Communion

It's a meal that remembers what Jesus did so I can be friends with God. But as I remember what he did, I also have to remember why he did it. Jesus died for me because I'm a failure. When I take the Communion elements, I announce to myself, to those around me, and to my Lord that I am a mess. I also announce that I didn't get over being a mess simply because Jesus rescued me. I won't ever get over my need for his death and resurrection. I won't get past it. I won't outgrow it. That's why we repeat Communion so frequently.

Sharing in Communion is one of the most authentic, honest activities you can participate in. When you remember Christ's death, you remember and re-proclaim your own weaknesses, failures, and moral inadequacies. You proclaim that you just cannot do it on your own. That you don't need a jump start for a dead battery--you need an entirely new engine block. The days I'm surprised at how big a mess I am are the days I've forgotten the faith I say I believe.

But while I proclaim my need, I also announce that in a very important way, God is okay with me being a mess. If he weren't, he would never have told you to keep Communion until he returns. That shows you the nature of his heart. He's not scowling, barely putting up with you. He's inviting you over and over again, "Come over here! Come and get what you need! Come and eat in my presence. Be fed on far more than a mouthful of cracker and juice."

In other words, he never expected that you would be perfect by now, yet he still longs to live with you. He isn't surprised that you need Communion again, and he is under no delusion that a time is coming in this life when you won't. He continues to offer to live with you and share himself with you, despite your ongoing imperfections.

--William P. Smith, Loving Well (Even If You Haven't Been) (Greensboro, NC: New Growth, 2012), 76.