion of saints. . ."

The late Clayton Bell, who was the long-time pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas and the brother-in-law of Billy Graham, wrote a book about the Apostles’ Creed, and in it he describes the communion of saints: "When we say we believe in the communion of saints, we are saying that in a church that is universal (catholic) and that belongs to God (holy), we are knit together in a common bond of love and devotion to the same Lord, and therefore knit together in a commitment to each other." When we say that we believe in the communion of saints, we are saying that we are united with Christ, and thus united with one another in the Body of Christ, as well.

In Revelation, as the multitude of saints gathers, that which unites them is Jesus Christ. There they are, gathered in front of the Lamb. They come together from far and near to worship the risen Lord.

It is Christ who brings us together. Our oneness is not founded on right doctrine. Our oneness is not founded on worship style. Our oneness is not founded on language or nationality. Our oneness is founded on a common devotion to Jesus Christ. "Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. . ." It is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God and the Great Shepherd, who unites us and makes us one.

What does the communion of saints mean for us? When we say we believe in the communion of saints, what are we implying about our own faith?

For one thing, we are expanding our definition of family. When we are united with Christ, we become part of a worldwide family of believers. At one time we were strangers, but now we are brothers and sisters in Christ.

Just look around the sanctuary at those who are gathered here today. I’ve made this observation before, but it bears repeating. With a few exceptions, most of you wouldn’t have anything to do with each other were it not for Jesus Christ bringing you together. It’s not that you don’t like each other or are enemies, but it’s just that you probably wouldn’t normally be a part of each other’s lives. But because of Christ, we are gathered here today.

That really strikes a chord with me. The fact of the matter is, were it not for Jesus Christ and his calling on my life, none of you would be a part of my life; it is Jesus Christ who brought me to Georgetown, to serve in this congregation.

It means that my family picture would be incomplete without you in it. We’re family, and we need each other, warts and all. We may have some awkward relatives in this larger family. We may have some sibling rivalries in this larger family. We may have some prodigal brothers and sisters in this larger family. There may be some in this larger family with whom we don’t always get along. But the fleas come with the dog, and so we’re all in it together.

Sometimes the church is not a very pretty place. But it is the body of Christ. And for better or worse, we belong to each other. Each of us brings strengths and weaknesses to the table. We accept one another as we are. We’re family, and we need each other.

Jesus Christ expands our definition of family. That’s the communion of saints. Blest be the tie that binds.

But the communion of saints is even bigger than local gatherings of Christians. The scripture doesn’t isolate people coming from different parts Georgetown to worship at the foot of the Lord – the scripture tells us that the people have gathered from every corner of the earth.

When you think of the communion of saints, what does your family album look like? When you think of the communion of saints, do you think of Christians in Sudan, or Mexico, or Uganda, or Pakistan, or China? When people ask me why we have to go halfway across the nation on a mission trip, or to some other country, one of my responses is that it is so we can have a family reunion. It’s one thing to have some kind of corresponding relationship with Christians in other parts of the world – we can send notes and financial support. But it’s another thing altogether to go and be with them.

Marj Carpenter was the Moderator of the General Assembly in 1995, and she is perhaps the greatest mission advocate we have in the Presbyterian Church. When she talks about her travels to the far reaches of the earth, she tells of people who are grateful to know that there are Christians in other parts of the world who care.

It’s going there that shows we care.

When we believe in the communion of saints, what we are saying is that we no longer have the option of ignoring what happens in other parts of the world. We can’t ignore because our brothers and sisters in Christ are involved. In First Corinthians, Paul describes this as one of the dynamics of the Body of Christ. When one part of the body hurts, the whole body suffers. The same goes for the communion of saints – when our fellow Christians around the world are suffering, it should affect us, as well. We don’t have the luxury of ignoring persecution and hunger and warfare and terrorism, just because it isn’t happening in our own back yard. We don’t have the luxury of ignoring these things because family is involved, and we ought to care.

That’s exactly why we want to go to New Orleans in two weeks. Now that more than a year has passed since Hurricane Katrina swept through and since the levees broke, it’s easy for us to focus our attention elsewhere. But the truth be told, as long as there are homes that need to be repaired for families that want to return, we don’t have the luxury of forgetting about New Orleans.

Because family is involved.

I believe in the communion of saints.

In a few minutes we’re going to share the Lord’s Supper together. We call it communion for a reason. It’s communion because this sacrament seals upon our hearts the spiritual reality of our unity with Christ. But it’s also communion in that our unity with Christ unites us with believers in every time and place. It is a celebration of the communion of saints. Blest be the tie that binds.

It is tradition that the first Sunday in October is called World Communion Sunday, as we celebrate with Christians around the world. To help reinforce this meaning, today I have invited some of our church members who are from other nationalities to participate in our communion liturgy.

You might remember the movie Places in the Heart, which starred Sally Fields. It’s the story of a young widowed mother who struggles to keep her small cotton farm in rural east Texas. The film depicts brutality, racism, and greed as the driving forces in the lives of this small town.

It is the closing scene that is perhaps the most surprising.

The scene takes place during a communion service at church. The camera pans a few of the good townspeople gathered at the communion railing. Then, some of the villains enter the picture. The banker and others who conspired to take the farm away from the woman are there. Next to them are the faithful black farmhand and the blind boarder. The plate is then passed to the children and to the mother. She is next to her late husband, who is next to the young man who shot him. They all commune together, responding: "the peace of God."

That is the power of Christ, who breaks down the walls that divide us so that in him we may be one.

That is the communion of saints.

Blest be the tie that binds. . .