Series: Communion Meditations

January 8, 2019

Christian Standard

Can Dry Bones Live Again?

By Ronald G. Davis  Old Doc Richardson, of my Appalachian hometown, kept a human skeleton on display in his office. Carefully wired together and suspended from a metal stand, that skeleton clinked and clanked at the slightest touch of my small-child hand. It was eerie. It was also obvious to my unsophisticated mind: Whoever’s bones these were would never come to life again. Those bones were dead and dry. In Ezekiel 37, when God led Ezekiel back and forth across a field filled with bones, he asked the prophet a simple question: “Son of man, can these bones live?” Now

January 1, 2019

Christian Standard

How Far?

By L. Mackenzie In churches around the world, people celebrate Epiphany, when magi came to Bethlehem to worship baby Jesus. Elaborate feasts, complete with king cakes, paper crowns, caroling, winter swimming, and house blessings mark this festival each year as the end of the Christmas season for many. When we strip away all the traditions, the heart of the Epiphany story shares a future picture of God’s manifestation to the Gentile world through his Son Jesus. It’s the story of men being drawn toward a heavenly King. “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your

December 25, 2018

Christian Standard

Traveling by Starlight

(This Communion Meditation originally appeared online in December 2012.)   By Lee Magness For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16, 17). About AD 110 in the ancient city of Antioch, a revered Christian leader named Ignatius wrote these words: A star shone forth in the heaven above all the stars; and its light was unutterable, and its strangeness caused

December 18, 2018

Christian Standard

A Mirror in the Manger

(This Communion Meditation originally appeared in our issue from December 26, 2004.)   By Lee Magness But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons (Galatians 4:4, 5). The scene is a sparse hill in ancient Judea, not far from Jerusalem. Nearby is a cave. Jesus wears one meager garment. Mary watches, wondering what it all means. A man stands by, not the father of Jesus, but the one who will care for her. Beneath Jesus are

December 11, 2018

Christian Standard

A Second Coming

(This Communion Meditation originally appeared online in December 2012.)   By Lee Magness So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David. . . . He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child (Luke 2:4, 5). As the time approached for him to be taken up, . . . Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). They journeyed to Judea—Joseph closing his shop, Mary pregnant, too pregnant for such a taxing trip. To Bethlehem, with its

December 4, 2018

Christian Standard

A Sign and a Prediction, Both Fulfilled

(This Communion meditation originally appeared in our December 1, 1998, edition.)   By Kent Fillinger The year was 734 BC. King Ahaz of Judah was under attack by the countries of Syria and Ephraim, which were trying to dethrone him. In order to encourage King Ahaz, God told King Ahaz to ask Him for a sign. When the ruler asked, God said, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, New International Version). “Immanuel” means “God with us.” This

November 27, 2018

Christian Standard

Redemption Drawing Near

(This Communion meditation originally appeared on our website in December 2011. Advent is this coming Sunday, Dec. 2.)   By Robert F. Hull Jr. Millions of Christians around the world celebrate this coming Sunday as the beginning of Advent, the first of four Sundays of preparation for the grand festival of light we know as Christmas. No matter how often we have observed Advent, for many of us the first Sunday still comes as a shock, for its focus is on the second coming of Jesus, not the first: People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on

November 20, 2018

Christian Standard

A Special Name for Today

(For use Sunday, November 25) By Lena Wood Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, a day of exceptional online bargains. Nowadays you can do all your Christmas shopping from home, sitting on the couch in your robe, having coffee and scrambled eggs. No more “shop ’til you drop”; now you have the option to “plop and shop.” After buying presents for loved ones on Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday lets you enjoy another kind of generosity that carries no expectation of material return, a chance to experience a deep principle: Giving is better than receiving. So, what should we call today, the day

November 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Count Your Many Blessings

By Lena Wood When asked what we’re thankful for, we usually start off with God, country, and family, then go on to things of less and less significance. Today, though, let’s start at the bottom, with the seemingly insignificant things, like . . . the color of the sky at sunrise, the sound of birds settling in for the night, the softness of a blanket. Look around. Are you wearing comfortable shoes? Do you have a little cash in your wallet? Are your friends and family here? Is there a roof over your head? Look within, to things you rarely

November 6, 2018

Christian Standard

‘Thank You for Your Service’

By Lena Wood It’s a kind of tradition: When folks meet a veteran wearing a cap with the words World War II, Korea, or Vietnam, they often say, “Thank you for your service, Sir.” His response might be a quiet nod, a smile, or, “You’re welcome.”              Now, this is a true story, and let’s imagine it happened to you. It’s Veteran’s Day and a small, older man comes to your place of business. Occasionally you greet veterans with the traditional thanks, but other employees are doing the same today, and you don’t want to sound redundant. However, this little man’s

