Series: Communion Meditations

September 13, 2013

Christian Standard

Careful on the Way Down

By David Ray Someone who”s done a  study about mountain climbing made an interesting discovery. As risk-filled as the ascent may be, more than half of all climbing fatalities occur on the way down. For example, of the fatalities that had occurred on Mount Everest””the world”s tallest mountain””about 60 percent of them happened while the climbers were descending back to base camp. Different reasons for this phenomenon have been suggested, but there is often a natural letdown that comes after any great goal has been accomplished. With adrenaline pumping and a summit in sight, climbers may master an ascent. But

September 6, 2013

Christian Standard

Their Witness, and Ours

By David Ray   If only trees could talk . . . Outside the walls of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley and near the foot of a rising hillside, was a garden called Gethsemane. It held a grove of olive trees, perhaps privately owned and set off from public space, but graciously made available to Jesus and his disciples whenever needed. A place of quiet retreat, it was far enough away to escape the hectic press of the city, but still close enough to see the temple clearly. By day, the garden was a cooler place, with shade found under

August 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Grace

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps nothing hurts as much as betrayal. A wife discovers a string of e-mails and realizes her husband has been intimate with another woman. Or a man receives a note from his wife saying she and one of his longtime friends plan to start a life together. Or someone at work gives the boss information that was shared in confidence. Betrayal cuts deeply for all of us, and no less so for Jesus. That last night with his disciples, Judas sat close to Jesus. The plot was in place,

August 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Humility

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Remember summer camp or church camp? Those late nights raiding other tents or dorms? Those camp meals that looked increasingly familiar as the week went on? The mosquitoes, bugs, and sunburn that made for some uncomfortable moments? But most of all . . . cleanup duties at the end. Remember the scramble not to be assigned the shower and toilet block? Remember the hair, the soap residue, and the scum? It was nasty, and nobody in their right mind would volunteer for that job. We were made for a

August 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Unity

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” When we attend a football game or a baseball game, we remember far more than the score (if we even remember the score). The whole event comes back to mind; driving to the game, our parking spot, our seats, the noise of the crowd, peanuts in the shell, the $6 hot dogs, and so much more. We remember everything surrounding the event. So did the disciples. That last night with Jesus was indelibly imprinted on their minds. How could they forget? They gathered for the Passover meal. Jesus washed

August 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Service

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We typically use the word remember in a rather abstract way. Do you remember your first car? Your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Your first job? The birth of your first child? We recall an event and the warm emotions attached to it. Or perhaps we were forced to remember information for school. Remember the list of presidents? Remember those algebraic equations? Remember participles, passives, and prepositions? That kind of recall can raise our blood pressure and stress all over again. Let”s not dredge up those memories! But remember Jesus

August 2, 2013

Christian Standard

A Humble Savior

By David Timms In 1938 and 1939, as war loomed in Europe, a young British stockbroker changed his plans from taking a skiing holiday in Switzerland to helping in a Jewish refugee camp in Czechoslovakia. With that last-minute change of plans, he was able to help rescue 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia just before the Nazis took control. He found those children new homes in England and raised funds to guarantee each child could return home when (and if) it became safe to do so. He also quietly recorded their names, the names of their new parents, and the addresses

July 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner

By Robert F. Hull Jr. Some of Jesus’ dinner companions are a bit surprising. Early in his ministry he ate with a large group of tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15). Once when he was at dinner with a Pharisee, a woman of the city known to be a sinner came into the house and made a spectacle of herself—and Jesus (Luke 7:36-50). Even the disciples at the last supper were not models for us to emulate. Some of them began to argue about who among them would be greatest in the kingdom; Peter was told that he would shortly

July 19, 2013

Christian Standard

Hungry or Empty?

