Sharing A Meal
Originally scheduled for
March 27
The young lady's name was Caroline. Her mother tells the story of
their visit to her grandparents church. Caroline was evidently in
her mid teens, a time when being socially accepted is extremely
important. She was not looking forward to going to church, because
she didn't know anyone there. But by God's good grace when she
arrived there was someone there who took her under her wing. She sat
with her, made sure she was welcome, and ultimately wound up sharing
a meal with Caroline and her family. It's a funny thing about
sharing a meal; it cements personal relationships in a very friendly
way. It's hard to be shy and ask someone to pass the salt at the
same time.
Did you ever think of communion as sharing a meal? We often use
the phrase, "share communion" in inviting others to come to the
table of the Lord. Have you considered just with whom we are
sharing?
·
Of course, we are sharing communion with those around us, our fellow
members of the church.
·
We are also sharing communion with all the other Christians around
the world — for we are part of the church universal.
·
Perhaps you hadn't thought of this, but we are also sharing this
meal with all Christians of all time. Remember, time is in the hands
of God just as space is.
See the wisdom of our Lord in making his central ritual bath of a
shared meal! Why did he do that? First, so that you might feel
welcome in this church. We need to feel that sense of community that
exists in the word communion. When you partake of communion, you are
one of us.
Communion is more than that: it is designed so that you might
know the power of God's mercy. We are to examine ourselves, and seek
our Lord's forgiveness for our sins. His communion is a visible way
of knowing that we have this, for it commemorates his sacrifice on
the cross — by which our sins are forgiven.
Finally, communion makes you one with the church universal — all
Christians in all places of all times. This church has never
gathered with all its members. But at the return of our Lord we will
meet them all. In the meantime, we do this in remembrance of Christ.
That's communion: a shared meal which welcomes the Christian in a
time of fellowship with his Lord Jesus Christ.
