Series: Communion Meditations

Salvation Theology & Bible

Nothing but the Blood

By Kay Moll In his book The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado tells of an earthquake that struck Soviet Armenia in 1988. Just before the earthquake, a young mother named Susanna, along with her 4-year-old daughter, had arrived at her sister in-law”s apartment. The whole building collapsed, and Susanna and her daughter were trapped under tons of concrete and debris. Help was tortuously slow in coming. The two were trapped for eight days. Susanna”s heart was pierced by her child”s pitiful cries for something to drink. In the midst of the nightmare, she remembered seeing a program on television about

March 21, 2014

Salvation Theology & Bible

Saved by the Blood

By Kay Moll Paul Brand tells the story of something that happened in 1802*. A smallpox epidemic had broken out in a Spanish settlement in Bogota, Colombia. The colonists sent a desperate cry for help to King Carlos IV in Spain. They poured out their fear that the whole colony would be wiped out by the disease and they asked for help. King Carlos had had his own three children vaccinated against the disease””even though the treatment was new and still controversial. But no way for transporting the vaccine had been developed. The king and his advisers finally came up

March 14, 2014

‘Are You Being Broken?’

By Kay Moll In his book A Distant Grief, Kefa Sempangi says when he began his ministry in Uganda, he was challenged by some older ministers about the need for continual repentance. One of them would often ask him, “Are you repenting? Are you walking in the light? Are you being broken?” The older minister went on to stress how important it is to be broken, even as Jesus was broken for the world. He said to be broken is to have no pride. If there is pride, there is no confession. If there is no confession, there is no

March 7, 2014

Salvation Theology & Bible

The God Who Hung on a Cross

By Kay Moll In 1999 an evangelist visited a village in the northern part of Cambodia that for many years had been under the control of the Khmer Rouge. Christianity was seemingly unheard of. If people professed any kind of faith, it was in Buddha or their ancestral spirits. But when the evangelist came to this particular village, he was surprised at the people”s eagerness to hear and respond to the gospel. He said it seemed to him as though they had been waiting for him. One old woman told him they had been waiting . . . waiting for

February 28, 2014

Care & Counseling

Alone in a Crowd

By Tom Claibourne The Lord”s Supper is quite paradoxical. It looks backward and forward. It calls us to look upward but also inward. It is utterly profound yet disarmingly simple. It celebrates life while focusing on death. The Communion emblems prompt feelings of assurance while also calling for an honest self-evaluation regarding our sin. They honor Jesus” death but also his resurrection. They help us celebrate the forgiveness of our sins while reminding us of our ongoing struggle with temptation. The Lord”s Supper stirs tears of repentance but also smiles of celebration. It calls forth horror at the intensity

February 14, 2014

Valentine Love

By Tom Claibourne Legends abound regarding the origin of Valentine”s Day and the namesake for the holiday. At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies associated with February 14. The best-known account features a Roman priest who was martyred during the reign of Emperor Claudius for refusing to renounce his faith and for defying an edict issued by the emperor. The Roman Empire under Claudius was involved in many bloody, unpopular military campaigns. As a result, it became increasingly difficult to recruit soldiers. The emperor reasoned that the Roman men did

February 7, 2014

New Testament Theology & Bible

Powerful Reminders from Passionate Events

By Tom Claibourne Twenty-six verses. Mark 14:1-26 comprises less than a third of the chapter, but it is filled with a whirlwind of passionate emotions and events. “¢ We see envy, fear, anger, deception, malice, hatred, and evil plots: “The chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill Him” (v. 1). “¢ We see gratitude, love, a sacrificial offering, some misunderstanding, an explanation, and a gospel message for the ages: A woman touched by the grace of God offered an expensive expression of love and gratitude to Jesus by anointing him

December 20, 2013

Culture & Public Square Race

God and Sinners Reconciled

By Victor Knowles I believe the music of Christmas is the most beautiful music in the world. Indeed, it may even be the most meaningful music the world will ever know. From “Away in a Manger” to Handel’s “Messiah,” the marvelous message of the true meaning of Christ’s coming to earth is made clear. It is especially appropriate at this time of Communion to ponder the reason Jesus Christ was born.xÂ “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing” (“O Come, All Ye Faithful”). John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and

November 29, 2013

‘Teacher, Don’t You Care?’ (Mark 4:38)

By Neal Windham Rembrandt’s wonderful painting Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a study in how the disciples interact with Jesus in the midst of a terrifying squall. The Dutch master uses light sparingly, but ever so carefully, highlighting the bow and its frantic crew. At the very front of the boat we see a man sitting cross-legged, arms extended, as he tends to the sail. He is lifted fully 10 feet off the sea’s violent surface by a massive and unforgiving wave. But he doesn’t appear to be worried or upset, even though he is about to take

November 22, 2013

“˜A Different Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:12, 13)

By Neal Windham A young man, skinny as a rail, makes his way to the front of the church during the hymn of decision, and for him the decision has not come easily. He has examined his world of commitment, belief, and action, as well as the biblical account of Jesus” life, death, burial, and resurrection, and has concluded in his late 20s that this faith is the real thing, that he wants to become a Christian. His eyes grow wide with interest and fear, however, as he observes the part-time preacher who is about to baptize him standing in

November 8, 2013

A Distant Engagement (Matthew 26:29)

By Neal Windham God warned Israel in various ways to follow him, but not to come too close. For example, Moses demanded a full disclosure of God”s glory, but was allowed only a glimpse from the safe vantage of shielded rock. Israel was to approach God”s holy mountain, but not touch it, which of course led to certain death. Similarly, the ark of the covenant could be seen but never touched. Isaiah”s peek at God”s fantastic holiness left him totally undone, a man of “unclean lips” dwelling among people of similar spiritual darkness. And only the high priest ascended the

November 1, 2013

Theology & Bible

What on Earth?

By Neal Windham Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). Even believers sometimes struggle with the fact that an instrument of execution is the dominant symbol of the Christian faith.1 So it should come as no surprise that many ancient Jews and Greeks found the cross unacceptable. Generally speaking, the religious quest is, after all, about life, not death. It is

October 18, 2013

Culture & Public Square

Flash Mob

By Mandy Smith On a seemingly ordinary morning, in a busy Belgian train station, the announcements of arrivals and departures were suddenly interrupted by Julie Andrews”s familiar voice intoning, “Let”s start at the very beginning . . .” A few commuters paused for a second to wonder why the train station would air “Do-Re-Mi,” before returning to their morning rush. Then, in the center of the atrium”s tiled floor, a single man started to dance, and before long a passing little girl had joined in. A crowd began to form to watch the spectacle but, at each measure, members of

September 27, 2013

Christian Living

He Made It to the End, and So Can We

By David Ray One of the ultimate endurance events in all of sports is the Tour de France, a grueling, three-week, 2,200-mile race that runs throughout France. But it”s not simply the distance that creates the fierce challenge, but the towering mountains. The New York Times once compared the race to “running a marathon several days a week for nearly three weeks,” and likened the total mountain ascents to scaling “three Everests.” The last day of the multistaged race sees an international group of cyclists sprint toward a finish line down the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Thousands line the way to

September 13, 2013

Careful on the Way Down

By David Ray Someone who”s done a Â 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

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

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

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