October 5th

One Way

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Have you ever wondered what the deal is with communion? I mean, why do we do that when we gather together as a church? Why do we call it the body and blood of Christ Jesus? I mean, isn't that pretty weird?

Well, yes, it is. At least, it is until you understand the point. And, first of all, we have to understand that communion reminds us of the cross. It reminds us of Christ's sacrifice for us that He made on our behalf because there was and is and never will be any other way to Heaven except through receiving the forgiveness that He purchased for you by shedding His own blood.

And it helps us today to realize that communion represents everything that we need, reminds us that with it, all of Heaven opens up to us, but that without it, we have no hope.

That word for communion there is the word koinonia, which means fellowship. This is a word of intimacy. So this cup we drink, this bread we break, is not just juice and bread, but it is actually intimate fellowship with the body and blood of Jesus.

I'll tell you one thing this does for us-it clarifies. Communion is clarifying. It is what gives us our community identity-not our background, not our socioeconomic status, not our wealth, not our color. None of these things define who we are as the Church. None of these things define us. Only communion-the body and blood of Christ-define us as the forgiven and unified body of Christ on this earth.

Communion is our connection with one another. It is the true sharing of our fellowship that is only made possible through Calvary. And when one refers to themselves as being a believer, this is what they're referring to-communion-that clarifies that for us.

Here's the bottom line today: Black, white, Mexican, Asian, rich, poor, homeless, rocker, pretty, pretty bald-all of those things are boiled down now into a clarifying unity of identity that is found in communion, for we, though many, are one bread, one body, through the unifying work of Calvary.

Will you let Christ Jesus redefine your life today?

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You for what You did on the cross, and thank You that You invite me to become take part in what You did for me! I accept Your invitation today and I receive You into my life. Please come and define who I am!

Amen