By Stuart Powell
Note: This meditation uses two visual aids: fresh produce of some sort, and a canned version of the same produce. Replacing corn (the example I use) with different produce of choice delivers the same message.
[Hold up an unshucked ear of sweet corn.] Fresh sweet corn is the greatest food on earth! Its popularity might partially result from its limited availability. Most of the year, we must settle for canned corn. [Hold up a can of corn.] Canned corn is OK to eat, but it is nothing like eating fresh corn on the cob. Canned corn reminds us of past harvests and encourages us that another crop of sweet corn is coming. Corn eaters live in the hope that a harvest will come when we can again eat fresh corn on the cob.
Jesus, in one sense, is like a fresh ear of sweet corn. Jesus is the greatest man who ever walked the earth. The impact of his life changed the trajectory of humanity, steering it away from the abyss of self-destruction. As we look back at Jesus’ incredible ministry, we celebrate his good works, powerful teaching, and his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. We also longingly await Jesus’ promised return. John wrote of the hope that promise should create in our hearts:
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure (1 John 3:2, 3, English Standard Version).
If Jesus is like a fresh ear of sweet corn, then Communion is closer to canned corn. It reminds us that Jesus is real, that he died on the cross, and that he is coming again. The bread of Communion is not Jesus’ body, but it reminds us that he had a body, which suffered and died for us. The cup is not Jesus’ blood, but it reminds us he willingly poured out his blood for our freedom. Christians gather around the table of Communion to remind each other of Jesus’ sacrifice as we live in hope of the coming harvest of righteousness.
Stuart Powell lives outside of Terre Haute, Indiana, where he serves with the North Side Christian Church.
The words challenge and hope describe well the focus of this issue. Ministry can be hard. And discouraging. But we stick with it because of hope—hope in whom we serve, and hope in the work to which he has called us.
Has your faith become complacent? Is your lifestyle a bit too predictable and comfortable? Is the Lord nudging you to do more, give more, or risk more? Don’t quit if the Lord wants you to walk a little farther.
One of the great dangers of the modern church is that we have come to rely on our thinking, strength, wit, and skill and believe we can strategize, market, and promote our way out of the place in which we and our churches find ourselves.
One of the most significant things I learned over the course of more than four decades of preaching in the local church is people don’t need to be taught something new as much as they need to be reminded of what they already know.
The fear of the Lord leads to a life of holiness and obedience, while the comfort of the Holy Spirit brings peace and strength amid trials. These two spiritual qualities enable us to be all God wants us to be as we seek to live out Jesus’ mission.
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