October 6 Worship - "Come and See: The Forest for the Trees"

As we gathered for worship this week, we had several special things to celebrate.  The first Sunday of October has been recognized as World Communion Sunday for over 70 years, encouraging us to see the Lord's Table as a place where Christians can gather in unity -- despite all of the division that theologies of Communion have created through the centuries.  Also, throughout the month of October we recognize those in our midst who work hard as part of the ongoing ministry of Eastgate Christian Church; in particular, we thanked our choir, our diaconate, and our elders.

Late Saturday night, I returned from a week in Haiti, where I was able to meet many of our mission partners and see the Carrefour clinic where we contribute a doctor's salary.  This experience added a special note to our gathering on World Communion Sunday.  It also meant that I was physically exhausted, which led to some interesting moments where I tried to skip parts of the service.  Despite this, there was a warmth in our worship and a sense of the presence of God -- particularly comforting, I hope, for many of those who raised prayerful concerns about themselves and loved ones.

In the sermon, we continued our look at the Gospel of John, "Come and See: The Promise of Following Jesus."  This week, we moved to Chapter 6, which might have the most instances of 'come' and 'see,' focusing on the meaning and import of Jesus' teaching, "I am the bread of life."  As was the case with Nicodemus, Jesus is trying to adjust expectations about who he is as the Messiah, but interestingly, here he tries to explain to those questioning him that he is offering them more than they are asking for, not less.  The same invitation is given to us, if we can get past the limitations created by our expectations of Jesus.

If you missed Sunday's sermon, if you'd like to listen to it again, or if you'd like to share it with others, you can find an audio recording here.

You can also listen to the closing invitation and benediction.