Series: Communion Meditations

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Proclaiming

By Jackina Stark Abraham Lincoln issued several proclamations. Two have forever affected American history and culture. The Emancipation Proclamation, announced September 22, 1863, and effected January 1, 1864, shifted the foremost focus of the Civil War from preserving the Union to the moral issue of abolishing slavery. It made possible the long journey to “liberty and justice for all.” It is a revered document. The original is kept in the National Archives. Its pages are fragile and its ink is fading. It is so delicate it is displayed publicly only on special occasions. Despite its condition, it is considered one

March 27, 2018

‘I Have Seen the Lord’

By Jackina Stark John’s account of the resurrection of Jesus includes a tender story about Mary Magdalene that can take your breath away (John 20:1-18): The sun surely is rising—how perfectly symbolic—as Mary approaches the tomb with spices and perfume to anoint Jesus’ body. She is surprised and confused to find the “stone had been removed from the entrance.” Her heart beating furiously, she makes her way to the opening and looks in and is horrified to find the tomb empty. What travesty has taken place now? she wonders. As she runs to find Peter and John, she surmises what

March 20, 2018

A Family Feast

By Dick Wamsley It is significant that Jesus instituted what we today call Communion or the Lord’s Supper at Passover, a traditional Jewish family feast. Every element of the Passover meal was designed to remind the Jews of the bitterness of slavery their ancestors suffered in Egypt and their deliverance from the tenth plague, the angel of death that passed over the land killing every firstborn male. Jesus used this sacred supper of remembrance as a teaching moment for his disciples and to institute a memorial service that the church has observed for more than 20 centuries. He turned just

March 13, 2018

Worship Worship & Prayer

The Presence of the Resurrected Christ

By Dick Wamsley In an article in Worship Leader from 1993, Robert Webber wrote, “In early Christian worship . . . the giving of thanks was not a sober recall of the death of Jesus, but a joyous response to the presence of the resurrected Christ.” He cited the experiences of the earliest Christians when they came together to “break bread” (Acts 2:42), connecting those experiences with the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus recorded in Luke 24 and John 21. Luke records the appearance of Jesus to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus. Even though Jesus walked with

March 6, 2018

Salvation Theology & Bible

The Wonder of the Cross

By Dick Wamsley Is it possible to become so accustomed to the wonder of God’s creation that you lose a sense of awe when you see a majestic mountain, hear a rustling brook, gaze into the heavens at night, or smell the aroma of spring flowers? If so, then is it also possible to lose your sense of wonder at the cross of Christ? As a young man, Isaac Watts must have suspected it was possible. When he considered the wonder of the cross, he wrote these words: When I survey the wondrous cross On which the Prince of Glory

February 27, 2018

Proclaiming His Death

By Dick Wamsley “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). TCM (Taking Christ to Millions) is an international training institute in Austria, where theological graduate students from countries in eastern Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and central Asia converge for concentrated study to help them reach their people for Christ. One student at the institute describes how the church he serves in one of those closed countries observes the Lord’s Supper each week. The adults meet at an appointed time each week at a restaurant for

February 20, 2018

New Testament Theology & Bible

Flesh and Blood

By Ronald G. Davis John declared it: “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God. . . . The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:1, 14). Though John’s Gospel account may emphasize the deity of Christ, it gives full attention to his humanity. Incarnation! The eternal, the nonmaterial, became flesh and blood. Here, we celebrate that fact. Jesus was fully human. He grew from infant in Bethlehem to toddler in Nazareth to a boy of age at the temple to a man . . . at the cross. As

February 13, 2018

At a Friend’s Table

By Ronald G. Davis Few experiences are as pleasant and satisfying as sitting at a friend’s table for a simple meal. Jesus had that experience on a number of occasions. At the home of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, as recorded in John 12, it appeared to be especially delightful for him. That meal was, in a certain sense, a funeral luncheon prepared by a congregation for a dearly beloved member of the family. (Read John 12:1-3.) Only, on that occasion, the “dearly beloved” was still alive and present. Though the food prepared by Martha was no doubt delicious and nutritious,

February 6, 2018

Christian Living

Liking Things More and More

By Ronald G. Davis Kate Greenaway was a noted 19th-century English illustrator, especially of children’s books. Though you might not recognize her carefully detailed botanical studies, you would probably recognize her images of happy Victorian children in sunbonnets and pinafores or knickers. In fact, Greenaway’s name is attached to the British literature award presented annually for most distinguished children’s book illustration. In a letter to her friend John Ruskin, recognized art critic and writer, she wrote: I go on liking things more and more, seeing them more and more beautiful. Don’t you think it is a great possession to be

