Notes from Norman

COMMUNION: THE BIG PICTURE

For more than half a century I’ve had the privilege of regularly sharing the Lord Supper with my brothers and sisters. I have missed many opportunities to do that. During that period of time, I’ve listened quite a bit of preaching. My emotional response to the preaching has been mixed. Sometimes I’ve felt uplifted and encouraged. Sometimes I’ve been convicted. There have also been times when I’ve been disgusted with the preaching because I thought the speaker was misinformed, self-serving, arrogant or incompetent. Sometimes the preaching has bored me, and that probably is as much my fault as it was of the man who was preaching.

My response to the Lord’s Supper is different. It has not always been a mountain peak experience. On the other hand, it has not been an activity that I’ve resent. Even when the preaching is bad, the singing is off key, and the prayers are mechanical, I’ve gone away feeling blessed because I shared the table with my brothers and sisters. It’s true however that it means more to me on some occasions than it does on others. I get distracted, or I allow the cares of the world to interfere with the sacredness of that occasion. Or maybe I just come into the assembly with a sour attitude. Still for the most part I’ve never criticized the Lord’s Supper the way I have the preaching. I’ve rarely ever critiqued the way the servers are dressed, the taste of the fruit of the vine, or the manner in which presider tried to help us understand what it all about. When my observance of the Lord’s Supper is less than meaningful, I usually have no one to blame but myself.

But when I look back at the big picture, I consider myself blessed to have enjoyed the privilege of this communal meal for so many years. That word “communion” basically means “common.” It’s always important because we are celebrating our common blessing – the forgiveness of our sins, which is made possible by the death of Jesus on the cross. To enjoy it and appreciate it, I don’t have to concern myself with mechanics of the distribution of the commemorative emblems. To find a blessing in this time,together, I only need to focus my attention on the cross and on the Savior.

posted by Norman @ 7:09 AM