BE REVIVED IN '25: TAKE, BLESS, BREAK, GIVE BACK

This week we shift gears in our series Be Revived in ’25, because it’s communion Sunday. What does communion revive in us? Jesus shared many meals with the disciples during his ministry on earth. Yet communion was a special moment for the disciples and Jesus. It is a symbol of the power of relationship, especially as we share food together. Sharing a meal together is not as common as it used to be. Families are busy and schedules are pressed, especially as children grow older and become more involved in activities. However, studies have shown that families that have one meal together are stronger and the children do better in school! If routinely sharing a meal together holds power for the average family, it certainly stands to reason that sharing a meal with the living and resurrected Christ can empower our lives. It can help us to thrive and strengthen us in ways that are not obvious. In the sermon Take, Bless, Break, Give Back, we look at the simple words of communion as a process of strength, hope, and relationship that can enrich our lives. Jesus was not instituting a ritual but a relational empowerment for each of us through these simple words.  Jesus’s goal was not to give us a lifeless, boring symbol but to offer us a dynamic synergy with greater fullness. He was not seeking to drain our spirits with useless activity, but he is seeking to strengthen us with spiritual food that will see us through the wilderness, comfort us with his presence, and send us to be a light of joy and warmth in the darkness of our world!  Our earnest and sincere prayer is for you to sense the presence of the resurrected Christ as you come to his table, and that you will be revived in your heart and soul by the power of his Spirit!

Luke 9:16-17:  And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces (ESV).