Category Archives: Communion Meditations

The men who are waiting there in the back to pass out the trays to pick up the collection are perhaps the most under-appreciated servants of the church. As they pass the trays from row to row, they try hard … Continue reading →

3,500 years ago, or so, God wanted to free his chosen people from slavery in Egypt. He performed many mighty acts to bring this about, but the people remained firmly in captivity. Finally, the choice became a very stark one: … Continue reading →

Jesus lost many of his disciples when told them they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood. (John 6:53-58) 53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of … Continue reading →

Jesus said of the bread, “This is my body.” But, of course, the Bible also declares the church to be his body. And so the communion loaf is a double symbol–the body consuming the body. It bears pondering just what … Continue reading →

Jesus said of the bread, “This is my body given for you.” The bread is all about sacrifice, and sacrifice is about life given to pay for sins. When we eat the bread, we incorporate Jesus’ sacrifice into our bodies. … Continue reading →

It’s often been said that if we could add instruments to our singing, then we could add fried chicken to the Lord’s Supper. But I’ve been doing some reading, and it seems that the early church did, in fact, add … Continue reading →

We begin the communion with a crust of unleavened bread, representing the crucified body of Jesus. “Unleavened” means made without yeast, which is a living organism. The bread has no life in it. [Prayer to bless the bread] The “fruit … Continue reading →

It’s been a common practice for as long as I can remember to begin this part of the service by pointing out that the contribution is “separate and apart” from the Lord’s Supper that we’ve just celebrated. I honestly don’t … Continue reading →

Luke’s account of the first communion service is fascinating. Jesus first shares the cup and then the bread. They then eat supper, and then Jesus again shares the cup. It has often bothered me that the cup was before the … Continue reading →

Over 4,000 years ago, more than 2,000 years before Jesus, Abraham fought a war to rescue Lot. Abraham recovered not only Lot and his family, but all the goods and food of Sodom and Gomorrah, two very wealthy cities. Melchizedek, … Continue reading →