I don’t like rituals and religious duties. What I do like are things that are in line with what the Bible says and that remind us of the goodness of God. One of those things is communion. Although many may think of communion as a ritual or something we’re supposed to do, if we understand it from God’s viewpoint, it becomes an exciting & rewarding spiritual act that can draw us closer to God.
In the Bible – 1 Corinthians 11:23-30 to be exact – we’re told we’re to follow the example Jesus gave us on the night that He was betrayed. As He ate with His disciples, He gave them each some bread and told them they were to eat it as a remembrance of His body that was about to be broken for them. He also instructed them to drink from the cup, as a reminder of His blood that was soon to be shed for them. The big difference between what the disciples experienced and what we do today is: Jesus body and blood have already been sacrificed for us! We aren’t thinking about what He will do; we’re remembering what He’s already done. And we’re remembering what God provided for us due to Jesus’ finished work.
One of the great benefits of living in New Testament times is we can go directly to God on our own. We don’t need a priest or some other religious leader to represent us before God. Jesus does that for us. We also don’t need a priest or pastor to be present for us to receive communion. I encourage you this week in your home to take some bread and some juice, and receive communion with your family. If you’re single and don’t have children, you may want to get together with roommates or friends. You can simply read the Bible passage above, discuss the sacrifice Jesus made for us all, and recall the many blessings you enjoy because of that sacrifice. Then as you eat the bread and drink the juice, you can thank God for the forgiveness, strength and health He has given to you. I believe by receiving communion outside of the church walls and at a time other than Sunday morning, it will help us to become more aware of God’s desire to do good things in our lives every day of the week.
At the Christian Faith Center Sunday services for the next several weeks, I’ll be teaching on communion and we’ll be receiving communion together in the services. We’ll also be giving every person in attendance a communion package that they can take home with them, so we can all receive communion at home whenever we choose to do so. I hope you’ll join us this month.
