CALENDAR OF EVENTS |
July 12
Sunday School - 10:30 am
Church Service- 11:00 am |
July 19
Sunday School - 10:30 am
Church Service- 11:00 am |
July 26
Sunday School - 10:30
Church Service- 11:00 |
Aug 3
Fellowship Dinner - 6:00 pm
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Archive |
June 21, 2009
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July 05, 2009
July 12, 2009
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JULY 12, 2009 |
Every Tuesday I meet with a group of local pastors who go over the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday. This past Tuesday I asked the group for their input regarding communion. I would love to have communion every Sunday. Because to me, it is a celebration of God's love, grace, and mercy. It is my understanding that a number of people feel that communion should not be done very often. The reason being that it would not be as special. Well, if communion is done simply as a routine, I would have to agree with them. That is why I want everyone to understand that it is a celebration of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us as well as a celebration of His presence with us always. I was taught that each meal was a time of communion with God. It didn't matter what you ate and drank, if you remembered that Jesus spilled his blood and that his body was broken to save us, it was a communion. My point is that communion is not a ritual. It is a time of remembrance and celebration. As we go forward in this time of celebration, remember the pain that Jesus endured, remember the love and mercy that He has shown for each of us, and take that love and mercy and share it with the world.
As methodists, we believe that communion is open to anyone who repents for their sins and believes that Jesus is the son of God. I think that this is the “proper” way to celebrate communion. There are some denominations that set some strict limits on how communion is to be done, and who may participate. As I said before, I have a somewhat simplistic view of communion. To me it is a personal remembrance of what God has done for me. It is also an institution begun by God himself. Jesus told us that as often as we break bread and drink that we should do it in remembrance of Him. Today, that is what we have done. We have taken the bread, the broken body of Christ. We have taken the wine, the blood of Christ that was shed for us. God gave himself freely, suffered, and died for us. He descended to hell and then arose from the dead. He did all this to pay for the sins that you and I commit every single day. This is a time for celebration, for rejoicing, and for thanks. Jesus gave himself for you, for me, for all of us. Let us all be thankful for this and rejoice that God has mercy upon us and love for us.
Let the grace and love of Jesus be with you. May His Holy Spirit reside with you in all that you do this week. May the presence of the Spirit show through in all of your activities. Go now with God, rejoice in His presence in your life. Share Him with all that you meet.
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