By Robert F. Hull Jr. In the Gospel of John, the people who were fed by Jesus chased after him the next day to Capernaum, across the Sea of Galilee. Jesus said to them “You are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:26, 27). The point of Jesus” miraculous feeding of the crowds was not simply that he could multiply

July 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Kingdom Clash

By Robert F. Hull Jr. In the closing of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul includes this surprising note: “All God”s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar”s household” (Philippians 4: 22). What? There are followers of Christ in the emperor”s household? The same Caesar who is holding Paul in prison and who will eventually see to it that Paul is executed? Talk about a clash of kingdoms! Both Jesus and Paul were acutely aware there could be no merger of the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world, but neither could

July 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Body Language

By Robert F. Hull Jr. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread (1 Corinthians 10:16, 17).* In some traditions, the person who hands the worshippers the Communion bread says, “This is the body of Christ.” This body language naturally leads us to think about the body of Jesus given in death on the cross. But perhaps we should also think about what Jesus

June 14, 2013

Christian Standard

My Favorite Meal

By Tom Ellsworth I would be hard-pressed to list my favorite meal. Some days I long for the time when I ate at my grandparents” table and enjoyed a dinner of speckled butter beans, corn bread, and homemade apple pie. Simple fare, to be sure, but few meals ever tasted better. On the other side of the menu spectrum, I have occasionally dined in upscale restaurants on scrumptious treats that my grandparents never tasted. Those, too, were memorable meals. To say the least, there is considerable contrast between the simple and exquisite meals I”ve enjoyed through the years. However, I

June 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Set Free

By Tom Ellsworth The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis is an impressive place to visit; its rotunda and artwork are beautiful. Among its many commemorative statues is a bust of Col. Richard Owen, commandant of Camp Morton, a facility in Indianapolis that housed Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. The bust is more than just a statuette, it is a unique memorial. Prisoner of war camps during the Civil War were horrendous places in both the North and South. Perhaps the most infamous was Camp Sumter military prison in Georgia, better known as Andersonville Prison. Nearly 13,000 Union soldiers

April 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Foolishness and Communion

By Tom Lawson   “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). What could be more foolish than Communion””a little bread and grape juice or wine through which we are invited to experience Christ? Perhaps the only thing more foolish is saving the world with some wood, a few nails, and torn, bleeding flesh. We like to make the chasm between the spiritual and the physical as clear as the difference between day and night. The unseen spiritual is

April 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Remembering or Participating?

By Tom Lawson “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps no words are more closely associated with Communion. Communion is, if nothing else, a time of remembering Jesus Christ. Many people are surprised, or at least confused, by Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17. Here he teaches that the cup is a participation or sharing in the blood of Christ and the bread is a participation or sharing in the body of Christ. To some, this sounds too close to medieval ideas that had the cup and loaf actually changing into the blood and body of Christ. On the

April 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Promises to Keep

By Tom Lawson The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. The last stanza of Robert Frost”s poem holds us balanced between reflection and the unnamed promises we must keep. In Scripture, the faithfulness of God is a transcendent theme from Genesis to Revelation. God is faithful to his promises. He promised that one day all the families on earth would be blessed through Abraham”s faith. He promised David that the kingly rule of one of his descendants would be forever.

March 8, 2013

Christian Standard

His Glorious Body

By C. Robert Wetzel Glory to God in the highest! Coming to the Lord”s table is an occasion to celebrate the glory of God and the promise of our participation in his glory. Traditionally we have often sung in preparation for the Lord”s Supper, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory.” More recently it may be, “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” But every Lord”s Day we are reminded in a special way of God”s power, majesty, and love. How extraordinary that the God who created all things should reveal himself in the person of Jesus Christ! How glorious

March 1, 2013

Christian Standard

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 enables us to 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

February 22, 2013

Christian Standard

Looking Back and Looking Forward

By H. Lynn Gardner Certain events invite us to both look back and look forward””graduations, weddings, New Year”s Day. At these times we consider the significance of the past and anticipate the future. The Lord”s Supper is such an event. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord”s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26, English Standard Version). When we worship through participation in Communion we look back to the cross. We are reminded of our sin that made Christ”s death necessary. As we remember the cross, we must face our unworthiness

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