Series: Communion Meditations

Church Life

An Occasion for Unity

By Ronald G. Davis On the same occasion Jesus put in place this memory meal, he prayed fervently for the unity of those who would assemble around his table. Sadly, this table has often divided those “who believe in him,” the ones for whom he prayed (John 17:20). Churches have had significant and insignificant disputes about the Lord”s table. There have been disputes over who should be at the table. Over which believers should be present. Over what the emblems should look like. Over how often the emblems should be available. Over such small matters as to when in the

January 13, 2017

Salvation Theology & Bible

The Shedding of Blood

By Ronald G. Davis The Passover of the Hebrew people was inextricably tied to the shedding of blood. How many thousands of Egypt”s firstborn sons had to die to free the Hebrews from their bondage? And how many young and innocent lambs and goats became a hurried meal of roasted flesh? How many gallons of their blood became the blessed stripes on doorjambs and door frames? Exodus 11 and 12 describe the wonderfully awful and bloody events of that solemn and deadly night of redemption. The Passover when Jesus gathered his devoted””and not-so-devoted””12 friends and disciples in the upper room

January 6, 2017

New Testament Theology & Bible

John at the Cross

By Ron Davis As Jesus died, John stood at the cross. The apostle describes the scene in his Gospel, John 19:25, 26. He is the one who called himself “the disciple whom he loved.” He fully sensed and experienced Jesus” love. Jesus did love John. He saw in John a young man capable of a lifetime commitment. And that was realized. John”s love for Jesus is likewise obvious. He saw in Jesus the One long promised, the One who would save. He saw the Word incarnate. That is why he stood at the cross. Heartbroken. He was losing his good

December 23, 2016

Better Than Christmas

By Daniel Schantz “A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one”s birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1, New King James Version). There is nothing so magical as the birth of a child, whether it”s a routine birth or a baby that comes in the taxi on the way to the hospital. There is always that frisson of fear””is the baby normal? Does he have all his fingers and toes? Were there complications? Is mother OK? And there is curiosity. “Is it a girl? Is it a boy? Is she pretty? Is he cute?”

December 16, 2016

Eucharist

ByÂ Daniel Schantz “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4, New King James Version). Eucharist is a term for the Lord”s Supper that means “to give thanks.” Giving thanks is something like a digital password to the presence of God, perhaps because it represents humility. When someone does something wonderful for me, I must acknowledge it before I do anything else. Imagine you are attending a Super Bowl. You have good seats and the stands are full. The game is a nail-bitter to the end, but whenever there is a touchdown, no one stands,

December 9, 2016

If Only

By Daniel Schantz “So Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62, New King James Version). It”s a crisp December Monday, as you ramp onto the freeway. There is a slight mist on the windshield, but it is nothing to worry about. You are feeling good. You had biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The radio is playing your favorite oldies. You are driving a brand new car, the one you have been thinking about for five years. It has everything you ever wanted in a car. As you come around the first bend, the mist on the windshield turns white,

December 2, 2016

Care & Counseling Grief & Suffering

The Gift of Grief

By Daniel Schantz “A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3, King James Version). Sorrow does not take a holiday at Christmas. One of America”s most comforting Christmas anthems, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” was composed by a man fluent in the language of grief. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a popular professor and poet at Harvard in 1850, but he paid a price for his greatness. Although he loved students, he found teaching to be “a grinding mill.” He suffered from stomach distress, arthritis, vertigo, and depression. At one point he said, “I hate the sight

November 25, 2016

See the Body

By Diane Stortz A young woman visited a service and was surprised by how Communion was served. The elements representing Jesus” body and blood were placed on tables around the perimeter of the room, and worshippers got out of their seats and walked to one of the tables. Some people ate the bread and drank the juice right at the tables. Some took the elements back to their seats for reflection and prayer. Some people stayed seated and prayed awhile before they went to one of the tables. Still others picked up the bread and juice and then gathered as

