Until he returns...

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For every time that you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he returns.

Every Sunday at Sojourn we celebrate the symbolic act of communion introduced by those words. This past Sunday, the whole service was a celebration---a baptism followed by the dedication of 24 babies followed by a reflection on Galations 2:20 and communion. And, for some reason, I was absolutely struck by the beauty and hope of the last words of the 1 Corinthians passage I hear every week: "...you are announcing the Lord's death until he returns."

The moment after the sermon when we, the church of Christ, file up to receive the bread and wine has long been my favorite part of our weekly gathering. There is something beautiful about the diversity represented in the two long lines---young and old, tattooed and clean cut, marrieds and singles, recovering addicts and seminary students. There is something even more beautiful about receiving the elements from fellow co-heirs with Christ and hearing those awe-inspiring and humbling words, "This is the body of Christ broken for you. This is the blood of Christ shed for you."

There are weeks when I practically want to run up to the front when the time comes, because I am fully aware of my total dependence on Christ for any semblance of righteousness. My good intentions, my feeble attempts, my valiant efforts---for a moment I see that they are truly filthy rags. There are weeks when I like to take my time and watch in joy as my brothers and sisters partake, reveling in the knowledge that I am a part of something much bigger than myself and warm with the knowledge that we are all connected in Christ.

But this week I was struck by the hope in the rememberance of Christ's death for us in a new and fresh way. For now---until he returns---we announce Christ's death because we are broken and needy and sick and it is our source of healing, our lifeline. It is our righteousness and the shadow under which we sit when we've come to the end of ourselves. We announce Christ's death because those who have not believed and repented of their sin need to know what has been done on their behalf and invited to enter in.

But WHEN he returns...oh, JOY! The work made possible by his death and resurrection will be completed in us! We won't announce his death as a means of reminding ourselves of what is true because we will fully know and experience its benefits---we will celebrate it eternally in our newfound wholeness.

And the HOPE in those words..."until he returns"! For now we labor and wrestle against our flesh and the powers of this earth. We cling to the cross for dear life because we feel our own wretchedness. But he is coming. He is coming. And when he comes, we will know freedom.