Sermon on

Communion Service

By Brian Pepper

John 17:21 says, "That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me, " There are two fundamental needs in the life of every person. One is the need to be an individual to learn to stand on one's feet. We can never be a responsible member of a community until we are first of all an individual. We Need to be a Member of a Family We also need to learn to be a member of a family or a community. This is very important, for each one of us belong to a very close family; that is the family of God. Jesus Himself was very much an individual yet He was a member of a family also. And that is the kind of relationship He must have had with the disciples. The burden of Jesus’ prayer following the Last Supper was "that they all may be one." That is why He had come. He sought to bring men together- into a brotherhood they had never known before, into a close family relationship that men had never dreamed possible . However we realize that the Kingdom of God is not made up of individuals but rather a congregation of people who are bound to God by the closest tie, and who are just as closely bound to Christ. Just as an individual does not lose his individuality in the family so it is with those who become one with God and Christ. A Desire to Be Loved Jesus recognized that in the lives of men and women there is a hunger and deep desire to love and to be loved; to feel oneself to be a part of other people. A well known doctor made a study of a 1000 people who had committed suicide  or attempted suicide. One thing stood out, that those who did not have strong ties to other people, who did not have a close family relationship were most likely to commit suicide. A Desire for Friendship or Fellowship One of the deep hungers in every human being is for fellowship or friendship. On one occasion we visited Port Arthur in Tasmania. We were told of the floggings the convicts were given but far worse was the solitary confinement. For in the pitch darkness the man had to stand alone. Few of us would be able to stand that for very long. Oneness as a Family We have a deep desire in our souls to live together happily but false pride, stubbornness, resentment, an unforgiving spirit, often builds up a barrier that separates us from not only our own family but from our heavenly family. And that is why Jesus prayed  that very special prayer, "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." On this very special occasion we have that privilege of fulfilling that prayer of enjoying the oneness that Jesus desired that we should have. A oneness as a family; a oneness in the family of God.