Communion 2009

Introduction

This series of communion meditations was originally published week by week in 2009. Communion is timeless, however, and we offer them to you for your use. A brief description of each is provided in the table below. If you would like this year's set, it is available for download in PDF format here.

For those who would like a paper copy of the first seven volumes of communion meditations (in one volume) it's available (at our cost, no profit) here. The material is exactly the same as in the PDF download.

January 4	The Desk Drawer - Communion Meditation on the memories found in the ordinary desk drawer.
January 11	The Ferrari Incident - How driving a Ferrari into the wall of a parking garage reveals your incompetence; how Communion reveals your sinfulness.
January 18	Optical Instruments - Communion Meditation on using the correct instruments to see things - microscope, telescope and pure heart.
January 25	Let Me Draw You A Picture - How the Cross is a picture which tells us much, and Communion is too.
February 1	The Supreme Miracle - The Incarnation as the supreme miracle, making Christ fully man, and thus acceptable as sacrifice.
February 8	Appearances - How the Lord's Supper is presented simply, without attention to mere appearances, so that we might easily see the truth therein.
February 15	Care Care - How the simple steps in caring for a car have their parallels in the Christian life - especially at Communion.
February 22	Cruel and Unusual - The death of Christ was most certainly cruel, though not unusual in those times - and sometimes we need to be reminded of the price he paid for us.
March 1	Matched Set - Communion meditation on the unchanging value of the sacrifice of Christ.
March 8	In the Garden - On the suffering of Christ in the Garden - some things are so deep only God can hear them.
March 15	The Postage Stamp - How the humble postage stamp can bring great and welcome news; how Communion brings us the great and welcome news of the consolation of Christ, our forgiveness and an eternal welcome home.
March 22	Souvenirs - How the souvenirs we keep summarize a life; how Communion summarizes Christ's sacrifice.
March 29	Pinch Hitter - A pinch hitter is a substitute - a more effective substitute - just as Christ is our substitute.
April 5	Great Beginnings - Palm Sunday was a "great beginning." but not in the way the disciples expected.
April 12	While It Was Still Dark - Is the ritual empty, or the call of duty, or beyond that?
April 19	Drink Responsibly - Drinking responsibly applies to Communion as well - let a man examine himself.
April 26	Funeral Dinner - The dinner at a funeral is not about the food, but the memories. So is Communion.
May 3	Photographs - What to do with less-than-perfect digital photographs, and what to do with sin.
May 10	Going to Jail - Christ died for all - even the worst of the worst.
May 17	Eucharist - The word means "thanksgiving" in the original, and this is most appropriate for Communion.
May 24	Sacrifice - Done for love; to honor someone, to obtain a good thing; to do the right thing.
May 31	Seeing Things Unseen - How to use the unseen to see the unseen.
June 7	I Also - The concept of being "under authority" and how it ruled Christ's life.
June 14	Warning - Communion is like a flashing warning light in the Christian's life
June 21	Blood Pressure - How Communion, like blood pressure, measures the Christian
June 28	The Colonel's Visit - We prepare for visiting dignitaries; do we prepare to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the same way?
July 5	For The Person Who Has Everything - Neiman Marcus has a gift for everyone except God.
July 12	Aerospace Ways - Beat to shape, trim to fit, paint to match.
July 19	Substitutes - How Christ is our vicarious substitute.
July 26	Prison Conversion - The way to look genuine is to be genuine.
August 2	Body of Christ - The three meanings of the phrase, "body of Christ," and how they are connected.
August 9	Skull and Crossbones - The Jolly Roger - a symbol of death and evil sold at amusement parks to small children.
August 16	SS Catalina - What kind of memories move us to action?
August 23	The Whistle - The uses of the common whistle, and their parallels in Communion
August 30	The Mask - Is it possible that The Mask is among us?
September 6	Under His Wings - Where do you seek shelter from yourself?
September 13	Just Between You And Me - Why I hate coming to Communion; why I love coming to Communion
September 20	Price of Obedience - Few of us receive the high and hard calling of the faith, but all of us should pay the price of obedience.
September 27	Undeserved Love - The core of Christ's forgiveness is the love we don't deserve.
October 4	In Prison, Lonely - The loneliness of prison life, even if the prison is Planet Earth - and the hope that comes from Christ.
October 11	Rain - Always welcome in Southern California, except when it isn't. Like Communion.
October 18	Feasting Alone - A contradiction in terms, but travelers know it well. How Communion shares the character of a true feast.
October 25	First Communion - Some strange things available for first communion - and their contrast with the real thing.
November 1	Self Examination - Should the new wave of consumer Christianity (the"Emerging Church" movement) omit the time of self-examination in Communion?
November 8	Latitude and Longitude - Communion is the sextant of the Christian life.
November 15	Sorcerer's Apprentice - The sorcerer's life: power, prestige and pride. The Christian's life: work, reward and humility.
November 22	Safety Signs - These signs - and communion - alert us to the dangers we already know about.
November 29	Ordinary and Sacred - How the ordinary becomes sacred - right from the source.
December 6	Shame of the Cross - Christ endured the shame of the Cross so that we might have salvation.
December 13	Divine Style - Glory is to God as style is to an artist.
December 20	Dealing With Sin - The cleverness of man in finding the wrong ways to deal with sin.
December 27	Abundance - Christmas is a time of abundance - and God's grace exceeds all our thought of abundant mercy.