Jesus, the Bread of Life, part 2

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."  -John 6:53-54

When I wrote my last entry on Jesus as the Bread of Life, I had forgotten that today would be communion Sunday.  It was a wonderful time for me to reflect on the life-giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and all that that means to me today.  

A Shared Celebration

I have never attended a "Lord's Evening Meal" service at a Kingdom Hall, but I am aware that there are differences, so for my readers' knowledge, I'll take this opportunity to give you the rundown on what communion looks like at my church, and at your typical Christian church.  

On the first Sunday of every month (frequency varies from church to church), the spread of cars and vans overflows our little parking lot into the surrounding streets, and there is standing room only by the time communion service gets started.  Teachers take a break from Sunday School, and even the translators temporarily turn off the overhead radio, so that everyone can share in the communion service.  Hymns, worship songs, and sermons on that day are focused on remembering Christ's sacrifice and the meaning for us in our daily lives.  

When I say that everyone shares in communion, I mean that we practice "open communion."  There are no restrictions as to who may take the elements.  However, it's open with the intention that anyone who has committed his or her life to Christ's Lordship and has publicly announced that commitment through baptism may participate.  About 95% of people will stand to partake, those excluding themselves being the little children and a few younger youth who haven't made a mature decision for Christ yet, or any non-Christians among us.  They're encouraged to seek baptism when they feel ready to make that commitment.  

Examine Your Heart

The Lord's Supper is not a thing that we take lightly in my church.  The week prior, Pastor reminds the congregation that we have communion coming up.  During the week (and during the Wednesday prayer service), we take time to reflect on what Jesus has done for us, so that taking the bread and wine doesn't ever become a mindless ritual.  My church is big on holiness, so I'm also grateful for the reminder to "Examine yourselves, brothers and sisters," referencing I Cor. 11:27-29.  It's a challenge for me to resolve quarrels before they escalate, to keep myself pure, and not to let any bitterness persist in my heart, so that I can fellowship with Christ with a clean conscience.  (Interestingly, we just talked about purity in youth prayer group this past week.  I'd forgotten it was communion Sunday, but I guess God took care of the topic once again.)  

After praying together, the pastor and about eight of our grandfathers who serve as elders/deacons break up a loaf of homemade bread and pass it out, making sure to reserve a few pieces for members who are home sick or in the hospital.  We all wait to partake together, and then we take the wine from a communal cup.  (Visitors find this a little awkward--American churches are more germophobic and use tiny Dixie-cups or dip the bread in the wine.  But the communal thing is a nice tradition once you get used to it... and learn to pass the cup on if you have a cold.)  

We Stand By Grace

Taking communion is always a humbling experience.  You know, if you go by the theory that a "child of God" is some lofty status to attain, then I guess I could really feel prideful being the only one in church to partake of the Lord's Supper.  But because we all partake... I really feel accountable to all my brothers and sisters to be living in a Christlike way.  I recognize that this grace by which I stand is the only thing connecting me to God.  God reached down and touched the world.  If He hadn't, there would be no way for me to call myself anything.  And not only did He save me, but He's working in me daily to do His good pleasure.  I know it in my heart of hearts because He picks me up every time I fall, encourages me with His Word, and surrounds me with other believers who are traveling the same road as I am.  He's given me the fellowship of His Holy Spirit to guide me on the path of life.  Without God I am nothing.  With Him, and through Him, I am everything that He created me to be.  

All this I meditate, as I stand, bread in hand, next to my brothers and sisters in Christ while Victor plays the violin.  Today we sang "The Old Rugged Cross," before the elements were passed out.  I'm happy to have somewhere to turn, because without Jesus, my life would be very different today.  

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,

A wond'rous beauty I see

For 'twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died

To pardon and sancify me

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down

I will cling to the old rugged cross, 

And exchange it someday for a crown!

That last line always gets me, because it's the last thing I'm worthy of.  If I could be God, I wouldn't pick me to reign with Him in heaven.  But the only me that I know is this partial me, the one that's been corrupted by sin, the me that's daily being purified and refined into His image.  I remember hearing that silver is refined in a fire, heated again and again with the impurities coming to the surface and being scraped off, until the refiner can see his reflection in its surface.  God has promised to purify us, to build us up in holiness.  We were once astray, we were sheep without a shepherd, but Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is leading us back home.  

I believe that in the end times there will be no distinction between Jew and Gentile, male or female, between "ordinary Christians" and "more spiritual Christians".  There will only be the sheep and the goats--that is, those who hear His voice and believe, and those who willfully turn away from their Maker.  Those of us who believe will reign with Christ until the judgment, not as an elite class of rulers, but as the meek who will inherit the earth, the poor in spirit whose is the kingdom of heaven.  For Christians to "reign" means that instead of the earth being controlled by Satan, by evil as it is now, Christ and His followers will be in control, and the law of the land will be love and peace forever.  The lion will lie down with the lamb, and they will dwell in safety, and there will be no more suffering or tears or pain, because they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.  

When all these things come to pass, it will be the highest honor to stand by His side, to look into His loving eyes, and say, "Thanks... thanks for everything!"  

(A final note about "transubstantiation":  There are a few Christian denominations who believe that the blessed elements actually become the body and blood of the Lord, and are treated with almost a mystical reverence.  I am primarily thinking of the Roman Catholic Church.  I don't think that doctrine is essential to your salvation--Jesus can save you whether you "eat His flesh" literally or spiritually; and after all, it's our sinful minds that need to be cleansed, not just our bodies.  So, while I respect their opinion, I don't share it, and neither do most Protestant churches I'm aware of.  For me, communion, like baptism, is a physical reminder of a spiritual truth.)