1 Corinthians 11:17-33 Some thoughts on Communion

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:

Great example to follow!

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed,

It is significant that before being rejected

(with complete knowledge it would happen),

Jesus gave.

took bread,

The bread that represented His body,

the body that was born as a baby human,

grew and became a boy and a man

facing every temptation (with out sinning)

so He could take that perfect body

and make one final sacrifice

(on our behalf) before the Father

to atone for our sin,

and He wanted that body

to be ingested by us corporately,

to give us individually the strength we need

and to give us the bond of unity

that exists as we all partake together

in this glorious life given.

24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 

“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 

25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup,

filled with the representation of His blood,

the blood that flowed through the veins of this

perfect man.

This loving,

tender,

humble,

man,

the blood that spilled out

as He was whipped and beaten

to bring us healing,

the blood that poured down His face

when the crown of thorns was placed on His head

this blood, that washes us whiter than snow,

this blood that seals our relationship with the Father,

He wanted us to take this,

deep within,

to ingest and know His desire for healing and cleansing

is total,

inside and out.

And He wanted us to share this gift corporately,

to know we each have this treasure within us,

he took the cup,

saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; 

do this, whenever you drink it,

in remembrance of me.”

The covenant,

is the promise of eternity to spend with God,

the promise is secured, by our relationship with Christ,

and the gift He gave of His life,

This gift is lost on those who are not focused on the Giver.

This gift is too precious to receive casually.

This gift is meant to be our most holy focus,

It is why we have any hope,

it is the treasure store of God's wealth,

given for us.

It is Christ.

The Love of the Father

the Lover of our soul.

 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,

you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord

in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come I will give further directions.

Fathers

Fathers...

they have a thankless job of

saying the hard truth.

Mother's truth can be softened by emotion,

but a father's truth,

will help children grow.

Father's have the thankless job

of lifting the bar higher

helping a child strive to be better.

For a man to be a father

he carries the burden of providing

for his family,

to make sure ends meet

and priorities are in place.

To have the burden of leadership in his home

he bears the responsibility of sacrificing

his wants, for the good of the entire family.

My Dad once said, “There's nothing you can't do!”

I believed him and have done many

seemingly impossible things.

My Dad used to say “keep the faith”

and I have. When ever things were hard,

I would have faith they would get better.

My Dad taught me to have a good work ethic

and all of my life has been better for it.

Mind you, when he repeated all these valuable

truths to me (as a child)

I heard him,

but I didn’t really know how valuable

these truths were

in shaping my character.

I wonder what valuable lessons

my children are being taught

that will only be appreciated

after years and toil

reveal the beauty of their truth.

Honor and respect today,

the Dad's that are shaping tomorrow.

And honor the fathers that helped to mold us,

into the people we are today.

I'm not saying Dad's are perfect,

but they are worthy of respect.

To do a hard thing,

God gives us the strength (to do it)

the wisdom (to do it well),

and the grace (for when we fall short).

God forgive us for not valuing the fathers in our midst.

As a woman I can get carried away by all kinds of inspirations,

while my cool headed husband has the burden of harnessing

this wild willful person

and helping me be better.

God, thank you for making Christ the head of man

and man the head of women. I see my need,

and rest in the covering you have provided.

For a father to hold a child's hand requires

a different expressions of love,

than for a father to teach a teen to drive

and still other needs

for teaching a son to guide his own family.

For all these things and more

we thank you,

fathers.

And we thank you, Heavenly Father

for all the Dads in our midst.