October 30, 2018

Christian Standard

The Uttermost Banquet

By Lena Wood In mid-November the International Conference on Missions will meet in Cincinnati. Thousands will gather, as they have for 70 years. Friends will reconnect from all over the world. They might share an Italian meal at the hotel, a breakfast of French roast coffee and croissants, or an Asian feast at a Japanese steakhouse. Almost anywhere in the world nowadays you can partake of meals from . . . almost anywhere. If we were to have a fellowship meal here and each of you brought food from the farthest place you’d ever been, what kind of ethnic meal

October 23, 2018

Christian Standard

The Eyes of Jesus

By Tom Claibourne Jesus’ eyes must have been quite similar to ours, but he didn’t always look at things the way we do. He saw things from an eternal perspective. Therefore, when Jesus walked out of Nazareth to begin his ministry, his eyes saw things we usually do not see. He saw the spiritual battle that rages between God’s angelic hosts and Satan’s demonic forces. He saw beyond the surface. Jesus saw people’s hearts, along with their needs and potential. When others saw filthy, sinful women (Luke 7; John 4 and 8), Jesus saw women who had taken some wrong

October 16, 2018

Christian Standard

A Substitute

By Tom Claibourne The Bible is very bloody. Two-thirds of the books mention blood, with more than 450 total references. Blood is the scarlet thread that runs through the Bible and is central to Christianity. Many sincere Christians have set out to read through the entire Bible, only to get bogged down in the seemingly endless details concerning animal sacrifices. Why so many sacrifices? Why so much blood, when the Bible clearly states that the blood of animals cannot take away sins (Hebrews 10:3, 4, 11)? The Old Testament sacrificial system was part of a symbolic process God used to

October 9, 2018

Christian Standard

The Lord’s Supper Puts Us in Our Place

By Tom Claibourne If there was ever a place to be filled with humility, it is at the Lord’s table. It is not a place for judgmental comparisons, selfish pride, or spiritual arrogance. The Lord’s Supper puts us all on the same level by putting each of us in our place. The simple emblems ordained by Jesus remind us why he died. They call us to reflect on the apostle Paul’s stunning acknowledgment: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” The Lord’s table prompts us to confess, “I am as well.” The Lord’s

October 2, 2018

Christian Standard

Christopher Columbus: Fellow Sinner in Need of God’s Grace

By Tom Claibourne Christopher Columbus was a lot like us, but his reputation and the holiday that bears his name have fallen on hard times. Not so many years ago, Columbus Day (October 8) prompted thoughts of daring adventure and the pursuit of new horizons. In recent times, it has become an occasion for divisive rhetoric and historical revision. Columbus the hero has become Columbus the villain. In reality, neither extreme is completely accurate. Was Columbus a man of faith? Yes. Did he desire to bring “the Word of God to unknown coastlands”? Yes. Was his Book of Prophecies filled

September 25, 2018

Christian Standard

He’s Right Here

By Mandy Smith  Outsiders watching Christians take part in the Lord’s Supper over and over might feel sorry for us. We take a tiny piece of bread and a tiny sip of juice and remember someone who had a real meal with his friends a long time ago. It might seem foolish or sad that we keep doing this. “Jesus is gone,” they might say. “Move on.” But they don’t know what we know. We know that when Jesus left, he promised he would never leave. It’s a strange truth, but it’s what he said. Although he stopped walking around

September 18, 2018

Christian Standard

Awaiting a Wedding Feast

By Mandy Smith First Corinthians 11:26 says: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” So simply by taking this bread and juice today, we remember and retell the story of Jesus’ death, every time, over and over again. We keep telling the story as we eat the bread and as we sip the juice. We tell it to ourselves as we taste it and we tell it to each other as we do it together. Christians have been doing this for thousands of years, and Christians will do this

September 11, 2018

Christian Standard

Jesus’ Controversial Approach to Food and Eating

By Mandy Smith Jesus often caused a stir, and it’s surprising how often food was at the center of things. Whom he ate with caused controversy. When he ate and what he ate upset the religious leaders who seemed to be watching his every move. Mark 2 provides various examples. First the Pharisees judge Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners. And Jesus simply replies, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (v. 17). Then the Pharisees get upset with Jesus because he doesn’t

September 4, 2018

Christian Standard

Grandparent’s Day: Paving a Path to Communion

By Mandy Smith  We don’t know as much about Timothy as we do the apostle Paul, but we know Paul trusted Timothy deeply. Paul sent Timothy as his representative to churches he had planted. Paul listed Timothy as a co-sender of several of his letters, and the New Testament includes two letters Paul wrote directly to Timothy. In them, we get a picture of a trustworthy and incredibly faithful young leader who had an important role in the development of the early church. So it’s significant Paul remembered the source of Timothy’s faith. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul

August 28, 2018

Christian Standard

A Rest from Our Labor . . . and in His Work

By Mandy Smith On Labor Day weekend we reflect on both the value of work and the value of rest. The Department of Labor’s statement on Labor Day says, in part, “It is appropriate . . . that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership—the American worker.” It’s fitting for a nation to show appreciation to those workers by giving them a day off from their work. On Labor Day we rest from our own work. There’s a different holiday we celebrate every Sunday—an invitation to rest

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