12/28/14   Communion Service

    There are multiple terms used for the Lord’s Supper, Communion, Eucharist, the Last Supper.
    The Last Supper.  Think of this.  It was Jesus’ last supper, His last celebration of the Passover before His arrest and crucifixion.  We have here the thought of finality.  This is it, He was reaching the end of His time on earth.
    We are at the end of the year, there is very little opportunity to get much more done in 2014.  If there are things that have to be completed or accomplished in 2014, there is little time left to get it done.  You had better get busy.
    Jesus gave this to the church: the celebration to remember what He was about to do for us, to remember what He did. He gave us the Communion. We are to do it often in remembrance of Him.  We are to focus our thoughts and attention on the Lord, His sacrifice, and not to be distracted with other things.
    Let’s think about something that continually happens in our modern world:  Eating distracted.  It is very common to be  doing something else while we eat.  We have drive through windows to grab food and stuff it down as we race to our next destination.  The focus is not on the food, on the taste, etc.  We cannot eat the Lord’s supper distracted.  As we eat it, we must recognize what Jesus did.
1 Corinthians 11:23-34 NKJV
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
    27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
    33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come.
    We are going to dig into these verses some more, but, before we do, think about the setting of the Last Supper.  It contained some of the Lord’s last words.  When people come to the end, to the last words, they get very serious and share the most important things.
    There is something very significant wrapped up in our final words. We have to remember this truth as we think of and celebrate communion.  In very few hours after the Last Supper, Jesus was hung on the cross.  Shortly, He was dead, the sacrifice completed. Jesus realized the significance of those words the impact of his last advice.  He told them exactly what they would need to carry out their commission.
    Let’s look at the verses we read.

    When you participate in communion, make sure you are present.  No, I’m not talking about being physically here, but mentally and spiritually here.
    We live in a distracted digital age.  We work at multitasking. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted in celebrating and remembering what Jesus did for you.
    Jesus established this memorial of His death.  It impacts every generation.  It is a living memorial or remembrance of Jesus’s death that paid the price for anyone to be forgiven of their sins.  It is the judgement of God the Father for sin.  Our judgement has already happened when we receive Jesus as our Lord.
    As we partake in the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded of His sacrifice and its impact in our lives.  He loves us so much and we must show our love to Him as we obey all His commands.
    Be sure to express your thanks to the Lord for what He did for you.
    As we take communion it brings us together as a local body.  We are doing this together because we love the Lord and have been saved through the Blood of Jesus.
    This commemorative meal reaffirms the lordship of Jesus and our commitment to do his will, to remain loyal to him, to resist sin and to identify ourselves with his mission.
    We are warned about our attitude in receiving communion. “An unworthy manner.”  It cannot be flippant or careless.  We cannot be disrespectful of what Jesus did.  We must confess sin and stand clean before the Lord.
    The emblems we use represent the body and blood of Jesus.  This is a sacred time.

    Let me share an amazing story of the power of sharing communion, told by a pastor.
Communion Shared in a Psychiatric Ward
    A young friend called me to say she’d admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital. While she was there, I visited her when I could. One of my visits was on Good Friday. I asked her if she’d like for me to bring Communion to her. She said she would and asked if some of the other hospitalized Christians could join us.
    On that spring afternoon, five or six of us gathered in her room and shared the sacred meal. I think it was the most meaningful Communion service I ever shared—half a dozen strangers, each scarred by heartache, sitting helpless in a locked ward.
    Yet Jesus was there because we were there as his beloved. He was not only among us, but he was there within us. Even as broken people, we were one with each other. We were strengthened by his presence; we were healed, in a way. We were nourished, washed, and rejuvenated all because we had Communion.
Lee Eclov, Vernon Hills, Illinois
    We are all sinners who have been saved by the grace and blood of Jesus.  We can bring Him our heartache, our struggles, our needs -- and know that He is always here to respond and carry us through.
    We are going to share in communion.  We invite the children back to join with their families.
    First of all, pray together as a family.  If you are here without any family members, I invite you to join with someone else and pray together.  Feel free to move around to accomplish this.
    Then we will all share in communion together.

After communion: what is the application of all of this?  How does it make a difference at the end of one year and the beginning of another?
    We have come through all the trials and joys of 2014 because of WHO Jesus is and WHAT He had done for us.
    We can look to a new year, a completely blank slate, with the assurance that He will walk with us and guide us.  We are taking major steps of faith.  God won’t leave us.  Since Jesus showed us His amazing love by going to the cross, we know He will continue to show His amazing love by taking us through whatever we will face.
Let us sing: My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid rock I stand.