Last Sunday was Communion Sunday at my church. And something struck me as odd. At Communion time -- from the singing of the communion hymn to the prayer after communion -- it seemed as though nearly everyone participating, from the servers to the congregation, had this look about them as though they were about to be led to a slaughterhouse. Don't get me wrong ... I'm not saying that Communion is not a time of contemplation or reflection of what Jesus did for us ... but let's take a look at the bigger picture here.
Worship is a celebration. Communion is a part of that celebration. It's truly an amazing thing what Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection. The Lamb of God (Jesus) was sacrificed (freely given) as an atonement (payment) for our sins.
We all have sinned and fallen short of the perfection that God had in mind for us when Adam was first created. The penalty for our sins is death ... being cut-off from spiritual life (community) with God. Can you imagine how much that grieves him? Imagine your own child being taken from you, and being held captive with no hope of her being released ... a lifetime of bondage because of her wrongdoing.
But God is merciful ... He provides us with a way to be reunited with him. In the OT days, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered and its blood was poured out as an atonement for our sins against God. At the first Passover, a lamb was killed, and its blood was smeared on the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites, thus sparing their children from death, and later allowing freedom from the bonds of slavery in Egypt.
Centuries later, at that historic Passover supper that we know as The Last Supper, Jesus freely offered himself as the Lamb of God that would be sacrificed for OUR liberation from the bonds of slavery to sin. By believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and smearing the blood of the Lamb of God on the doorposts of our hearts, Jesus saves us from having to pay the penalty of sin (death) ourselves, setting us free to be in community with God once again!
So, why are members so downhearted during communion? For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. And he is coming back...He said so.
Worship is a celebration. Communion is a part of that celebration. It's truly an amazing thing what Jesus did for us in his death and resurrection. The Lamb of God (Jesus) was sacrificed (freely given) as an atonement (payment) for our sins.
We all have sinned and fallen short of the perfection that God had in mind for us when Adam was first created. The penalty for our sins is death ... being cut-off from spiritual life (community) with God. Can you imagine how much that grieves him? Imagine your own child being taken from you, and being held captive with no hope of her being released ... a lifetime of bondage because of her wrongdoing.
But God is merciful ... He provides us with a way to be reunited with him. In the OT days, an unblemished lamb was slaughtered and its blood was poured out as an atonement for our sins against God. At the first Passover, a lamb was killed, and its blood was smeared on the doorposts of the homes of the Israelites, thus sparing their children from death, and later allowing freedom from the bonds of slavery in Egypt.
Centuries later, at that historic Passover supper that we know as The Last Supper, Jesus freely offered himself as the Lamb of God that would be sacrificed for OUR liberation from the bonds of slavery to sin. By believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and smearing the blood of the Lamb of God on the doorposts of our hearts, Jesus saves us from having to pay the penalty of sin (death) ourselves, setting us free to be in community with God once again!
So, why are members so downhearted during communion? For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. And he is coming back...He said so.
