As I put these themes into place I realize that there are numerous other themes that can be recognized. I think of the church around the world, the connection with the saints of all ages, etc, etc. These will be the ones I focus on this year.
With each I would like to have a video clip and/or a song to lead into it as a suggestion.
In my next post I will also include a few tips for speakers who are untrained.
1) Remembrance
A) Of His death
B) Of His love
C) Of His resurrection
2) Forgiveness of Sin
A) Power of the blood
B) Self-Examination
C) Asking for Forgiveness
3) Passover Sacrifice
A) Jesus as Passover Lamb
B) God’s mark of protection
C) Similiarities between Pass. and Lord’s Supper.
4) Unity in the Body
A) Celebration together.
B) Leaving your gift to be reconciled
C) In Christ we are all one
D) No divisions or hard feelings.
5) Coming Again of Jesus
A) Remembering his coming again
B) Celebrating his coming again in power
C) His coming again means our victory
6) The presence of Christ
A) Where two or three are gathered together
B) A communing with Christ
C) Bread of Life
7) Personal Benefits
A) Time of Self—examination
B) Body was broken for YOU
C) Time of recommitment
D) For this cause many have fallen asleep.
8) Priorities
A) Priority for Christ at Last Supper
B) Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together
C) Gathered together on the first day of the week
9) The emblems
A) Symbolism of the bread
B) Symbolism of the cup
C) Simplicity
D) This is my body
10) The qualifications for participation
A) Open to all believers
B) Jesus is the inviter
C) Let a man so examine himself
D) Should Children participate
11) Figures of Communion
A) The Bread of Life
B) The Blood of the New Covenant
C) New Covenant
D) Love Feast
12) Special Holy-days and Celebrations
A) Christmas
B) Thanksgiving
C) Pentecost
D) Easter
E) Ascension Sunday
F) Memorial Day
G) April 15
13) Assorted themes not yet chosen
To allow for variety and to meet needs as may be deemed necessary, we will leave 10 slots open to be used as needed.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Why this blog?
I just figured out that I've heard or given more than 2900 communion meditations in my life. Actually, I have sat through that many. I would guess that at least 25% I didn't really hear because it became obvious that the speaker was just using the same old scripture that was used last week and so I went off on my own thoughts about communion.
When I was young, we had an elder in our church who droned on the same prayer every week for communion. Matthew 26 and 1 Cor 11 are wonderful passages about the Lord's Supper, but they are not the only words of God to help us think about this wonderful part of our faith.
When we consider that in the Christian Church communion is served every week, if we take 52 times a year multiplied by 3 minutes, we have a chance to do 156 minutes of teaching every year without increasing the length of our services. That's five sermons. Yet, most of the people in our pews do not increase in their awareness of communion from year to year unless they do it on their own.
I believe there are at least 13 major themes that can be developed in communion. It is my desire to develop each of these 13 themes with four meditations. I plan to rotate them so that there will be 4 repetitions during the year of each theme.
I plan to make them just outlines so that people aren't reading them, but so that they have something from which to work.
I also plan to put songs, video clips that would help, and objects that can be held in the hand, to help the speakers.
I believe that communion meditations are a place in which we can develop leaders in a couple of ways.
First, they can learn to prepare a short public teaching.
Second, they can speak a short public teaching.
Third, it exposes them to people who may learn to follow them.
In our modern era of highly polished services, we have eliminated places to train up leaders in our efforts to be slick. I think we have lost something very valuable.
When I was young, we had an elder in our church who droned on the same prayer every week for communion. Matthew 26 and 1 Cor 11 are wonderful passages about the Lord's Supper, but they are not the only words of God to help us think about this wonderful part of our faith.
When we consider that in the Christian Church communion is served every week, if we take 52 times a year multiplied by 3 minutes, we have a chance to do 156 minutes of teaching every year without increasing the length of our services. That's five sermons. Yet, most of the people in our pews do not increase in their awareness of communion from year to year unless they do it on their own.
I believe there are at least 13 major themes that can be developed in communion. It is my desire to develop each of these 13 themes with four meditations. I plan to rotate them so that there will be 4 repetitions during the year of each theme.
I plan to make them just outlines so that people aren't reading them, but so that they have something from which to work.
I also plan to put songs, video clips that would help, and objects that can be held in the hand, to help the speakers.
I believe that communion meditations are a place in which we can develop leaders in a couple of ways.
First, they can learn to prepare a short public teaching.
Second, they can speak a short public teaching.
Third, it exposes them to people who may learn to follow them.
In our modern era of highly polished services, we have eliminated places to train up leaders in our efforts to be slick. I think we have lost something very valuable.
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