Communion

It's just grape juice and a cracker, right?

Sure, if you're only looking at it as it appears. In truth, it's far more than that. Communion isn't supposed to be something we just do because it's always done. The idea behind communion is to remind our forgetful selves of the selfless act Christ was born to commit.

I wear this ring on my right ring finger. It says "Passion" on it, because I try to remind myself that I live for a greater purpose. That God's love abounds in my life and that I live to further His Kingdom. Yet, even with that reminder slapped to my hand, I forget exactly what it is that Jesus did. Not only did he accept the punishment of death, but he endured the torture that came well before death finally greeted him.

Worse still, he experienced separation from God. For however long that lasted, I don't know, but he endured it. He looked death square in the face - and with some fear too (I mean, look at his prayer in the Garden the night of his arrest) - and triumphed. The sad thing is, God even knew we'd need the reminder of communion thousands of years ago. Despite Jesus' amazing triumph, we need something to tell us to remember what he did. What he accomplished.

Because he did accomplish something that day. He created a way for us to experience his Father's love in a way never known before. Even greater than that, we're given a purpose. I can't imagine living life without something guiding it. That something is the Spirit. And yet I need a reminder of Christ's sacrifice?

How absurd. How Human.

In months (and years), past, I've always approached communion in this sort of "Okay, get right with God" thing. It was the day I wasn't allowed to get angry or frustrated. I just needed to get myself in line and once again, grovel before my Heavenly Father for forgiveness. And recognizing sinfulness is a good thing, I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying it's not necessarily what's at the root of communion.

I think I've been wrong about that. I mean, maybe I haven't. I don't know. This is probably one of those things I'll realize I still got wrong a few years down the road. But I think communion's supposed to be about remembering Christ's atoning sacrifice more than anything else. I mean, he even says in Luke 22:19, "Do this to remember me."

Why is that so hard to do all the time?

Currently Listening to: "Idumea" by the Millikin University Choir