This do in remembrance of me
We did communion this weekend at my church, and it got me thinking about Jesus’ death & sacrifice and how we remember this.
As with anything that we do regularly, communion can be taken lightly and it can become something we do without much thought. Because we’re so familiar with communion, it becomes so easy to allow it to become a mindless exercise, doesn’t it?
We did communion this weekend at my church, and it got me thinking about Jesus’ death & sacrifice and how we remember this.
As with anything that we do regularly, communion can be taken lightly and it can become something we do without much thought. Because we’re so familiar with communion, it becomes so easy to allow it to become a mindless exercise, doesn’t it?
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 (NLT) “Announcing the Lord’s death” means that communion is a memorial service. A memorial service for us to remember Jesus’ life & sacrifice & death for us.
Recently, two long-time friends passed away, and as I attended their memorial services, I was very attentive, paying attention to the stories being told, laughing & crying as the person’s life was remembered. There was no way I would take any of these services lightly, because these were my friends and I was there to honor them.
So it should be with communion. Our mindset as Christ-followers needs to be the same as we celebrate communion. We need to be attentive. We need to actively interact with the service and remember Jesus’ sacrifice. We need to let His story move us emotionally…again and again. Because we can never allow such an amazing gift to become routine or mundane or something we go through mindlessly.
Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again. 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 (NLT)
Where would any of us be apart from this amazing gift? Let’s never allow communion to become routine for us. May it always be a wonderful memorial service that we actively participate in, just as we do when we attend a memorial service for a close friend.
4 Comments
Mike woods
Good Thought
Sometimes I think many take a lot of their Christian experience for granted. I've been teaching a Sunday school class out of the psalms titled "Real Life — Real God," looking at the different life situations and emotional dynamics the psalmists have to offer and the hope they find in a real and tangible relationship with the God who meets them where they're at.
We just started a study in one of the most popular yet most "glossed over" psalm — Psalm 23. I've been unpacking each statement and turning it into a refresher course for those who may have read and re-read this psalm and have become desensitized to it over the years. I know I need to remind myself not only who my shepherd is, but what he does as well.
God Bless
William Beasely
Can we do more?
Rob,
As a father I wonder and struggle over the same issue. If our traditions appear monotonous and banal, then how can I possibly motivate my children to get engaged in the service and take the message of communion seriously? It seems that lethargy on our part as Christians has allowed us to lose sight of what is most important to us and thus we take these traditions for granted. I wonder if you have any spiritual guidance on how to overcome these obstacles?
Furthermore, I myself grow worried as my oldest child, Mary, has been skipping out on Church claiming that she’s bored and has not time for God. I worry as I suspect she has been engaging in drinking and other wrongful actions. How can I make Church a place where my children will find enjoyment and grow spiritually?
Michael Garrett
Submitted for Rob
Bill,
You
Submitted for Rob
Bill,
You ask some great questions, questions that all dads & pastors need to wrestle with!
To begin with, churches need to find ways to keep faith fresh & exciting, because this is the only way to engage our children & their generation. So while it’s great that we prefer services done a certain way (music, teaching, etc), what is it that will engage young people? What is it that will communicate faith in a fresh way to our kids?
At Bethel (my church), we intentionally choose to engage this younger generation through lively music, the use of media, practical-life teaching of the Bible and by changing how we do the ongoing repetitious stuff (communion, baptism, etc.) in our services. We do this in an attempt to show that our faith is fresh & real & alive. Because the worse thing any church or pastor can do is to bore people with the things of God!
So maybe it’s time to find a church that engages your kids. Maybe God’s asking you as a parent to put your preferences aside so your kids can be part of a church service that engages them, challenges them & communicates God’s truth to them in a way that keeps their attention & in a way that they “get”. Remember, the job of the parent is to help our kids engage & embrace God, even if it means the service isn’t to our liking or done to our preferences.
Hope this helps. Let me know what else I can help you think through. I am praying for you, for Mary and for your entire family.
Rob
patoneal76
Communion
It is true that we should take communion seriously, thankfully what we feel and may think a the time pales in comparison to the grace God is working though when we receive that sacrament. In truth, shouldn't we always be attentative to our thoughts and intentions? That is not always the case due to sin and our sinful nature. I'm grateful that we have wonderful shepherds in the world to remind us to stand guard as Paul reminds us in the epistles. Yet, Christ still comes to us forgiving us all of our sins.