“What does the Lord require of you … to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God …” Micah 6:8

Loving kindness is one of the most beautiful threads woven throughout the Old Testament. Again and again, we are reminded that the people we meet are not strangers or enemies, but beloved children of God. The prophet calls us to recognize the inherent worth of every person, to practice welcome, and to make room at the table for all God’s children. This is expressed in action, often involving mercy, faithfulness, and steadfast commitment.

It means making sure there is a place for everyone at Christ’s communion table, at the tables in our homes, among our friends and families, and here in our life together as a church. Loving kindness is the work of making sure every person is seen, every person knows they are loved by God, and every person has what they need to flourish — because that is what God desires for all of us.

This year marks the first time congregations across the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are invited to receive the World Communion Offering. Through this new Offering, we join with other congregations in supporting the wider Church in the work for racial justice, gender justice, peacemaking, global witness, and ecumenical and interfaith relations. 

In a world that often feels divided, this Offering helps us remember that we belong to one another, even to people we may never meet. 

We will deepen our understanding of the sacrament of communion as it is celebrated across cultures and traditions. Through learning, fellowship, and worship, we will prepare ourselves for World Communion Sunday, when we will gather at Christ’s table and receive this Offering. 

We join siblings in Christ across the globe in God’s mission of welcome, justice and hope. We step beyond the boundaries of our neighborhood and into the life of the worldwide Church, learning to see God’s image more clearly in one another. We invite you to take part fully in this season and in this Offering, as together we celebrate what it means to belong to a global, connected Church shaped by God’s endless love.

Let us pray: 

Holy God, accompany us as we prepare to receive the bread of life and the cup of salvation on World Communion Sunday. Embolden us to understand the wideness of your mercy and the vastness of your realm on Earth. Give us the grace to understand another’s culture and show us how we might be more faithful as we proclaim your saving death through our actions. Amen.