Word of the Day

“Word of the Day”

The Rev Jen Van Zandt

October 2, 2022

I hope and pray that by this point in this service you're feeling even a little more peaceful than when we began. As most of you know or may remember that on World Communion Sunday we have created a number of creative and fun ways to acknowledge and celebrate this special day. One year we had a parade of breads. Each child was given a different type of bread in a basket, from different countries around the world. Some breads that were even being warmed up in the ovens down in the kitchen by some volunteers. As the children are bringing breads toward the communion table, they are being announced. “From Germany, we have pumpernickel, from India we have pita, from France, baguette…” etc. The table is almost filled by all these international breads but then someone announced one more: “And from Boonton, New Jersey, Kaiser rolls!” Everybody cracked up.

This year, praying in different languages as we've done in the past and having a bread parade, didn't seem to hit the note, especially with so much heartache. There's so many of the destructive forces of hurricane Ian and the unrelenting and unjust invasion of the war on Ukraine. The complete instability of Russia's government and a maniacal leader. And the rattling of swords and nuclear testing from China, North Korea. Domestic wars in Iran and Iraq. A celebration of breads just didn't seem to quite do it. This is not at all to relegate World Communion as unimportant or ineffective--rather quite the opposite. Now more than ever, we should take comfort imagining believers from all over the world receiving communion and unburdening themselves of their sins and praying that God's peace rains down and reigns sooner than later, as we also will do together in a few minutes.

I've been pondering the relationship this week between World Communion and peacemaking, which I've never really done before. And I think it's really great that the PCUSA decided to put peacemaking on World Communion Sunday. But I think sometimes we see them as separate instead of in a direct relationship with one another. I've also been pondering this week the role of Peace at the Last Supper. As you know, the Gospels are not in agreement as to the timing of whether it was a Passover meal turned into the Last Supper or a special last meal that Jesus prepared for his friends before He prepared himself for his certain fate. I wonder what He was thinking at the table right before? Was it just one last meal with friends where He, too, could find some comfort and peace before things were to get really bad?

In John's account, little is really said about the Last Supper and, yet there's this beautiful, tender, peaceful moment for each as Jesus washed their feet. I can just hear the water flowing over the feet of the disciples and falling back into a bowl, as Jesus washed and dried their feet, in a tender and loving gesture. Was He able to muster even a small sense of peace, knowing that He was not only likely facing death, but that one in the very room at the very table was going to betray Him? After all He was fully divine, but, He was also fully human.

You know, it's funny. The Matthean text that we read is often part of the Invitation to the Table in the Book of Common Worship, which is sort of the instruction book for pastors for all services--special and otherwise, including communion and baptism. Matthew 11 is not tied at all, or even near the account of Jesus instituting communion in any of the Gospels. Instead it's early in Jesus’ ministry when he recognizes and names God's sovereignty over all, including creation. He then reveals his own identity as the Son of the Sovereign. As scholar Warren Carter says, “Jesus, here, is proclaiming God's saving presence.” God's saving presence…that sounds like peace to me.

As we literally continue to hear the winds blow and the rains come and go from the remnants of Ian coming north, I know I can speak for all of us when we have both equally been saddened and concerned for all in the path of death and destruction, but also grateful that this time, we were not in its path.

On a shallower note, I'm also grateful that Boonton Day was last week, because we had beautiful weather--not too hot, not too cold, just a couple of raindrops, but nothing that got in the way of what we were doing. All sorts of people and all parts of this community were able to connect with one another. And a lot of people in this church made a great effort into making it possible. And I'm really grateful for all who helped to get this created and set up. The greatest draw at our tent or our location by far was the giving away of backpacks with school supplies. That was a great way to draw people in when they were just, walking up the street and chomping on a big pickle and a bag of popcorn with their dogs on leashes.

My idea of “the date while you wait” didn't quite come together. Then I changed it to “talk while you walk” and my idea was to have a separate table where I'd invite people to sit down and have a conversation and then eventually give them one of the “word” cards that we've also shared along the years-words like Peace and Hope and Pray and Love and Patience and Discernment and Joy. I had Sandy print out about 50 of them, because I didn’t think I’d be able to get 50 people to sit and talk with me in the span of four hours.

Once the backpacks were gone, I moved my chair sort of out into the middle of the street. And started offering people a WORD. I started saying: “Hey, does anybody want a word of the day?” And they would come over and say, “What's a word of the day?” I’d say, “I don't know. You have to choose from this pile. They're all different.” This had a surprising effect. It was like I was giving them a fortune; like they're opening up a fortune cookie, but better! All sorts of people were drawn to this. It was amazing. Even youth and young children couldn't wait to see what their word of the day was. In fact, we went through the fifty cards in about 45 minutes or so. So now we are out of words! Now what?” Trish took a pack of Post-it notes and repeated all the words and wrote them individually, one word per post it note. We went through that pack in the next hour.

So now the Dromsky-Reeds came and they wrote more words on post it’s. I don’t know how many Post-its are in a Post-it pack--I'm thinking it's either 50 or 100, but if 80 are here that was the prayer wall at our booth, we probably gave out 350 words of the day. It was fascinating to watch people come over and get the word, pull it blindly from the stack. Some would see their words and say, “Ahhh, I know what this means,” especially the ones who drew either “Listen” or “Patience.” Some of them were honest enough to say, “Oh, this is the word I needed.” And invariably some of them wanted to give words like PATIENCE and LISTEN to a spouse or a child. And some of them reposted their words onto the prayer wall, even really small kids. I mean some of these Post-it notes from young kids are beautiful, (even though the spelling isn’t great) because they're so young. Yet there were totally involved; and engaged, because they, too, need peace. They just don't know how to ask for it.

I know that a lot of you still carry your WORDS from previous worship events or retreats and meetings. The two words that I've drawn in the last two years are still sitting on my desk. And I get frustrated and exhale at the same time, because the two words I had on my desk before Covid hit were “Courage” and “Breathe”. Courage and Breathe.

Friends, we all need peace in our lives. And not only do we need peace, but people that we know and love, who don't know how to come through the doors of the church; who are afraid to come (or return) to this church or any church still want a word; a word of HOPE, PEACE, LOVE. So I'm going to give you another word today. I don't know what it's going to say, but each of you are going to get another word, as we start this new iteration of our lives. And I hope and pray that at some point today, whether it's in this space or in coffee hour or driving home or laying your head on the pillow or taking a power nap, that you do find some semblance of peace; because I know that that's what Christ wants most of all, as we receive bread and cup. (Word cards were passed out to everyone in the congregation) OK friends on the count of three I want us all to shout out our words, One, Two Three…”PEACE!” (All the word cards were the same word-PEACE)

May it be so. Amen.