We have the joy and privilege of sharing a communion meal with Jesus and His Bride this Sunday. I would encourage each one of you to prepare your heart to receive God’s grace as it is made manifest through the communion elements. He is the Bread of Life and the Living Water in whom our souls find strength and true rest.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” – St. Augustine, Confessions
The communion table is a sign that we are at peace with God. In ancient times (and, to some extent, even still today), to share a meal with someone indicated a harmonious relationship. That is why Jesus is so sternly ridiculed for dining with pagans and swindlers; one could only assume that He found common ground with such perverted souls and therefore could not be the Son of God. But Jesus ate with people like them–people like us–not to affirm their waywardness but to call them to repentance.
And so, to partake of the communion meal is, firstly, to signify and affirm that you have participated in Jesus’ death and resurrection, crucified the deeds of your flesh, and have been raised again in newness of life to walk according to His Spirit and Word. Practically speaking, that means that you are a true believer in Jesus, trusting in Him alone for salvation, and that you are not living in willful disobedience but humbly repentant of your sin. It is blasphemy to claim the sign but not the substance of Christ’s body and blood.
Secondly, the table calls us to be at peace with our fellow man. This is clear in that we do not eat the communion meal alone but in the midst of the whole assembly. It is also evident from Scripture that if we have a grievance against a brother or sister we should leave our offering at the altar and first go and, so far as it depends on you, repent, forgive, and make it right with that person.
Lastly, we should remember that our union with Christ is entirely a work of God’s free grace. We did not contribute anything but our sinful brokenness to our salvation. And yet Jesus provides this meal for us to “remember” Him by recommitting ourselves to uphold our end of the covenant promise. Namely, that we would not just once for salvation but continually, for sanctification, be a living sacrifice unto His glory and in His service. We are not our own but belong to God; we have been bought with a price, so we must honor Him with our lives.
Communion is a call to be at peace with God and man. Take time to prayerfully consider whether you are ready to pull up a chair next to Jesus and His disciples this Sunday, or if there is business you must first address with Him or your fellow man. Consider also your hungers and thirsts, praying for grace to find all of your sustenance and satisfaction in Him.
Your brother,
Ryan