Focus

Slow your breathing and become aware of the taking in and letting out of your breath. Focus on putting things aside so you will be open to what God is saying to you today.

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Read

1 Corinthians 11:17-33 (NRSV)

Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter, I do not commend you!

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

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Reflect

There are a lot of actions we do to remember things. We set alarms to remind us to get up on time. We write ourselves notes and leave them where they will be seen. People send us “save the date” cards to remind us of weddings and other events. We buy t-shirts and souvenirs to help us remember what a grand time we had on vacation. We take pictures of important events, and we even get permanent memory reminders by tattooing our bodies. Jesus asked us to remember him when we partake of the bread and wine during Communion.

Regardless of what we use for the bread and wine, crackers and juice or actual bread and wine, Communion is a special time for us to remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us by giving his own life so that our souls will live in eternity with God. We should be mindful of this fact always, but when we participate in this sacred and sacramental act, it is a special time to remind us how much we are loved by God.

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Pray

Creator God, we love you so much. We are indeed thankful for Jesus and everything his life means to us. Let us remember the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus on our behalves. In his wonderful name, we pray, Amen.

Go with God!