100 Lunch Breaks with God, Day 5

Communion

I sat on the second pew, respected and well thought of in my small church.  I secretly hated communion Sundays.  If I had known ti was a communion day I wouldn't have gone.

Traditionally, in that type of church, the pastor would admonish the parishioners to do a self-examination and if your heart and life were not 'right with God', you shouldn't partake of the communion, because in the past, some had taken it unworthily and gotten sick, and some had even died.  This always caused a lot of anxiety for me..  It put me in a position.  i knew I was unworthy, but if I didn't partake of it, the whole church would notice and think that I had 'back-slid' and was living in sin.  On the other hand; I didn't want to get sick and die.

I begrudgingly accepted the cup of wine and small piece of bread and stood with the rest of the sinners and saints while the pastor ceremoniously prayed over the communion 'meal'.  As he prayed over the cup, or the wine, I bowed my head and said my own little prayer telling God that I knew that I was unworthy to take the communion, but I also knew that no one else in the congregation was any more worthy of it than I was.  As I prayed this frustrated, confused, but honest prayer a peace suddenly came over me and it was as if Jesus said to me, "You're right, you are not worthy and never could be, but don't you know that it is my blood, that this very cup represents that makes you worthy?  Partake of this drink and of the bread,  because it is representative of the fact that you are not worthy, and yet my blood was spilled to make you worthy, and now you are made worthy by me."

What freedom and what joy came to me with this new understanding.  I couldn't believe that his simple concept as not obvious to me before.  Now, when I'm in a communion service, I  no longer worry and fret and do a self evaluation to determine my worthiness.  Now I joyfully thank Jesus for His blood that has made me worthy of partaking in he communion meal.  It is amazing to me how when I just talk to God in a heard felt and informal prayer, that is where I hear back from him.  His mysteries are revealed.  His presence and His gifts to me are made known.  I am reminded of Exodus 33:11 where it says that God talked to Moses face to face, like a friend talks to a friend.

God is so good, and I am so thrilled that I can talk to him like a friend.  He's my best friend, my only friend.