Communion Devotion

*I was suppose to give a communion devotion for church yesterday. About a month before hand I was fretting because I wasn't for sure what to talk about - the angle. Well, I stumbled on a blog called "Silver Bullets" and he had a great message. I asked Tom if I could use his thoughts and I turned it into a great communion meditation. I got a lot of comments on it so I thought I would post it.

Neil Clark Warren, Christian psychologist and founder of eharmony.com, has said that he would like to change the frequency of the marriage vow. He said, “Instead of it being taken once in a lifetime under stressful conditions, I suggest that it needs to be said 2 to 3 times a week for the first 10 years and at least once a week for the rest of marriage. Why? To maintain a steady focus on the promises that form the steel framework of marriage. With this structure in place, it is more likely that commitment will shape the attitudes of the person.”

I think that we all could agree that being married can be hard work. "During stressful times in marriage, wedding vows seem like yesterday’s news, but it is in the repetition of our vows that can renew our commitment."

I am going to suggest to you that our relationship with Christ is much like a marriage and I think we all can agree that this relationship can be hard work at times. Look at it like this, Baptism is like a wedding. It is our statement of trust in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. Participation in the Lord’s Supper is renewing that statement of trust.

I Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

"In modern western culture, we have devalued the necessity and power of ritual." Just as in marriage, spouses take their vows lightly and each other for granted, we as Christians can take our baptism lightly and forget the importance of communion. As marriage partners, if we are continually reminded of the vows we took during the good and bad times, that reminder could strengthen our marriage. As Christians when we take part in communion during the good times and the bad times, we strengthen our trust and renew our faith each week in the Lord. Sometimes communion once a week is not too often.

Let us pray. “Heavenly Father, Some of us here today are living the good life and some of us here are struggling. Whether in good times or bad times, ‘We proclaim our Lord’s death until He comes.’ Help us to do that today and everyday. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Mark 1:40-45

Mark 1:40-45 talks about Jesus healing a man who had leprosy. Jesus asked him to not tell anyone, but to instead take an offering. But what did the man do? Of course, he went and told everyone. Why did Jesus do this? Of course He had to have known that this man wasn't going to do what He asked.

I know as a parent that I am always disappointed when my children do something after I have told them not to, especially if it is something that could hurt them. After this healed man told everyone, Jesus had to stop going into a town openly, but He stayed outside in "lonely places." The Bible says that people still came to Him from everywhere.

I just wonder what the consequence is of this man not doing what Jesus asked him. Is that what Jesus didn't want? He didn't want to have to stay in lonely places - He wanted to be able to walk about freely? Is that just a testament to how God works? - to be able to make a negative into a positive. Even though Jesus couldn't walk about openly, He still ministered to people (vs 45.)

I don't know if my questions quite make sense. I just think that God could do anything so what is the point of Jesus telling that man to not tell anybody except to give him a choice to do the right thing or the wrong thing. And that is my conclusion. We can make a decision to do what Jesus tells us to or not. He may not be happy with our choice, and there may be a negative that comes from it, but He can always turn that negative into ways that Glorify Him. Thank Goodness for that.

Manna

So have you thought about how the Israelites had to eat manna and quail for 40 years in the wilderness. That is my understanding - that they ate that for their meals for the majority of their wilderness wandering. Maybe I should remind my husband of that after we have had bologna sandwiches for lunch, 5 days in a row.

Bible Reading

Okay, I got behind on my reading. I was planning on telling you all my excuses, but as much as these excuses may be plausible - they are still excuses. It took me until today to get caught up. The thing about reading the Bible through in a year is that it does not take that long to do the daily reading, but once you start getting behind - it is overwhelming. Thanks for keeping me accountable.