1 Corinthians 11:27–34 (ESV) —
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
NOTE: Paul's comments here highlight the seriousness of the communion sacrament. It is not just a meal, and when it is treated as such, it brings judgment upon our bodies. It is a time to reflect and judge ourselves. It is a time of cleansing and renewal. And it is a time of remembering what Jesus did for us because of our sin. It is something very special. Paul goes further by saying, if you are hungry, eat at home prior to communion. In that sense, I think the church does it better today than yesterday (referring to the first century). The little wafer and grape juice will never satisfy hunger, but they are enough to emphasize the event and give us pause for introspection. There are times where a pot luck, followed or interspersed with communion, can be a very spiritual moment. But when things become routine, they lose their specialness. And when that happens, the awe and wonder disappears too. It is good to separate "holy" times from "common" times, although all things we do are holy to God, that is nothing is common. But I still argue it is good to separate the holy from the common.
PONDER:
- Do I still see communion and baptism as holy times, or have they become routine?
- During communion, do I remember that it is a time of examination in order to avoid discipline and grow in Christlikeness?
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the sacraments. In the OT times, they had the feasts, holy days and weeks, to focus on you. In the NT, we still have holy days (holidays) but we have covered them over with new meanings. And we still have the sacraments (communion and baptism). Give me a renewed sense of holiness for these days.