Walking into the auditorium on a particular Sunday, I see that there are covered silver platters on the wooden table in front of the pulpit. I know one of the covered plates holds some form of bread or crackers, and that the other is filled with several little plastic cups containing--usually--grapejuice. These elements serve as a reminder to me: a reminder that it's time to flip to the next page on the calendar.
Sadly, this has often been the case for me, and possibly for my brothers and sisters. My first thoughts upon seeing the communion table at the front of the sanctuary are "Oh, it's the first Sunday of the month already? How quickly time flies!" instead of thoughts of Christ's atoning death and resurrection. Eventually, of course, I remember what its real purpose is. But my first reaction is to classify it mentally as a ritual. I believe this is something many of us struggle with, at least from time to time... or maybe I'm the only sinner in my church.
As we discussed in class, a big part of why many of us would tend to think of the Lord's Supper more as a ritual is that it is often tacked on to the end of a service on the first Sunday of the month. It's almost never spoken of any other Sunday of the month, let alone any other day.
I don't think regularity itself is the problem. We are instructed to partake in communion regularly, to "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The problem is when we let it become purely a ritual, and it loses its impact. Allowing communion to become only a ritual isn't only about it losing meaning. It can become a ritual when it causes you to go into "quick fix" mode with God, ponder its meaning for 10 minutes, and don't give it a thought the rest of the month. It is intended to remind us of Christ's sacrifice on the cross in our place, which allows us to have abundant life, and if we allow it to lose its freshness and impact in our souls, we aren't truly allowing the gospel to penetrate every aspect of our lives.
The Lord's Supper reminds us that our lives are not our own to live; we belong to God because we have life through Him. He is the one that sustains and strengthens us. In God's tenderness, compassion, and understanding, He, being a spirit in nature, gives us, being partly physical creatures, a physical reminder of His work in us. We must not lose the spiritual meaning in the physical means. Phillips remarks about the efficacy of the sacrament, "the spiritual benefits we receive in the sacrament are analogous to those benefits received by the body through eating and drinking. In the Lord's Supper, then, the believer is strengthened and fed, receiving sustenance and life" (Give Praise to God, 205). As a reminder of our source and purpose as believers, communion serves as a source of vitality. How sad it is to lose this humbling, revitalizing act to monotony!
We are to proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, because through His death we have true Life. How sweet it is to celebrate this alongside our brothers and sisters.
Sadly, this has often been the case for me, and possibly for my brothers and sisters. My first thoughts upon seeing the communion table at the front of the sanctuary are "Oh, it's the first Sunday of the month already? How quickly time flies!" instead of thoughts of Christ's atoning death and resurrection. Eventually, of course, I remember what its real purpose is. But my first reaction is to classify it mentally as a ritual. I believe this is something many of us struggle with, at least from time to time... or maybe I'm the only sinner in my church.
As we discussed in class, a big part of why many of us would tend to think of the Lord's Supper more as a ritual is that it is often tacked on to the end of a service on the first Sunday of the month. It's almost never spoken of any other Sunday of the month, let alone any other day.
I don't think regularity itself is the problem. We are instructed to partake in communion regularly, to "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The problem is when we let it become purely a ritual, and it loses its impact. Allowing communion to become only a ritual isn't only about it losing meaning. It can become a ritual when it causes you to go into "quick fix" mode with God, ponder its meaning for 10 minutes, and don't give it a thought the rest of the month. It is intended to remind us of Christ's sacrifice on the cross in our place, which allows us to have abundant life, and if we allow it to lose its freshness and impact in our souls, we aren't truly allowing the gospel to penetrate every aspect of our lives.
The Lord's Supper reminds us that our lives are not our own to live; we belong to God because we have life through Him. He is the one that sustains and strengthens us. In God's tenderness, compassion, and understanding, He, being a spirit in nature, gives us, being partly physical creatures, a physical reminder of His work in us. We must not lose the spiritual meaning in the physical means. Phillips remarks about the efficacy of the sacrament, "the spiritual benefits we receive in the sacrament are analogous to those benefits received by the body through eating and drinking. In the Lord's Supper, then, the believer is strengthened and fed, receiving sustenance and life" (Give Praise to God, 205). As a reminder of our source and purpose as believers, communion serves as a source of vitality. How sad it is to lose this humbling, revitalizing act to monotony!
We are to proclaim the Lord's death until He comes, because through His death we have true Life. How sweet it is to celebrate this alongside our brothers and sisters.
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