Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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 Sacrament of Holy Qurbana: Celebration of Salvation

1 Cor 11:23-34

 v26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

C.S Lewis described the communion table to be a paradox between physical and spiritual life when he writes the following in his book Mere Christianity, “When they speak of being ‘in Christ’ or of Christ being ‘in them’, this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts-—that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body. And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion. It is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution—a biological or superbiological fact. There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely’ spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.”

It is no secret that those in attendance at the Last Supper were confused by Jesus’ words. Little did they know, however, they were celebrating the Lord’s victory over death before it had even taken place. Now we as followers of Christ have the honor of celebrating his death and resurrection in the same manner the early fathers of our faith did. Through this sacrament, we celebrate the physical resurrection of Lord as well as our spiritual resurrection and proclaim our salvation to the world. Since the beginning of time, God has alluded to victories that we had yet to comprehend. In regards to our day to day, how might God be asking us to celebrate a victory that has yet to occur? Are we able to live our lives in celebration knowing that the God of the universe has claimed victory in our name?

PRAYER
Lord, help us to walk with a spirit of celebration as we remember your victory over death. Fill us with hope for the days to come even when we feel spiritually short-sighted. We know the victory is already yours and we want to continue to proclaim in it ever aspect of us lives. Please empower us to do so. In your name, Amen.

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“The resurrected King is resurrecting me.” – Resurrecting, Elevation Worship

Shannon Thomas, Long Island Mar Thoma Church, NY

Christian Education Forum, Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church

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