March 25, 2019: SOAP #3399:  Joshua 21-22; Psalm 47; 1Corinthians 10

Scripture:  1Corinthians (NIV) 10:16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

Observation:  Communion: the universal participatory celebration of the church.  We celebrate the sacrifice of Jesus and the life that we now share. This morning, Sharon and I shared communion with about 100 other believers in a small church in the center of the United States.  Though it was done a little differently, it was the same sacrifice I have celebrated many times.

I remember celebrating communion every Sunday in the chapel at Camp Hansen on Okinawa.  They ministered to me, because each week a different chaplain conducted them in a side chapel.  The difference made each one fresh to me.  The bread and the cup made each one the same.

Application: In today’s communion and Bible reading, the Lord has emphasized the difference and sameness of the many who share these SOAP devotions.  We live in different countries, we speak different languages, we share the same life.  It is the same blood that was shed for our sins.  It is the same Holy Spirit who dwells within.  “We, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf!”

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, your family is one, united through the sacrifice of your only begotten Son, Jesus, the Christ.  Your Holy Spirit is the life within each of us directing our energies with the one goal of glorifying you!  Amen

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!