Mistakes
Originally scheduled for July 19
For most of us, it has happened at least once. You had a
bright idea. Checking it with nobody, he went ahead and implemented
and then discovered that there were certain little problems with it.
Now you're sitting outside the boss's office, thinking. You're
trying to frame your apology, of course. But in addition to that you
give some thought to fixing things — and preventing the next such
occurrence.
Your boss is thinking too. He will be imagining what you're going
to do to make amends, and how are going to prevent this from
happening one more time. But if he is brighter than most, or more
experienced, he is also thinking of how to get you back to full
performance, a trusted member of his team. He doesn't want you
sitting in the corner with a dunce cap on your head; he's expecting
productivity. He is, after all, paying your salary and he expects
something for it. So it's not just about fixing what you did wrong;
it's also about making things right.
In a way, the church has a parallel process to this in communion.
When you fall short of what God expects of you, he's looking to do a
few things as well. First, he wants to see to your repentance. Next
comes repair — let's undo the damage that we can. Finally, he
expects to restore you to the team. Repentance, repair, restoration
— those of the steps Christ has placed this in the elements of
communion. We have the cup, which represents the blood of Christ,
cleansing every sin. And what does the blood leave behind after
cleansing? The body of Christ, represented here by the bread and in
general by the church. He wants to restore you to your service in
the church, so that you are fully and completely a part of his body.
So as you examine yourself today, consider the steps: repentance,
repair, restoration. But the cleansing of his blood prepare you for
complete service in his body, the church. As you partake, do so in a
worthy manner — a manner which shows that you are doing what God
asked you to do. He paid for your restoration at the cross; he wants
that restoration to be eternal.
