"One Table - One Church" | By Rev. Dr. Jack R. Miller
 
Since the 12th century, November 9th has been set aside to celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. It was the first church built in the city of Rome by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, and it served as the residence of popes until 1307. The building has had its ups and downs; it has experienced fires, wars, earthquakes, and the reign of some less-than-stellar popes. It has been renovated and restored. However, it still stands, and its dedication marked a significant turning point in the history of the world. Several structures have been built on the site over the centuries, and the present church was constructed in 1646.
 
Two hundred years later, a French Priest and a group of Native Americans would erect another church in a land far, far away. Like the Lateran, this church would make history, undergo change, controversy, rebuilding, and a move. Unlike the Lateran's majestic interior, its walls were made of branches and mud. There were no hardwood pews, so you had to sit cross-legged on the dirt floor. While the Lateran displayed ancient icons and priceless works of art, the little church had a simple cross on the wall, fashioned from rough-hewn wood by one of the tribal members. Chant and incense fill the air of the Lateran during mass, but here the community sings a folk song in the local dialect to the beat of a drum.
 
Brocade and silk are worn by those who preside in the solemn setting of the Lateran, but in this place, a plain, threadbare robe, no longer white, is worn by the presider during the celebration of Mass.
 
Two churches: the first, a magnificent cathedral in one of the world's great cities; the second, a small hovel of wood and thatch in an Indian village in Northwestern Washington. The distance between the two houses of worship is much greater than just the miles and centuries that separate them. Still, at the center of both places, it is the same: A table of bread and wine and a book of stories about the Creator of All Things, the loving God of all, who invites everyone to share in the feast wherever the table is placed.
 
Today's gathering is about more than honoring Rome's "first church" - it is a celebration of the unity of all our churches: the pope's cathedral, a mission church on the Lummi Reservation, and your own parish community, wherever it may be located. The body of Christ is not a building but Christ himself; God is not found in this or any structure, no matter how exquisite or ornate, but in the people who gather within its walls to worship. Today, we are called to recognize that the sacrament we share marks our identity as the People of God. We are the Church that the Risen Jesus formed at his table and the ones he calls to gather in one accord; to bless, break, and share his body and blood in the Eucharist.
 
In the waters of baptism flowing from every church’s font, we become brothers and sisters in Christ to every man, woman, and child; at the Eucharistic table in every place we worship, we are one family, breaking one bread, sharing one cup, and becoming One Church - One Spirit in Christ Jesus.
 
Amen? Amen!