Hey Church!

We get to celebrate communion this Sunday! Although the mood tends to default to something more sober, the reality is that communion truly is a celebration. In some cultures, the congregation dances down the aisle to receive communion or give an offering. That may be an unsettling sight for some in our context but my point is that we ought to have that kind of joy when we get to partake of that sacred meal. . 

So, why is it such a joyous occasion? When Jesus instructs His disciples in 1 Corinthians 11 to “do this in remembrance of me,” He means more than recalling the past. He is teaching the disciples that to “eat this bread” and to “drink this cup” is to be re-membered with Him and with the “many members” of the one Church Body. Similarly, the word “communion” indicates an ongoing re-union with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact, the whole context of 1 Corinthians 11 has to do with divisions in the church of Corinth! Paul seems offer communion as the antidote. 

“[Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

So come with joy in your hearts this Sunday! Your spiritual sickness is cured! Spend some time this weekend prayerfully preparing your heart. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in you that does not please Him. And then, in light of His kindness, repent! As Pastor Tom likes to say, “In life, there are have to do’s and there are get to do’s… this (communion) is a get to do.”