In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul had harsh words for the saints there who came together to eat the Lord’s Supper. For when they came, they came squabbling, fighting, and devouring one another. Some even came early so they could stuff themselves on the food and get drunk on the wine. They acted like no one else was involved in the meal.
Paul goes on to say that the meal of the Lord is supposed to be a meal that expresses the oneness the people have with Christ and therefore with one another.
In the past few years, we have had a few folks who have not understood how to live out what the Bible describes as the body of Christ. They have been self absorbed and grumpy. But over all, we have understood and practiced what we proclaim every Sunday morning: Jesus is Lord; We are Christ’s body; Our community is filled with graciousness because we strive to live as Christ’s body; And this meal is an expression and a participation in the fellowship we have with one another, because we have fellowship with the Father through the son, in the power of the Spirit.
When Paul related the words we repeat every Sunday in the Lord’s Supper to the Corinthians, he was in the middle of a very strong rebuke. We use them each Sunday as a commendation, as a memorial to the graciousness of God, and as participation in God’s mission and ministry in our world. Let us partake together
Our gracious Father, we thank you for taking us in when we were rebellious people. You poured your grace out on us when we did not deserve it and are knitting us together into a prefect man. We aren’t where we will be, but we are working to express your Son’s life in our lives, by your grace. We thank you and we commit our lives to you as we eat and drink, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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