Every day this week I started with the intention of writing a post for this blog about Communion and how it can be the focus of our life as a community of Jesus people, but the days have been so filled with the tyranny of the urgent that I haven’t gotten to it yet. Bummer!
All of this was refreshed in me as my friend Bob Stamps came out for a few days to get my help on a book he’s writing about the Lord’s Supper and how the early believers celebrated it—so very different from what it has become today. I have never thought that our preferences about music styles or teachers we like to hear would never be enough to bring the family together. In fact music styles wouldn’t even bring my own family together. I doubt my family could choose any kind of concert that we’d all want to go to hear.
The only thing we can gather around is him, and one of the key places he promised his presence is when he sits down at table with us and there we encounter the Risen Christ as our forgiver, reconciler, Lord, healer, friend and older brother and by engaging him together we come away transformed. But at this meal we can all come and be enriched by him and our celebration of the larger family to which he’s joined us. Wow, we’ve missed something here…
I have more to share here, but I’m off to Alaska in an hour or so to spend the weekend with some newfound friends. If you haven’t heard our interviews with Bob Stamps at The God Journey, they focus a bit on refreshing our heart in the Lord’s Supper and how we can share it together with grace and reality. Blessings all!
Interesting Wayne. Just a couple of weeks ago Father began to prompt me about celebrating some sort of communion when we gather weekly with our friends for dinner. Not necessarily something every week, but something different or more focused than just our regular meal. Perhaps we’ll use a token or not. Don’t know yet.
– Kevin
Interesting Wayne. Just a couple of weeks ago Father began to prompt me about celebrating some sort of communion when we gather weekly with our friends for dinner. Not necessarily something every week, but something different or more focused than just our regular meal. Perhaps we’ll use a token or not. Don’t know yet.
– Kevin
Wayne, this is timely for me as well. Twice in the past month or so, two pastors have mentioned to me that communion is ONLY to be celebrated as a group at church. One went so far as to say that even if a person is in the hospital and is dying and wishes communion, it should not be given. The other said it was tradition and we need to honor tradition.
The best times with the Lord I have had were when I was sitting on a piece of driftwood watching the waves, and having communion with a cracker and a kid’s juice box. I can’t imagine Father frowning upon that kind of intimacy.
Wayne, this is timely for me as well. Twice in the past month or so, two pastors have mentioned to me that communion is ONLY to be celebrated as a group at church. One went so far as to say that even if a person is in the hospital and is dying and wishes communion, it should not be given. The other said it was tradition and we need to honor tradition.
The best times with the Lord I have had were when I was sitting on a piece of driftwood watching the waves, and having communion with a cracker and a kid’s juice box. I can’t imagine Father frowning upon that kind of intimacy.