"A Hard Word" - to Say the Least!

We celebrate World Communion Sunday this coming Sunday, October 6th, along with lots of other churches around the world.  (Sorry for the redundancy...)  The Scripture text we're focusing on is from the sixth chapter of John's Gospel (verses 24 and following), just after Jesus' feeding of the 5,000 (in John's telling).  The crowds come looking for Jesus afterward, not for who He is (because they saw the signs), but for what He can do for them, i.e., feed them.  In so many words, Jesus chastises them for not looking past their physical needs to the deeper spiritual food that they really need, food which only He can provide.

In the ensuing exchange, Jesus sets a spiritual bar so high, not many can clear it, and they walk away scoffing at Him and muttering to each other, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat? ... This is a hard saying.  Who can hear it?"  Who, indeed?  And yet, along with Peter, we cast our lot with Jesus.  Where else do we go?  Who else can we follow?  Who else has the words of everlasting life?  Who else has the capacity to meet the spiritual hunger of a starving world?  On World Communion Sunday, the Church proclaims, "No one."  And we link arms with the rest of the Christian fellowship around the world and gather 'round the table that Christ has set and invited us to.

It's cool because we're wrapping the start of an awesome food drive in with our celebration of World Communion Sunday.  Following the lead of Rev. Rebecca McFee, our Wesley Student Foundation pastor, Sam Hastings, our Youth Director, and Rev. Bryson Lillie, our associate pastor who works with our Community and World Outreach ministry team, we are supporting CSU's "Cans Around the Oval" food drive which will extend beyond the University's program's time frame through the end of the month.  All are invited to pick up a paper grocery sack after worship (we have some 700 of them!), fill it, and bring it back to the Church for delivery to CSU on the 16th of October for the celebration of "Cans Around the Oval".  The food will then be taken to the Larimer County Food Bank.

Jesus...the bread of life...feeding the hungry with good things - calling His church to be and do the same.  Come join us for worship this Sunday at Ft. Collins First United Methodist.  You are welcome and invited to participate in this most inclusive of expressions of Christian worship - World Communion Sunday.

Blessings in the name of the One who is the Bread of Life

Pastor Steve
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