Communion has always been both a serious and a joyous time for me... It is a serious time, because we remember the reality of Christ's death on the cross and what He suffered:
...who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him... (Hebrews 5:7-9)
But it is also a joyous time, because we celebrate reconciliation and peace with God the Father as a result of Christ's sacrifice:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ...For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (Romans 5:1, 10-11)
And another joy to celebrate is the fellowship we have with others who also believe and have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation...And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone... (Ephesians 2:13-14, 17-20)
Although the Communion service is familiar to me, it was really special this Sunday.
I am in a country far away from my native land, and although in most respects I feel "at home" here, there are still times when I feel out of place. But on Sunday, hallelujah! It was the opposite. I had tears of joy in my eyes as I thanked the Lord for what He did on the cross, because that is the reason why I can gather with believers in Ukraine, to be warmly welcomed into their fellowship and to know that I belong, even when my understanding of language and culture is limited. We are family, joined by the blood of Christ, and that is one of the greatest blessings I think we can experience on this earth.
In his book In The Breaking Of The Bread, J. Lee Magness says this:
"Communion must take place in the community of believers...And community, Christian community, must always be centered on Communion. The fellowship of the saints would not even exist if God in Christ had not transformed us through the very event this meal commemorates...We fellowship not only with the Host, the Saviour, but also with the other guests, the saved. We celebrate the death of His body on the cross, and we celebrate the life of His body, the church."
Thank You, Heavenly Father, for making a plan to reconcile us to Yourself and for loving us so unendingly. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for making the sacrifice to atone for our sins and to bring us into fellowship with You, with Your Father and with each other. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for always being with us, quickening our spirits, and binding us together in unity.