Communion Meditations Vol II

By Rick Bates

This is Volume II of the popular preparation guide to Communion that grabs interest and focuses attention on the Lord's Supper. The twenty six additional meditations in this book are meant to inspire, provoke, and bring personal meaning to Communion for all who participate. Each meditation is designed for a 90 second presentation and can be read verbatim or easily personalized for your needs or congregation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Nov 27, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393232520

Book preview

Identity Theft

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I was trying to pay my bills online but had failed several login attempts. I finally called the 24-hour service number. After several minutes of providing passwords and other personal information to the service representative, he asked me to confirm that I had moved from South Dakota to Minnesota 3 months ago and most recently had relocated to South Carolina. When I told him I was still living in South Dakota he immediately deactivated my account and informed me that I would receive a new credit card within 7 – 10 days. Apparently someone had tried to steal my identity and didn’t much like living in South Dakota.

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According to the Federal Trade Commission, as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Once someone gets ahold of your social security number or other personal information, they can actually become you, making purchases and taking out loans without paying for any of it. But they get all the benefit of what you paid for.

At our house we shred everything that has our personal information on it. We do everything we can to prevent someone from stealing our identities. But when I contrast that to what Jesus did, I realize what courage and what love he had for us. Jesus asks us to live as him in this world. He willingly paid the price so that we would get the benefit of what he paid for – eternal life.

Jesus said to them, I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.

—John 6:52-58

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Choose Me!

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There are a couple of popular television programs today that encourage viewers to call in at the end of the show to vote to select the winner of that episode. When I hear all the hype and excitement these shows generate, I think how great it is that God doesn’t choose people the way we choose people.

I remember the account of Samuel going to the household of Jesse to choose a new king for Israel. Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab was a tall, strong man, and when Samuel saw him, he thought surely here is God’s choice to be our king. But Eliab was not that man. In