Readings
2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27
Psalm 130
2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Mark 5:21-43
Devotion
Peace be with you!
My favorite meal of the year is Thanksgiving dinner. What I love best about this meal is the close-knit group of six to ten family and friends, gathering around the table, sharing the things for which we are thankful. Even though we see each other almost weekly anyway, Thanksgiving dinner creates a stronger and closer bond among us as a community.
There is a second meal that brings Christians even closer together as a community: the Lord’s Supper. The act of going to the altar to receive God’s gifts of bread and wine connects us together as Christians; we are a people who are fed by the body and the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Satan works to undermine the good news and God’s creation, but Jesus’ body and blood sustain us to overcome him. Jesus’ body and blood unites us as a community; together, we go from the table to to spread the good news and to expand God’s reach in the world.
Communion means a few things to me. First, the act of eating and drinking Jesus’ body and blood serves as a reminder that he was crucified, killed, and resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins. God loves us so much that he sacrificed his only begotten son, so that we can be in a relationship with him. These past few weeks in our readings, Jesus has been talking about the bread of life, and the disciples have been thinking he is referring to literal loaves that come out of the oven. Today, Jesus clarifies what he has been talking about: the bread is his body and the wine is his blood. We eat the bread and drink the wine and experience his presence, which he promises will always be with us. He also gives us eternal life, promising to raise us up on the last day.
Second, communion draws us in as a community of believers. No matter how you have sinned and what you have done, you need to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood to receive forgiveness. We are all in the same boat: we have all sinned and we are all forgiven. There are no levels to Christianity; there is no shame in saying you are sinner; there is no one who is not worthy of forgiveness. We are all in the same boat.
This week I have been feeling broken as an important relationship in my life is ending. I keep asking myself if I am worthy to have another relationship of a similar nature. The world can be a cruel place as Satan tries to break us. However, John 6:54-55 kept coming to mind: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink” (NRSV). I am worthy of new relationships in the future. I am worthy of God’s love, because even in my brokenness he loves me for who I am and who I am becoming in Christ. People come and go throughout our lives, but God remains with us all of our days, even if we do not feel his presence.
Thanks be to God!
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for true food and drink through Jesus’ body and blood. Help us to gather as a community of Christians, breaking bread and drinking wine in order to remember Jesus was crucified, died, and resurrected for the forgiveness of our sins. Remind us of your love, grace, and forgiveness as we go out into the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Thank you for the promise to raise us up on the last day. Amen.
Works Cited
Thanks to the Triune God – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Reflective Questions
Please answer the following reflective questions in the comments below. Please agree to disagree and be respectful to each other. (If you have not already done so, please also take a moment, to sign the comment covenant.) You can answer as many questions as you would like.
1. What meal is your favorite each year?
2. How do you gather as community?
3. What does it mean to you to eat Jesus’ body and drink his blood?