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Communion Reflection – 7 December 2008

Psalm 138

I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing your praise;
I bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.
On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.
All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth,
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of your hands.

This psalm describes a God that is not far off, but a God that sees and loves those who would follow Him. This God sees the trouble of His people and protects them, lifts them up, and sustains them. Communion reminds us of this same God who saw the world in distress, as those without shepherds, and who intervened to save, protect, and lift us up from our despair.

As we remember our God who died for us, let us also remember that we do this in community – with one another. As we take the bread, we promise one another, we promise the world, we pledge to our God to take not just His life, but His death into our own bodies. We die to ourselves so that we may join with our God in blessing the world.

We are told that blood is life, and so today we take into ourselves not just our Lord's death, but His life as well. As you drink this cup, and as it courses through your being, let it enliven you, let it give life to your souls, to your minds, and to your bodies. Let us use this life to leave here and give life and blessing to those outside. Let us live life as God would have us live it.

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