Daily rituals can make life easier. Having a routine for getting ready for work every morning, for instance, can help us start each day happier and more efficiently. But, we have to be careful that we don’t allow important matters, especially spiritual matters, to become ritualistic. This runs the risk of becoming mechanistic and robotic. Sometimes it’s extremely important that we be thoughtful and introspective. Taking communion is one such time.
Ask yourself what you are thinking about when you take communion. Are you simply consuming the emblems without thinking about what they represent? Are you taking communion in a way that respects the Bible’s instructions on how to do so?
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is probably the most important part of our service. When done correctly, it can re-center us on Christ for the week ahead.
1 Corinthians 11:27-28 (NIV)
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.
Prior to taking communion, we are told to examine ourselves. It’s a time to reflect on our relationship with Christ. It’s a time to reflect on our sin and seek forgiveness. It’s a time to reflect on how we can improve our Christian walk.
Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is a serious matter. Were it not, there would be no instructions in the Bible on how to participate in this memorial. We should take care to not let it become “ordinary” or “robotic.” We should engage ourselves, heart, soul, mind and body every time we partake.