Today I had the honor of leading all four services at Canyon Hills in communion. This activity we do as Christian’s is so special and important to our faith.
For this BITE I am going to post my notes that I used today. Kind of a cool way to record these in a way I can reference them later.
Opening:
- As I prepared for leading us in communion this week, the Lord laid the significance of this ‘Physical’ action connected with the ‘Spiritual’ acknowledgement and remembrance of God’s Son and what has been completed for us on the cross.
- As we prepare our hearts for this time, it is important to remember a few truths.
Truths:
- We remember who we were before the Lord called us to Himself; separated from Him and without Hope. We realized that there was nothing we could do of our own power or might to earn our way into Eternity with Him.
- Now we sit here looking back to that surrender to Him knowing we have been justified through our faith in Christ.
- [Galatians 3:13-14] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us
- BUT…We forget! We walk out of church and into the hustle and bustle of life and all of its distractions. The noise of our circumstances and situations pushes us into self-sufficiency and feeling the burden of life’s challenges.
- Even the apostle Paul says in [Romans 7:22 – 8:1]
- 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
- Communion is a break from the worldly onslaught on our flesh to remember who we are in Gospel story of Salvation. Jesus asks us to remember what He ‘did’ on the cross…a once and for all payment of our sins. We are to remember His body broken for our sin, His blood washing away EVERY sin.
- This spiritual acknowledgement through taking of the bread and the cup reminds us that He is our HOPE, the price has been paid, He stands in the place of our sin as a Living Sacrifice.
What is our response?
- Acknowledgement of WHO Jesus is…the resurrected Savior of our lives Who LIVES today at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
- Acknowledge who we are in our sin and flesh and therefore the value of the gift of grace we have received in Jesus Christ
- A renewed commitment in this realization to move forward in deliberate service to our Savior within this life under the sun
A warning:
Communion is for believers and must be done with the right heart.
Paul tells us in [1 Corinthians 11:27-29] – Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Time of personal prayer and reflection – allow congregation 50 – 60 seconds of personal prayer and heart preparation.
Take communion:
- [1 Corinthians 11:23-25] …the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
- Let’s take the bread together now.
- In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
- Let’s drink the cup together now.
Prayer:
- Thank you Lord God for the beauty and gift of Communion.
- We pray Lord that your Holy Spirit would be alive in us this week to stay afresh in this mindset and spiritual connection with You.
- Lord be with us as we continue in worship to You; glorifying and praising you for all that You are.
- We ask these things in the name of You Son the Lord Jesus Christ – AMEN