A Big Deal

I had a new experience Sunday.

We celebrated Holy Communion in my church.

The celebration of Communion is certainly not new to me, but this time, I was to be called upon to help serve it.

I knew this day was coming and was more than a little nervous about it.

Please understand that I am a man who seldom finds himself in a state of worry.

I know that Scripture reminds us time and again to "fear not", so I try to approach life confidently and normally succeed in the attempt.

Yet there was something about being on the serving side of this equation for the first time that caused me more than a fair amount of apprehension.

I confided my concerns to a few friends and colleagues.

There was a recurring response I received that caused me perhaps even more distress than the thought of serving for the first time.

That response usually began with "Don’t worry about it", and ended with "It’s no big deal."

To avoid being judgmental, I will assume that such a response was merely an attempt to ease my concerns and that those who gave me such a response did not mean to be taken literally.

I say this because it really is a big deal.

In fact, the sharing of Communion is one of the most important parts of the Christian experience.

1 Corinthians 11:24-26 (NET) - and after He had given thanks he broke it and said, "This is My body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, He also took the cup after supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this every time you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Clearly, the elements are important in what they represent.

Yet, it goes far beyond that.

1 Corinthians 11:28 (NET) - A person should examine himself first, and in this way let him eat the bread and drink of the cup.

Scripture reminds us to examine ourselves first before we partake of this meal.

It therefore stands to reason that those who serve this meal must do likewise.

That is why the response "it’s no big deal" bothered me to the degree that it did.

Obviously, it still does.

By the way, with God’s help, the role I filled in this service transpired without incident.

Having now served in this capacity, I doubt that I will be as apprehensive when called upon next time.

But, it will still be "a big deal".


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeet.byethost3.com on Friday, April 8, 2011 and April 15, 2011.
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