World Wide Christianity

This morning in worship we prayed for Christians around the world who are shunned or marginalized or subjected to violence because of their faith. This is World Wide Communion Sunday as well as Thanksgiving and we need to remember that while we are free to worship as we choose the body and blood of Christ take on different meaning for believers in other lands.

Recently we heard of a mentally challenged young person in Pakistan who was jailed for supposedly desecrating the Quran. The charge was absurd and eventually dismissed but what a terrifying experience. A grenade was tossed into a Kenyan Sunday School last week killing a boy and injuring others. Christians have been persecuted in Nigeria and China. Coptic Christians in Egypt and Iraq feel abandoned. It costs to be a Christian in far too many places around the world.

I don't want to feel guilty because of this but I do want to be in solidarity with brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for them and pay attention to their plight.

Are you aware of the difficulties for Christians in other parts of the world? Have you ever felt shunned or excluded because of your faith? Is it a little too easy to be a Christian in this country, leading to complacency? Are you grateful for freedom of religious expression?