This Christmas Eve I was blessed to be able to attend a midnight service at my in-laws Lutheran church in Apple Valley. Attending church at 11:00 pm is not something that has been a part of my families tradition, but as I found out, is a tradition for many. Worshiping and celebrating to close out Christmas Eve and welcome in Christmas day was a wonderful experience that I would encourage all to try. It was something to be praising our Lord by candlelight on the night of his birth. The portion of the service that was the most moving for me was when the entire congregation partook of communion. As I sat and watched each row proceed up to consume the elements I was taken aback by the reality of communion and what it truly means to partake of the body and blood of Christ. Beyond the theological debate over transubstantiation, the metaphor of taking the life of Christ into one's life is far more powerful than many stop to reflect on. How many of us simply go through the motions when it comes time to participate in the Eucharist? We sit and wait for our turn to dip the bread (wafer) in the wine (juice) and pop it into our mouth before heading back to our seats and decide what we are going to have for lunch. I know that I have been guilty of this exact thing, however, this Christmas Eve it all changed for me. I need to be living a communal life where I am partaking of the life of Christ each and every day. We are instructed to take up the cross and follow Christ. Communion is an extension of that act. The participation in the communion table needs to be examined far more than it currently is. It is not some ritual act that one does to obtain a portion of the grace that abounds in Christ. In this new year may you meditate on what it truly means to consume Christ. To live Christ. To have Christ live in and through you. As a Lutheran leaning Baptist I know that I have not given communion the proper place in my spiritual life, but I want that to change. This is the cry of my heart for 2009 and I would love to hear others thoughts.
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At a church service last week I heard a message about communion. One of my friends who attended the earlier service said that it would "blow my socks off"--a phrase that not only annoys me, but didn't resonate a thing to me. A service about communion? To be perfectly honest my first reaction was that it would be boring.
My friend was right. I walked out of church with bare feet. The pastor talked about Christ as the Passover. He referenced the exodus from Egypt and how a lamb's sacrificed blood on the doorpost of a home would allow the plague of death to "pass over" that home, leaving it unharmed, safe, protected. In the same way, Christ became the new "Passover" as his blood on the doorpost of our homes (hearts) would spare us from hell (the plague of death) and offer us safety and protection (eternal life).
There was much more to it but it rang in my spirit in a new way. The message was followed by a song and a video that I could hardly keep my eyes on. My vision blurred and I cast my eyes down, realizing my own arrogance for thinking I knew all there was to know about communion.
Even after that message I still have a lot to learn... and it makes me glad that others are learning the same thing. Understanding what the message of Christ's sacrfice was for me should radically change me every day. I have a long way to go...
Anyway, this got long. Good thoughts, Eric. :)
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