October 5, 2018
Imagine this scene for a moment. It is Sunday morning and you are about to partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The pastors have already prayed the prayer of consecration. They have reminded you of Jesus’ words, “Take and eat this bread… Drink from this cup… in remembrance of me.”
You are about to step forward and receive the bread and dip it into the cup when suddenly, it hits you: what you are doing at this moment will be done on this day by Christians all around the globe. It will be done by people who live in different countries, speak different languages, hold different political positions, and worship in different ways. Yet, they are all held together by their love of Jesus Christ, who gave all that he had in his love for us.
That will be the situation this Sunday. As you may already know, Sunday is World Communion Sunday. Or, as a friend of mine once phrased it, “This week the Communion table is 25,000 miles wide”.
I know this week is also fall break for many school systems in our area. Many of you may be traveling to the beach, mountains, lake, etc… If you do so, let me encourage you to do something. On Sunday morning, set aside time to go to a church to take Communion. If you would rather, you can join one of our services online and as we take the sacrament, you and your family can set aside some bread and juice and take the sacrament alongside of us.
You don’t need me to tell you we live in a world that in so many ways is bitterly divided. Yet, on the cross, Christ demonstrated that the love of God is the single greatest force in the world. It can bring together people whose relationship is broken, nations that see things differently, politicians who have different visions of the future, and churches that struggle with matters of theology.
Through the Eucharist we are not only reminded of what Christ has done for us, but his grace is released in us in such a way it sets us free from any sin that may hold us back… and to love others in the same way that Christ has loved us.
Jesus believed this could change the world. I believe him. What about you?