This Sunday, October 5, our congregation will gather for one of my favorite days in the life of the church – World Communion Sunday. Born out of a desire for unity in a fractured world, this day reminds us that across continents and cultures, languages and liturgies, we are one body in Christ. Around tables of every shape and size — in cathedrals and storefronts, under trees and in sanctuaries — Christians will take bread and cup and remember the love that binds us together.
When Rev. Dr. Hugh Thomson Kerr, pastor of Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, first envisioned World Communion Sunday in 1933, he hoped it would “advance the spirit of unity in a time when the world was torn apart.” Nearly a century later, his vision feels just as needed — perhaps even more so. In a world that often feels divided by difference, we are invited to see room at the table for everyone, the bread broken for each one and the cup poured out for the whole world.
That’s why I am so grateful and excited that this year, we’ll continue our celebration with something deeply fitting: The Longest Table! It’s a meal shared outdoors along Fifth Street, stretching wide enough to seat many. Imagine it — tables lined up end to end, conversation flowing freely, laughter and stories mingling in the autumn air. This will be more than a meal, it becomes a living parable.
When we sit shoulder to shoulder with neighbors and strangers, children and elders, longtime members and new friends, we enact the truth that the Gospel has been telling us all along, that God’s love is not confined, not exclusive, not scarce — but abundant and shared, bold and boundless.
So come hungry: come hungry — not only for good food (and there will be plenty!) — but hungry for connection, for belonging, for a taste of the Kingdom come near. Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, bring your questions and your hopes. There will be a seat with your name on it. If you plan to attend, we ask that you bring a neighbor or friend that is not connected with the church. Be sure you sign up: firstonfifth-longesttable.eventbrite.com.
Let’s gather at the table — the Communion table in worship and The Longest Table in fellowship — and remember that we belong to one another because we belong to Christ. As Dr. Kerr reminded us, “The table of our Lord is not fenced in; it is extended, so that all may find welcome.”
See you Sunday, friends — at the table where grace is served and everyone has a place!
With love,
Rev. Mary Thomas Kaylor