November 18, 2016

A Clear Conscience

By Diane Stortz Have you ever longed for a clear conscience? A man named Saul had reason to think about this too. Before Saul became a believer, he zealously persecuted Christians””rounding them up and throwing them in prison, standing by as a crowd of angry Jews stoned and killed a young believer named Stephen. Then Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul became Paul the apostle, one of the leaders of the early church and the writer of much of the New Testament. As Paul looked back at his life, he called himself the worst of sinners (1

November 11, 2016

Direct Our Hearts

By Diane Stortz When the prophet Samuel led Israel, he told them, “Direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you” (1 Samuel 7:3*). Later on, near the end of King David”s life, the people of Israel followed David”s lead and joyfully contributed to building materials for the future temple. Then David prayed, “O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you” (1 Chronicles 29:18). In the New Testament, Jesus tells us to seek

October 28, 2016

And When He Had Given Thanks

By Ron Davis One of the curious elements of the Passover Jesus shared with his apostles in the upper room, as recorded in Luke 22:14-20, is the comment, “he gave thanks.” Thanks? For what exactly? Jesus is hours away from being arrested, cruelly abused, and murdered in humiliation. And he knows it full well. Thanks! For what? For the material elements themselves? A simple “loaf” of unleavened bread, the commonest of food, better suited to fill a stomach than to nourish. The drinkable juice of a plant that grew clusters so large and plentiful and of which some shriveled on

October 14, 2016

Ethics & Moral Issues

Piercings

By Ron Davis Piercings are popular. It started with the ear lobe . . . and worked its way up . . . and down. But piercing is not new. And it did not come from good or noble precedent. The notoriously vicious Assyrians, in ancient times, took their captives home by inserting a hook through the cheeks of those captives. Keep up, or else, as you are dragged along! In fact, many cultures, ancient and modern “marked” their captives as slaves by a ring in the nose or ear. It was always the sign of an ultimate death penalty.

September 30, 2016

Lord, Have Mercy

By C. Robert Wetzel Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge (Psalm 57:1). We readily understand the words of Simon Peter when he said to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Early in his ministry, Jesus had occasion to use Peter”s boat as a pulpit. When the sermon was over he told Peter to put out to sea and let down his nets. Peter protested, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And

September 23, 2016

“˜When They Had Sung a Hymn”

By C. Robert Wetzel We often look to the Gospel of Matthew for an account of the institution of the Lord”s Supper. It is here that we read, While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”Â Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).

September 16, 2016

A Memorable Communion

By C. Robert Wetzel On his third missionary journey, Paul had arranged to rendezvous with some of his coworkers at Troas. Arriving there, he stayed for several days so he could meet with the church. He knew they would be meeting on the first day of the week to observe the Lord”s Supper. The meeting proved to be surprisingly eventful (Acts 20:7-12). I wonder how the people at Troas remembered Paul”s visit? “That was the longest sermon I ever heard,” recalled one man. “Far too long,” said the mother of Eutychus. “I know the boy should not have gone to

September 9, 2016

The Vertical and the Horizontal

By C. Robert Wetzel There is both a vertical and a horizontal dimension to the Lord Supper. In a spiritual sense, we are looking up as we once again focus our thoughts on the gift of God in the sacrificial death of our Lord Jesus Christ. As we eat the bread we remember his words, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). And as we drink from the cup we hear his words, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it in remembrance

September 2, 2016

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that helps us focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our thoughts

August 19, 2016

Culture & Public Square Race

From Despair to Hope

By Victor Knowles The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011. Visitors pass through the divided granite “Mountain of Despair” on their way to the “Stone of Hope.” An inscription on the “Mountain of Despair” reads, “I was a drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness,” a statement King once suggested for how he would like to be remembered. But today we celebrate a different kind of memorial. It is not carved in granite or set in stone. The memorial consists of two extremely perishable elements: unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine. You

August 12, 2016