Communion and the Four Fs

Good Morning.  As we prepare our hearts for communion, I would like to read:  1 cor 11:23-27

I am excited to get to do the communion thought the week after Christmas and the week before New Year’s eve.  I love communion and I love the end of the year as an opportunity to reflect on what went well and where growth can occur in the future.  Based upon our reading this morning, there are two major themes to consider at communion time.

Two major themes:

#1. Communion allows us to focus on His body and His blood.  We purposefully come together to focus on what really matters-  Our hope in Christ.  There is power in remembering His past, the present with Him, and our future in Him.   

#2. Examine ourselves as we reflect on Him. Examine where we have been in the past, where we are now, and where we might be in the future in our relationships with Christ.  This year I learned one of the most important elements of learning is proper reflection.   Do you struggle with this concept? Is it hard for you to focus and reflect? If so, here is a little tool you may find helpful borrowed from the reflection toolkit from The University of Edinburgh:

The four Fs:

• Facts: An objective account of what happened

• Feelings: The emotional reactions to the situation

• Findings: The concrete learning that you can take away from the situation

• Future: Structuring your learning such that you can use it in the future

Let’s pray:

Father thank you for Jesus- Thank you for dying on the cross for us.  Thank you for giving us your spirit now and guiding us in this present moment.  We welcome your presence.  Thank you for giving us a future here on earth and in eternity with you.  

Father, where we fall short, we pray you will help us change the way we think as individuals and as a church.  Help us be transformed.   Father open our eyes to the facts that matter most. Help us be objective. Help us be aware of our feelings and how our emotional reactions impact others and our growth in you.  Teach us to use the findings, the concrete take home messages from our experiences, to grow and to make great changes as individuals and as a church in the future.  Help us be transformed not only as individuals, but as a church.

Reference: https://www.ed.ac.uk/reflection/reflectors-toolkit/reflecting-on-experience/four-f#:~:text=The%20four%20F's%20of%20reviewing,Feelings%2C%20Findings%2C%20and%20Future.