[From last month's communion reflection]

I had never been a part of a community of worshipping Christians that partook of the Lord’s Supper on a monthly basis.  The Wesleyan tradition of traveling pastors and lay-led ministries meant that there wasn’t always someone to provide for what was considered “appropriate” distribution.  That lead to a long-standing rule that required pastors to visit all the churches on their circuit to provide the Lord’s Supper to those local congregations on a quarterly basis, at least once every three months.  Sadly, that eventually became, “We only need to observe this practice at 3 month intervals” even though pastors were hired and served churches full-time.  I’ve never been a part of a community of worshipping Christians that partook of the Lord’s Supper on a monthly basis, until now.

I have never really said much about communion.  I’ve taken it since accepting Christ as an eight-year-old, but there haven’t been many Sunday School electives on communion.  I haven’t attended any conferences for pastors on communion nor attended a summer camp with a communion-based theme.  Little by little, I am having more to say about communion, but I’ll not get into it all right now.

Let’s start today’s observance with this thought: the Lord’s Supper is a vivid and vital connection with Jesus.  To come to the Lord’s table is to return to that night when Jesus gave the supper to his disciples.  It is to be re-invited to believe, to be re-invited into the community of Jesus followers.  Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are literal moments from the ministry of Jesus, re-lived and re-joined with all the power of that moment, but now.

If you believe, you may take part in this observance.  If you do not yet believe, the time to believe could be right now.

[1 Corinthians 11:23-26 MSG]

Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord's Supper and why it is so centrally important.  I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you.  The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread.  Having given thanks, he broke it and said,

“This is my body, broken for you.  Do this to remember me.”

After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:
   

“This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.

Each time you drink this cup, remember me.”

What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master.  You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns.  You must never let familiarity breed contempt.