Welcome family and friends. Though our calendar tells us that this Sunday is “Easter Sunday,” as the church of Christ at Harding Street, we commemorate and celebrate Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection each and every Sunday, just as the church did in the beginning (Acts 20:7, 2:42) so we will do this week, just like we do every week. And I am so glad that we continue in the same “doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer” just as the church did in the first century (Acts 2:42).
Each and every Sunday we have the great privilege of sharing in the Lord’s Supper; the unleavened bread representing Jesus’ body and the fruit of the vine representing His blood. When you break the bread try to place yourself in the midst of the disciples at the “Last Supper” before our Lord’s crucifixion (Luke 22:14-22). Hear Jesus praying (Oh, what a voice, the voice that spoke the universe into existence). See Him passing the unleavened bread saying “This do in remembrance of Me.” As the bread is passed, think of Jesus being betrayed by one of His own, Judas Iscariot, then taken by a mob and tried by the officials. Marvel at what God’s Son was willing to suffer to save us all. As you eat the bread, picture Jesus falling under the weight of the cross, of the soldiers driving nails through His hands and feet. Be filled with wonder at the meaning of the divine suffering for our own benefit.
When drinking the fruit of the vine, let your mind be filled with views of Jesus’ precious blood dripping from the wounds in His hands and feet and flowing from His side. Think about the saving power of this blood, how it serves as a cleansing agent in God’s plan to save us from our sins. Sometimes I let my mind return to my own baptism where Jesus washed my sins away.
The Lord’s Supper is an occasion when Christians think about Christ with the resurrected Christ in our midst. It is a time when Christians all around the world are thinking about the same thing at the same time. This is truly communion. This service makes us spiritually stronger and prepares us to face the coming tests and trials of the week. Remember that our Savior who suffered and died for us now sits alive and well at the right hand of God. He will return for us one day to take us where He is. The Lord’s Supper reminds us until He comes again.
Our lesson this Sunday will be the third in our series “When God Asks a Question – What Will Your Answer Be” or “God’s Questions – Man’s Answers.” Question #1 – Where are you? Question #2 – Who told you that? This week – Question #3 – Have you sinned? God already knows the answer to every question. He just wants us to know. Come and see. MB
Leave a Reply