Comments on: World Communion http://blog.connect2covenant.com/2009/09/30/world-communion/ Intentionally following Jesus ... Fri, 24 Dec 2010 04:35:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Kevin_Shirley http://blog.connect2covenant.com/2009/09/30/world-communion/comment-page-1/#comment-187 Kevin_Shirley Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:05:30 +0000 http://blog.connect2covenant.com/?p=111#comment-187 This is indeed exciting and as Wright has said before the eucharist is God's way of saying that the world and its systems and divisions have met their match. In the body of Christ their are no divisions and "table fellowship" is to be enjoyed by the whole family regardless of the typical labels we place on them (race, creed, nationality, ethinicity, gender, education, etc., etc..). No system or organization devised by man or the "principalities and powers" has been able to comletely erase the lines of division between human beings. When these "powers" in this fallen world observe the family of God enjoying true fellowship and unity then they know that their time is up and they have been trumped by the power of God's plan, his covenant. Only God can really bring us all together, in his body. That is a mystery but a fact. It is also good to keep in mind when partaking of the eucharist that it is the New Testament form of the Old Testament passover meal which has now been redefined around Jesus himself, his broken body and his blood. And just as the Israelites would be thinking of liberation from slavery (Egypt) and "return from exile" (the Kingdom) when eating the passover so we too as the body of Christ should look both back in time to Jesus' death and resurrection and forward to that ultimate liberation of God's people with his second appearance and liberation of all of creation itself from it's "bondage to decay" as in Romans 8. So the eucharist points us to that ultimate Exodus which awaits. Yeah, this is exciting stuff..... This is indeed exciting and as Wright has said before the eucharist is God's way of saying that the world and its systems and divisions have met their match. In the body of Christ their are no divisions and "table fellowship" is to be enjoyed by the whole family regardless of the typical labels we place on them (race, creed, nationality, ethinicity, gender, education, etc., etc..). No system or organization devised by man or the "principalities and powers" has been able to comletely erase the lines of division between human beings. When these "powers" in this fallen world observe the family of God enjoying true fellowship and unity then they know that their time is up and they have been trumped by the power of God's plan, his covenant. Only God can really bring us all together, in his body. That is a mystery but a fact.

It is also good to keep in mind when partaking of the eucharist that it is the New Testament form of the Old Testament passover meal which has now been redefined around Jesus himself, his broken body and his blood. And just as the Israelites would be thinking of liberation from slavery (Egypt) and "return from exile" (the Kingdom) when eating the passover so we too as the body of Christ should look both back in time to Jesus' death and resurrection and forward to that ultimate liberation of God's people with his second appearance and liberation of all of creation itself from it's "bondage to decay" as in Romans 8. So the eucharist points us to that ultimate Exodus which awaits.

Yeah, this is exciting stuff…..

]]> By: Connie Landen http://blog.connect2covenant.com/2009/09/30/world-communion/comment-page-1/#comment-184 Connie Landen Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:05:42 +0000 http://blog.connect2covenant.com/?p=111#comment-184 The same power that conquered the grave lives in us........and we get to celebrate together what He did for us. This is a great communion video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8iwFiUaQ1M" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8iwFiUaQ1M</a> The same power that conquered the grave lives in us……..and we get to celebrate together what He did for us. This is a great communion video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8iwFiUaQ1M

]]> By: Tom Freed http://blog.connect2covenant.com/2009/09/30/world-communion/comment-page-1/#comment-183 Tom Freed Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:22:27 +0000 http://blog.connect2covenant.com/?p=111#comment-183 Branson, thanks for printing the words from Theologian Wright "Christ died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." They remind me of some of the liturgy so familiar to me from the church I was raised in. Those words can sound so simple, yet they are so powerful when you consider the meaning. I choose to humble myself at communion time, acknowlege that I'm sinful and ask for God's forgiveness, then bathe in the healing, forgiving grace that comes to us through the resurrected Christ. The words may be simple but the power of his grace and forgiveness is 'life giving". Yes sometimes I tear-up at communion, sorrowful for missed opportunities, or past-mistakes, and I have to remind myself that through Christ I'm freed (no pun intended with my last name!). I look with joy to this weekendand appreciate you highlighting the significance of World Communion. Branson, thanks for printing the words from Theologian Wright "Christ died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again." They remind me of some of the liturgy so familiar to me from the church I was raised in. Those words can sound so simple, yet they are so powerful when you consider the meaning. I choose to humble myself at communion time, acknowlege that I'm sinful and ask for God's forgiveness, then bathe in the healing, forgiving grace that comes to us through the resurrected Christ. The words may be simple but the power of his grace and forgiveness is 'life giving". Yes sometimes I tear-up at communion, sorrowful for missed opportunities, or past-mistakes, and I have to remind myself that through Christ I'm freed (no pun intended with my last name!). I look with joy to this weekendand appreciate you highlighting the significance of World Communion.

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