World Communion Sunday

1 Corinthians 11:23-25 (non-lectionary text) or Mark 10:2-16 (lectionary text) *If you would like to use notes related to the lectionary text, please refer to other small group materials or preaching/teaching notes at this link.

Note to the Teacher

The focus of this lesson is World Communion Sunday. The icebreaker encourages the group to find things in common and leads them to think about what Christians worldwide have in common today. The scripture reading activity asks specifically about the actions performed in the Last Supper. The activity helps the group realize we live in a world that is shrinking; the discussion follows that idea with ways to recognize we are one church all over the world.

Icebreaker: Ditto

Work together to list at least twenty traits everyone in the group shares. Don’t include physical traits; these should be things that you can’t see everyone has in common. For example, everyone might live in the same state; everyone may have attended first grade at some point; everyone might like pizza, and so on. The point is to look for the unseen things that we share in common, not to make anyone feel left out.

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Read the scripture passage twice – the first time a leader will read, and the second time a student volunteer will read it.

Discussion

What did you hear in the scripture reading that you already knew or that sounded familiar?

Do you know anything about the context of this scripture (what was happening before/after, who the characters are)?

What did you hear in the scripture that is different after hearing it the first and second times? Why do you think that was?

Was there anything you were listening for during the second reading?

Read the passage a third time and ask everyone to listen for (and write down if they want) all the verbs. It might be helpful to define “verb,” so everyone is on the same page.

What verbs did you hear?

Why do you think Jesus used those verbs?

When was the last time we were in Communion together? There’s a lot of action in the Communion service. Do you hear the same verbs in the Communion liturgy we have today? (If the youth are not familiar with Communion liturgy, consider sharing this link and looking for verbs shared with the scripture. If the pastoral team at your church uses a unique Communion liturgy, get a copy of it to read and have available.)

Think about people all over the world hearing similar words, whether from scripture or Communion, in their own languages today. How does that make you feel?

Activity: Blanket Fold

Spread a blanket or sheet on the ground and ask the group to stand on it for a ten-second countdown. Then, start over with the blanket folded in half and ask the group to fit on the blanket —with no one touching the floor— for a ten-second countdown. Depending on the size of the group and the available time, try to fold the blanket again or maybe two more times, keeping the rule that no one can touch the floor, and the pose should be held for a ten-second countdown.

Discussion

How does World Communion Sunday “shrink” our world?

Using the limited metaphor of the blanket fold, ask the youth how we “scrunch up” together as Christians on World Communion Sunday. Do we make accommodations so that everyone can fit? How can we see the worldwide church as a cohesive group?

What do you think the Communion services at our church have in common with other United Methodist churches? With other Christian churches? What makes ours unique?

If you were preaching the sermon on World Communion Sunday, what’s the most important point you would include?

What’s the SECOND most important thing you’d put in your sermon?

Our liturgical calendar is sectioned into different holy times. This season is called “Ordinary Time.” There are several perspectives about World Communion Sunday being in the long stretch of Ordinary Time; here are two:

(1) World Communion Sunday is a delightful, unordinary event that keeps us going through the ordinary.

(2) World Communion Sunday celebrates how sharing Communion is so ingrained in our gatherings that it becomes a regular part of our identity as a church.

Which do you feel today? What are other ways to look at this juxtaposition of Ordinary Time and World Communion Sunday?