One of our great responsibilities in the Lord’s Supper is to look around. By this I mean looking around metaphorically and looking around actually. We would encourage you not to stare at the bread and the wine, and we would encourage you not to curl up into a little ball of pious thoughts. Look around.
Look around the world. All over this globe, the saints of God are worshiping Him, ascending into the heavenly places in the power of the Holy Spirit. A swath of worship is sweeping around the globe at a steady rate, just like sunrise and sunset do. You are together with all of them. See that by faith, and make sure you look around.
Look around your town. There are many believing churches on the Palouse, and these saints are your brothers and sisters. You don’t worship together with them, but you work together with many of them in the course of the week—sometimes in ministry and sometimes in your regular jobs—and so you know them, and love them. And even though you don’t worship together with them, if you look around, you will see that you do worship together with them.
Look around this room. These are the saints that are together with you in one congregation. You all live together, worship together, educate your kids together, car pool together, and work together. What this means that you have, with regard to those closest to you, the most opportunities for both gratitude and complaining. Isn’t it odd that in the place where God has given us the most, and so we should be most thankful, we tend in that place to do most of our complaining? So as you look around the room, think of the offenses against you. Then look on the bread and wine, and realize that you are privileged to eat and drink their forgiveness.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.
And now look down at your hymnals for six verses so you can’t look around at anybody. ;^)
Hold your hymnal up and look over it. :)
To be read in the voice of my 8 year old daughter skipping rope after church last Sunday, where communion was served only to those of an age of discretion:
Went to communion and what do I see?
See the mean elder staring at me,
Sneaking that crumb from my father’s hand,
Joining these folks in the promise land,
Sneaking that sip from my father’s cup,
Taking my part of this holy Sup.
Ha! You overestimate my ability not to lose my place! ;^) I do like it best when the communion hymns are ones I know really well so my eyes don’t have to be glued to the page.