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When I think about the world we live in, the one descriptive word that leaps forth in my mind is "division". Nations are divided against other nations. It's East versus West. Jews versus Arabs. Communism versus Capitalism. The Haves versus the Have-nots. There are so many divisions in our world. Our own nation is split into hundreds of shattered fragments as well. Just a quick glance at the newspaper reveals the rift that greed has brought between labor and management. There is anger and distrust between Blacks and Whites. And the Rich keep themselves separate from the Poor. There is so much division in this "One nation under God - indivisible - with liberty and justice for all." But I suppose it is not too shocking to see all the division in our world and nation. We've come to expect it as a part of life. But it is very shocking when we think about all the division, separation and strife that exist in the world-wide Christian Church. And the Church is divided, you know. There are Protestants who refuse to commune at the same altar with Catholics, and Catholics who refuse to commune with Protestants. The Church is divided by the fundamentalists who will have nothing to do with the liberals. There are charismatics who think they are spiritually superior to other Christians who do not speak in tongues. And there are some denominations which actually believe that if you don't belong to their church, you will not go to heaven.

Perhaps you've heard the story about the man named Sam who died and went to heaven. St. Peter met him in order to give him a guided tour of the heavenly mansion. As they were walking down one of the main corridors Sam heard gothic chants coming from within one of the rooms. St. Peter explained that behind that door were all of the Catholics, Lutherans and Episcopalians - because they like liturgical worship.

As they came to another door, Sam heard lots of hand clapping and foot-stomping. St. Peter explained that in the room were the Churches of God, the Pentecostal Holiness and the charismatics because they like high emotion in their worship.

When they reached the end of the corridor they came to a room which was set off by itself. From that door, not a sound came. Sam was just fixing to ask who was in there when St. Peter put his finger to his lips and told him not to make a sound because in that room were the Baptists and we like to let them go on thinking that they are the only ones here.

Now of course Baptists no longer officially teach that doctrine, but there are Christian groups which still think they have a corner on salvation - that if you are not a member of their church you will have no place in heaven. And because of such closed minded beliefs, because of such spiritual snobbery, those Christians will have little to do with the likes of you and me. They will not even share Holy Communion with us at the Lord's Table. Now that's sad when the Lord's Supper becomes a symbol of division.

This is not only true between differing denominations but it is even true within denominations. The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church will not allow other Lutherans to partake of the Lord's Supper in one of their worship services because they are not a member of that denomination (the same is true for the Wisconsin Synod). They can worship together, study the Bible together, and even send their pastors to the same seminaries, but they will not allow others to share Holy Communion with them. Doctrines of communion have become a point of division even within denominations of Christians. In my opinion it is a shame when Christians of all denominations cannot be united in Holy Communion.

The Lord's Table should not be a place of division but a place of solidarity ... a place of oneness for all of God's people. That is exactly what God intended for communion. We see in John 17:21 that just after Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, he prayed to the Father that his disciples "may all be one." We should not be divided - we should be one and as Ephesians 4:3-5 says, we should do our "best to preseve the unity which the Spirit gives ... (for) there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; there is one God and Father of all." All who trust Jesus, as Lord of their lives, are one with us - no matter what denomination they belong to. And the Lord's most precious symbol of that oneness is Holy Communion. St. Paul describes that for us in 1 Corinthians 10:17 when he writes, "In the same way that there is one loaf of bread, we who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf."

There should be special oneness felt among all Christians today on this Worldwide Communion Sunday. This is the closest that we can get to sharing Holy Communion with Christians of all denominations. This very day Christians all over the world will be receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ with penitent hearts. Today we are all unified around the Lord's altar by a common loaf made, not from wheat or barley, but from the body of the Lord himself who said in John 6:35 "I am the Bread of Life. Anyone who comes to me will never be hungry." All who feast on the Bread of Life are united in Christ. No matter what denomination, no matter how rich or poor, no matter what race or national background, when we come to the Lord's Table all of our differences and disputes should dissolve, so that we might celebrate that which unites us - our one faith, one hope, one Lord - symbolized by one loaf.

But, too often even during this Holy Meal, Christians are divided because people prefer to emphasize their differences rather than our unity as one family in Jesus Christ.

One Sunday morning a lady confided in her pastor that she had invited her family and relatives to dinner the night before. She had sacrificed many long hours planning and preparing the meal in the hope that the family could enjoy their time together. But her hopes were smashed and her hard work was made futile as family tensions, petty jealousies and ridiculous bickering caused everyone to leave early. The young lady was in tears as she told her pastor, "It seems that the more we are together, the further we drift apart. Why can't we just enjoy the fact that we are a family and overlook our differences?" I suspect we are all saddened when our families are torn asunder by those who want to bicker, argue and constantly complain. Did you ever stop to wonder how it must sadden our Lord when he sees the same thing going on in his family - the Christian Church - when one group won't commune with another because of some minor point of doctrine? Jesus sacrificed more than long hours - he sacrificed his very life on the cross in order to prepare this feast of forgiveness for you and me. His body was broken so that we might be one. His blood was poured out so that we might be pulled together into one family of faith. Since he has sacrificed so much for us, for his sake, we must lay aside our differences, our arguments, our complaints and celebrate our oneness in him. The Lord's Table should be a place of solidarity where Christians from all backgrounds might celebrate our unity in Christ Jesus.

Maybe you and I can do little to encourage other denominations to let us commune with them. But on this Worldwide Communion Sunday we can celebrate the fact that we are moving in the right direction as Christians all over the world are partaking in one loaf called the Bread of Life - one loaf who is Jesus Christ himself. But we can do something to increase our unity in this congregation. When you come to the Lord's Table today, put all bickering, pettiness and anger from your heart. Forget all of those things which divide you from your brother and sister and focus on the common loaf which unites us as God's Family. That common loaf reminds us of Jesus Christ who is the Bread of Life. It is the Bread of Life who unites us!