Even though the Hebrew calendar did not change years this month, the Gregorian calendar, by which our society turns, did change; and we entered a year that is forecasted to have even more tumult and natural disasters than last year. I do not ever begin January with resolutions. Rather, I begin it with introspection - asking the Lord to show me places in me that need to change, and asking the Holy Spirit to give me grace and courage to follow through.This month He is speaking to me about the sharing of the bread and the cup (known in the Church as communion, and in Messianic thought as Kiddush). I know that on Shabbats the Jewish people bless the bread and the wine, and offer thanksgivings to the Creator of the Universe for His provision. This is a good thing! But is that all that the bread and wine are to mean to us? In preparing a study of this for my congregation this week, I spent quite a number of hours in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, where Paul admonishes the church of Corinth for partaking in the bread and wine "unworthily." In fact, in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 he says, " Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup."
I am to examine myself before I enter this intimate, holy moment with the Lord, and remember what He did for me when He hung on the tree. Will I find myself worthy of it? Absolutely not! For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God! (Romans 3:23). To examine myself and see if I am worthy to receive His grace leads me into a place of false humility and reverse pride. I would hang my head and say to my brothers and sisters, "I cannot do this for I have sinned and am not worthy." Surely this is not what Paul meant! I believe he meant that we should examine ourselves to be sure that we have a right attitude. Are we taking this lightly as if it meant nothing to us? Are we unrepentant of our sins, and harboring unforgiveness against someone? It is a "heart condition" the Lord is looking at, and I believe it is a "heart condition" about which Paul speaks to the Corinthians. There were people who were shoving ahead of others to get bread and wine because they hadn't eaten at home. Is that all this is - a little "meal to tide us over" until we get to the supermarket and get some more food?
Let's consider it spiritually, and ask: "Is that all this is - a little ritual we go through, without remembering and giving thanks for the Bread of Life Who nourishes us, and His Blood that heals and restores us?"
To be sure, I am examining my own heart on this issue, and I have come up with even more of a conviction to stop before I do this, and do what the Master asked me to do: REMEMBER HIM. And in the remembering, I am humbled, blessed, and put in my right place as a servant of the King, and a recipient of grace.