February 1, 2018

New Testament Theology & Bible

Naysayers at the Cross

By Ronald G. Davis Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him (Mark 15:29-32). The two chief

January 25, 2018

New Testament Theology & Bible

Jesus Spent Much of His Life Escaping Death

By Jim Nieman Near the end, when praying in the garden, his arrest but minutes away, and his crucifixion only hours away, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). From the time he was a baby, Jesus was escaping death. Herod tried to kill him shortly after he was born in Bethlehem, so his parents took him to Egypt. As an adult, the Jews set out to kill him because he was healing on the Sabbath and calling God his father.

January 18, 2018

Christian Living

This Isn’t a Test, Praise the Lord

By Jim Nieman If you have ever taken a standardized test in preparation for college, you know they’re not much fun. Years ago, the analogy portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (or SAT) asked questions like, “Buzz is to Hum as . . .” and you were provided a list of possible answers, the correct one being, “Tinkle is to Clang.” Let’s try another one: “Parquet is to Wood as Linoleum is to Marble.” (No, that’s not right.) “Parquet is to Wood as Color is to Painting.” (No, wrong again.) Here’s the right answer: “Parquet is to Wood as Mosaic

January 11, 2018

Apologetics & Worldview

He Didn’t Fit the Profile

By Jim Nieman Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Messiah, so why did most leading Jewish religious leaders and scholars of his day reject Jesus, plot to kill him, and coerce and influence the Roman occupiers into crucifying him? In part, it’s because Jesus—though he performed many impressive miracles, and taught lessons and made claims like no one else—was just too ordinary. Jewish leaders had a preconceived notion of what the Messiah would be and what he would do: he would be a mighty warrior and earthly king; he would overthrow the oppressors and establish an earthly kingdom. And

January 4, 2018

Beautiful in God’s Eyes

By Jim Nieman Zion National Park in southern Utah is a true wonder to tour and explore. As with so much of Utah, Mormon settlers named the area, and the name they chose aptly befits the beauty of the park. Zion can mean a place or refuge or sanctuary, or utopia, or Heaven. They felt that being in Zion brought them close to God. Christians can appreciate the names given to the various sandstone rocks, peaks, and formations in the park. Names like Cathedral Mountain, Angels Landing, Castle Dome, the East Temple and West Temple, the Great White Throne, and

December 28, 2017

Christian Living

Memory Is Essential

By Jim Nieman The end of the year is when people typically look back with fondness, regret, happiness, or mournfulness the events and changes that have taken place in their lives during the past 12 months. But imagine we had no memories at all. What would we talk about? What basis would we have for making decisions? We would be adrift, vulnerable, and unable to learn from past successes or mistakes. Memory is essential. Without it, life is empty and living can be dangerous. Jesus held up a piece of broken bread and said, “”˜This is my body given for

December 22, 2017

Doug Redford

Keeping Down Appearances

By Doug Redford Some years ago an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer featured this headline: “Appearance Counts When Wrapping Holiday Gifts.” Said one employee at a luxury goods store in San Antonio, Texas, “The biggest thing I”ve seen through the years is that the wrapping is just as important as what”s on the inside. You can take a $5 item and make it look like a million bucks.” Another person quoted in the article noted, “Packaging will make a whole lot of difference, and it will make the gift special.” On the other hand, there are occasions when the lack

December 14, 2017

Doug Redford

Irreplaceable

By Doug Redford Every Christmas season a funeral home not far from where I live sets up a nativity scene in the front of its property. Live animals are part of the scene, and the people are represented by wax figurines made by the director of the funeral home. Each includes glass eyes and real hair, and a few (including the baby Jesus) have been sculpted after the likeness of the director”s family members. Just a few days after Christmas in 2002, someone vandalized the nativity set, stealing the Christ child figurine and replacing it with a stuffed monkey. The

December 7, 2017

Doug Redford

The Other “˜Silent Night’

By Doug Redford “Silent Night” remains one of the most beloved of the traditional Christmas carols. The words, the tune, the message are all so simple yet so unforgettable (which is true of the Christmas message itself). The picture of the Christ child sleeping “in heavenly peace” amid less than ideal surroundings is one that beckons us during a season when crowds and commotion are all too common. “Silent night” also describes an evening that took place, ironically, near the end of Jesus” earthly life. That was the night of his betrayal and so-called trial””the series of events that led

November 30, 2017