While away from home on a lengthy work assignment, I attended a church quite different from my one back home. For instance, my adopted church observed communion (the Lord’s Supper) every time they met. Instead of the pastor or elders serving, ordinary members of the church shared responsibility for distributing the bread and wine.
On several occasions, the lead elder asked me to assist with communion. My duty was simply to break off pieces of bread and give them to people as they came to the front. As each person took his piece, I was to say, “The body of Christ, broken for you.” If I knew the person by name, I said, “The body of Christ, broken for Drew.” “The body of Christ, broken for Kelly.”
The first time I did this, the raw emotion of those simple words caught me full force. As I handed out the bread, one torn piece at a time, my awareness of my own sin overwhelmed me (Luke 22:19). Yet the enormity of what Jesus did for me by dying on the cross proved even greater!
Some people observing my life may be fooled into thinking that I have it all together. But I know better! That accusing voice keeps whispering, You’re a fraud. If people really knew what you’re like, they’d despise you. You’re almost worthless! And yet, here I was giving the elements of the Lord’s Supper to fellow travelers who needed forgiveness just as much as I do.
The reality is, we’re all in this together. In Jesus we find genuine equality and unity. We have His body and blood, given for us, so that we may come to Him as cherished sons and daughters, fully confident of His inexhaustible forgiveness. As Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant . . . poured out as a sacrifice for you” (Luke 22:20).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 16:16-40
More:
Read Romans 8:28-34 to see what God has done to help you with your fear and self-loathing.
Next:
Are you pretending everything is okay in your life? How might complete honesty with others shock them? Are you afraid of this? What might complete honesty before God do to your fears and doubts?
BearPair on November 2, 2014 at 6:15 am
Good words Tim–thanks! Isn’t it amazing how such a simple thing as a change in proceedure can wash in a huge wave of refreshing to our needy souls!
tgustafs on November 2, 2014 at 9:01 am
Doing something fresh can really help our spiritual lives. I think that may have been part of the reason God had me away from home for that 5-month stretch. Being away can be a dangerous time, but also a good one if we look for God in everything.
Ruth O'reilly-smith on November 2, 2014 at 1:48 pm
Tim, I can sense the depth of meaning in the act of tearing the bread and saying those words; “The body of Christ, broken for Ruth”. In our church, we have cracker’s that have already been broken. This morning, our pastor reminded me of something so poignant and powerful: “The devil knows my name, but he calls me by my sin. God knows my sin, but He calls me by my name.”
Dami21 on November 2, 2014 at 6:26 pm
Same was mentioned in church today, “the devil knows our name and tries to put a cold cloak over us to reduce the burning hotness/hunger for Christ in us but the devil is a liar.
Ever since I began attending another church in the UK other than my home church, I haven’t participated in the communion because I used to feel I wasn’t worthy due to my sins and the way I led my life these recent years. But knowing that nothing can separate me from His holy and mighty love, makes me want to continue to remember and part in communion again.
Cazador on November 3, 2014 at 1:58 am
The words of your post are the thoughts that run thru my mind those weeks when I serve in church. I know exactly how you feel because that’s how I feel sometimes—so useless & such a failure… But you’re right: the new covenant is the reality. So we press on!
tgustafs on November 3, 2014 at 10:02 am
Thanks all. We are all in this together! And that’s a pretty good place to be.
Mike Wittmer on November 3, 2014 at 11:25 am
I had a similar experience in a church I was visiting. What a powerful reminder of what Jesus did for us, which is exactly what the Lord’s Supper is supposed to be. May we recapture this every time we celebrate the Table.