Motorcycles
Originally scheduled for February 26
Most of us have sent a child to summer camp at one time or
another. Often enough for Christians it is a Christian camp; but
there are other kinds. One such a camp, which catered exclusively to
the children of the rich, got a nasty surprise one day. Naturally,
the staff were always quite concerned with maintaining their
reputation is being the best in class. You can imagine how perturbed
they would be to see 50 or 60 motorcycles coming up the pathway to
the camp, the riders are all clad in motorcycle leather. Not the
kind of thing you want leaking to the press!
All turned out well,
however. The motorcycle gang — “The Capitalist Tools” — had as its
leader one Malcolm Forbes, one of the richest men in America and the
founder of Forbes magazine. He had just dropped by to visit his
granddaughter (who vouched for him.)
It is typical of human
beings that they are conscious of their reputation. Often enough,
this is rooted in the feeling that somehow one person is superior to
another. We like the feeling of being “better” than someone else.
Perhaps we might ask, then, why there is no trace of this in
communion. You can kind of imagine how silly it would look.
Attendants — clad in tuxedos, of course — would ask you what kind of
communion you want. Did you want the economy model, with the
Styrofoam cracker and grape juice? Or perhaps the standard model —
upgrade to wine and a genuine cracker? Or even all the way up to the
deluxe model — a vintage wine and handmade, artisan crackers. It’s a
little hard to imagine that, isn’t it?
So why do we serve the
same communion to everyone?
·
We are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28).
·
Communion is not about us; it’s about Him. He specified no levels or
preference in it.
·
Communion is a look back at the finished work of Christ in the
atonement. We are remembering what he did, and thanking him for it.
Knowing this, how are we to take communion? First, examine yourself
— not those who are around you. Their sins, faults and failures are
their own; your own are sufficient to deal with. Next, reflect on
the price Christ paid for your salvation — the suffering, bleeding
and dying on the cross. Then, accept his forgiveness which he freely
offers to all who believe. Partake, with a pure heart.
