Authentic Communion

For over 60 years, I have attended church and taken "the Lord's Supper." To tell the truth, much of the time, people [sometimes myself, I must confess] take a piece of unleavened bread and drink a sip of grape juice ritualistically. WE DO THIS BECAUSE THE BIBLE COMMANDS US TO DO THIS AND THUS WE MUST OBEY GOD.

In my opinion, biblically, in the eyes of God, this totally misses the point. "The Lord' Supper" is a REAL MEAL, a REAL FEAST. Actually, this has very little to do with "eating" and "drinking" physically. This is a deep spiritual heart to heart experience--between human beings and God; between the entire family of God and God; between each other. "The Lord's Supper" is a COMMUNION.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17: "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a SHARING in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a SHARING in the body of Christ? Because there is ONE bread, we who are many are ONE body, for WE ALL PARTAKE of the ONE bread."

AUTHENTIC COMMUNION requires that we have deep fellowship with God and with one another. Last Sunday at Highland, we shared the Lord's Supper in a way which we do every two or three months. Several designated members of the church [usually a couple or a whole family] serves at the front of the church building, and every member comes to the front and receives the bread and the fruit of the vine. Marvelous miracles occur on these days. As people come forward, we talk, we hug, we share our needs, we pray one on one, we ask our needs, we bless each other. Receiving the bread and the fruit of the vine is PART of the custom, but much deeper COMMUNION is taking place. Old and young, men and women, boys and girls, all SHARE together under God with one another. This constantly builds our church. And we grown and we received strength, and we bear one another's burdens, and we send our families to missions sites around the world, and God our heavenly Father blesses us.

I hope you SHARED in God's eternal family. We rejoice daily and weekly when we sing, when we pray, when we talk, when we have our shepherd meetings, when we work together as we attempt to serve others. I hope this is the way YOUR church family is.

Tell me your experiences. Tell me your situation. Let me hear from you.

John Willis