Communion Makes Us Family

Recently my family has abandoned eating in the front of the TV, a bad habit we had fallen into. At first my eight year old daughter was very disappointed. The Great British Baking Show makes a fun short term distraction. But the delights of the family dinner are becoming apparent even to her.

For instance, she uses the time to ask complicated questions like....

I can't wait for you to read the rest of this fun post! Jump over HERE to Sharon Fleming's blog "Around the Table" to read it and then stick around to enjoy more great posts on the importance of family dinners!

Also if enjoy this post, I want you to know it is part of a FREE E-book available to all my subscribers. You can get it and other awesome resources HERE.

Helene

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Table Privilege

Privilege might seem like a obsessively modern term. We discuss it in terms of social leverage, financial, educational, gender and racial divides. But the divide is more ancient than modern.  Take the story of the cross: Jospeh of Arimathea and the woman who followed Jesus.  

All of the gospels tell Joseph's tale, a rich man, a powerful man religiously, socially and politically.  When it comes to privilege, he had it all.  All the gospels tell the women's tale as well. When it comes to privilege, they had less: less money, less power, less standing in their community, and less political influence. 

Yet they all wanted the same thing: Jesus’ body.  United in this common desire to honor their Rabbi, they were brave.  Joseph was afraid of declaring himself yet goes to Pilate and asks for the body of Jesus.  The women watched all the disciples/apostles but John flee, yet stand at the foot of the cross as mute witnesses to their own Lord’s death.    United in their common desire to honor their Rabbi, they honor his corpse. Joseph takes the Lord’s body and brings the it to his own unused tomb. (Would that I ever had the opportunity to let Jesus take my place of honor.) The women follow him from afar to see where they can come after the Sabbath to bring their spices and prepare his body for burial.  

In Jesus each of us bring all that we have-energy, time, money, standing-to the table as a gift. In our desire to honor the body of our Lord, we stand united at the table of communion. His table permits no divide: one Lord, one meal, one body. Thank God for the privilege of celebrating at His table. 

Helene

PS.  Interested in more of these devotionals?  I'd love for you to subscribe and I will send you a FREE PDF/Ebook with 12 short communion devotionals each one perfect for savoring with a cup of coffee on Sunday morning! 

Communers not Consumers: 6 Ways to Build Community in your Church

What do you want in a church?  A strong youth program, a fantastic minister, visionary elders, lots for your kids to do?  

Would you trade all of that for community?  You know a church where everyone knows you, not your mask but the real you, and loves you anyway?  A place where you are integral, where you are missed, where you are needed?  A place where you know everyone.  Their hurts are yours, their joys are your, their children are like your own nieces, nephews, grandkids.  No, if you had that, you'd be a part of that church for the rest of your life. 

'Twas the Day after Easter

'Twas the day after Easter and the plastic grass is semi-glued to the candy.  Halves of plastic eggs are lurking in the yard ready to pulverize bare feet and become shrapnel for the push mower. Tummy aches and leftover sugar highs are making parents more miserable than the kids.  Tiny suits and dresses hang in closest and photos are sent out to develop.

'Twas the day after Easter and millions of people brim with the joy of the Lord.  They rejoice in the love of Christ's sacrifice, they revel in the morning arrival at the tomb; they shout with the millions on high, "He is risen! Christ is risen indeed!"  But Monday has arrived.  Spring break is over and it's time to go back to work, back to school.  It's time to return to the mundane and leave our spiritual high behind. 

Twitchy and Giggles or Why I I Have a Communion Problem

Standing at the front, a solemn brother reminds the congregation that the bread he holds in his hands is the body of Jesus Christ.  Sitting in the pew, I raise an eyebrow as the kid I JUST told to put her feet down sneaks them back up.

He entones, “Let us pray.”  With half an eye open, I keep watch on Twitchy and Giggles ready to thump them if they get too loud.

Isaiah and the Lord's Supper

When I think about Isaiah the man, my mind goes to chapter 6.  Often known as Isaiah's call or his commission, it depicts the time that the prophet came into the presence of the Lord and answered His call to be a messenger to the people.  Isaiah presents us with a pattern of worship that we follow today.  He recognized the greatness of God, he understood his own position in relationship to God, and he came away changed.  

Flashback:Double Vision

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you. (Lowry, Mark. "Mary Did you Know?" 1984.)

Double vision happens when our two eyes won't work in concert.  It's a result of a blow to the head or damage to our eyes. However it's not usually something we would pray for!  In the spiritual realm though double vision is just about as good as it gets. A true gift from God, it lets us see two true things at the same time.  Mary must have had the perfect point of view.  From 12 inches away, she looked into the face of her nursing son and saw the eternal Word of God. Two true things.  Mary swaddled her tiny son.  Mary's tiny son created her!  And we wonder, in the song and in our lives, if she could see it both ways. Do you have double vision moments?  Moments when with clarity you see two true things, one physical thing and one spiritual thing? 

The Things We Didn't Talk About

Yesterday one of my sister's skyped me. My husband and I were very involved in the church where she worshiped right after she became a Christian.  We had many a late night phone conversation, many an evening Bible study, many a dinner together.  She came and cooked for us when our "baby" was still a baby. She's an old friend.

Double Vision

 

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you. (Lowry, Mark. "Mary Did you Know?" 1984.)

Lord Make Me a Servant

In our congregation, we have a set of teenage twins.  The young man has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair.  Although his body is severely affected, his mind is not.  He is a Christian, and he has had the opportunity to lead singing and to preach.  His twin sister is also a Christian, and she is physically a typical teenager.  Recently during worship, the siblings were sitting some rows ahead of me, and I saw something that really touched my heart.  Because of his condition, the young man is unable to take communion without assistance.  As he sat on the aisle in his wheelchair, his sister sat on the pew beside him and carefully served him the cup.  It took two or three times for him to be able to swallow it all, but she patiently helped him take the whole thing.  The scene let me know that this young girl already has the heart of Christ, the heart of a servant.