We now prepare for communion- a time to remember when Jesus sacrificed his life for our sins.
This was a pivotal moment in history because, until then, the only way to connect with God was to live sinless lives. It wasn’t working. Everyone was still enslaved to sin. Communion represents freedom in Christ.
Speaking of freedom, my family visited Yorktown, Virginia, where the final battle of the Revolutionary War occurred. The Yorktown battle marked the conclusion of the last major battle of the American Revolution and the start of our new nation's independence. Did you know the colonists won that battle in 1781, and it took two years for the peace treaty to be signed? The treaty officially ended the American Revolution, and that is when the British formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.
Even when the fighting ended, the struggle to agree upon terms for liberty and freedom to officially end the war took two more years. Let’s face it; we continue to struggled to agree upon terms of liberty and freedom ever since. To this day, we do not agree on what people should be free to do or not to do. Here is what I realized after visiting Yorktown. We can’t force people to believe the way we believe through wars, laws, or treaties. Faith based upon love for Jesus Christ is the only thing that will change hearts.
As we prepare for communion, we acknowledge that in our struggle to be transformed and help others to do the same, we fall short. We may come across as pushy, inconsiderate, abrasive, and judgmental.
As you examine your heart, think of something about which you feel strongly. Think of how you are communicating to others and the things you are or are not doing. Are your actions bathed in love?
To help reflect on that question, consider running your actions through the love scan:
Am I being patient? Am I being kind? Do I have envy? Am I being boastful? Am I being proud? Am I being rude? Am I being self seeking? Am I keeping a record of wrongs? Am I keeping track? Am I kind of enjoying evil? Am I rejoicing in the truth? Am I protecting others? Trust? Hoping? Persevering?
As Christians, I believe we as a nation will be most free when we increase our capacity to accept God’s love in our personal lives and to show Christ’s love to others.
Father, as we reflect on our freedom to live the way we want to live in the United States we are overcome with gratefulness for all who fought for our freedom and for being born here. Then we are even more thankful for freedom from the bondage of sin. Thank you for dying for our sins and for the power of your resurrection. Father, as we examine our hearts, we pray you will help us judge slowly and love quickly. Increase our capacity to be transformed by your love as individuals and as a church. Help us to learn how to show love to others.
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