Before we left for the mission field, my husband and I attended a commissioning service. During the service, all the future missionaries took communion together.
As I was reaching for my communion cup, I accidentally knocked it over, spilling the juice onto the floor. I was swept away by the emotionalism of the moment. I remember praying, “Lord, is this a sign that I am going to spill my blood for you on the mission field? I am ready to give my life for you, Lord.”
My zeal was great, but I got the symbolism of the moment all wrong. The communion cup doesn’t represent me, pouring out my blood for the Lord. It is about Him, pouring out His blood for me.
This past Lord’s Day was a communion Sunday for us. I can’t count the number of times I’ve taken communion since that commissioning service over 15 years ago.
Now that I understand the significance of communion better, it has become all the more precious to me.
Our pastor reminded us on Sunday that the bread and the cup are a visible reminder of what Christ did for me. They represent my assurance of salvation.
My assurance of salvation does not come from my willingness to die a martyr’s death. It doesn’t come from my zeal, nor from my growth in sanctification over the years, nor from the fact that I have better theology now than I did then.
My assurance comes from the fact that He did this for me, while I was still dead in my sin.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!” Romans 5: 8-10
About Molly Evert
Writer Molly Evert is a wife and homeschooling mom to 6 kids, who range in age from 2 to 18. She runs an educational website, My Audio School (http://www.myaudioschool.com), providing access to the best in children's audio literature. She also blogs at CounterCultural Mom (http://www.counterculturalmom.com) and CounterCultural School (http://www.counterculturalschool.com).
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