Communion is not just a piece of bread (or wafer) and a sip of wine (or grape juice). It is a sacrament and one that is meant to bless us. It reinforces our oneness with God and the forgiving grace of His only begotten Son’s death. However, it shouldn’t stop there. It is also a call to action. The song, In Remembrance of Me, can help us to understand this call.
Heal the sick: No, you don’t have to join the medical profession to do this. If you have that skill, yes…use it. If you don’t, pray. You may have heard people say, “All I can do is pray.” That’s actually higher on the list of things to do than being a doctor. Pray earnestly.
Feed the poor: There is a great emphasis on this during the various holidays we celebrate. Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets are popular. Food pantries have food drives from time to time…if there is one in your area. The poor are hungry on more than Christmas and Easter. They also don’t always go to the food pantries. They have pride, though it makes a poor meal.
Some communities have meal sites set up on a year round basis. The churches get involved; each church takes turns providing food and serving it 365 days a year. These programs make sure that all get at least one healthy, hot meal a day. This is a call to action. If your community has one, you can join it. If it doesn’t, maybe you can start one.
Welcome others: There are a lot of stories I could tell. You’ve probably heard them. Instead I will tell you from personal experience about welcoming others. Our family had a financial crisis when I was a teenager and it resulted in us relocating from WV to CA. We weren’t able to bring a lot with us. We definitely didn’t have any furniture. We’d planned to sleep on the floor until we could get beds.
On the day we arrived, furniture started arriving. A local church had heard that we didn’t have anything. By bedtime most of us had beds. Before the week was out, we had the basics most of us take for granted…all because we were welcomed.
Always love: This is a hard commandment. There are people that are difficult to love. Perhaps they are that way on purpose. Pain may have hardened them to the point where they won’t allow anyone else to cause more. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t love them anyway. In fact, consistent love may bring them back into the fold.
Search for truth: I was going to make this point by commenting on the opposing political sides on Facebook, but I don’t think that’s the truth we’re looking for. We are looking for Truth, and that Truth is in the form of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. All of the rest of truth can be found by seeking and following Him…even on Facebook.
Be comforted: This is what happens when we go to the communion table. It’s why I prefer to have communion once a week instead of once a month or once a year. It reminds me that despite my sinful nature, I am loved and I am forgiven.
Take, eat and be comforted
Drink and remember to
That this is My Body and precious Blood shed for you
Shed for you.