This morning, as we prepare for communion, I want to focus on the amazing power of Christ’s redemption. Can you think of a time, when you broke something valuable and wished that it could be put back together as though nothing was wrong?
I can still remember it like it was yesterday. Standing in my friend's grandparents' living room in the mid-1980s, admiring a beautiful end table – beveled glass, chandelier-like sparkles. Then, in a flash, it was shattered. I’d lost my balance, tried to steady myself, and the table, never meant to support my weight, crumbled beneath me. My heart sank. What a mistake! How could we pay for it? How could I explain it? If only I could undo what I’d done. Regret, remorse…if only I could put it back together.
That memory brings to mind the Japanese art of Kintsugi. Broken pottery and furniture aren't just discarded; they're painstakingly repaired, the cracks filled with melted gold. The brokenness is not hidden, but highlighted, transformed into something even more beautiful. The piece is stronger, more unique, because of its history.
As we prepare for communion, I want to read 1 Corinthians 11:23-28 23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
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. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
As we remember Christ and examine ourselves, you will find that you are broken. We all make mistakes, we stumble, we fall short. We carry regrets, remorse for words spoken or actions taken. We feel the weight of our imperfections. But the amazing grace of Jesus is like that gold in Kintsugi. It doesn't erase our brokenness, but it redeems it. It fills the cracks, mends the shattered pieces, and transforms us into something even more beautiful than we were before.
The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" This communion, this meal we share, is a powerful reminder of that new creation. It's a symbol of God's unwavering love and forgiveness, freely offered to each of us, broken as we are. It’s a chance to experience that golden mending, to be strengthened and renewed.
As we partake in this communion, let us come to him, broken and weary, knowing that his grace is sufficient, that his love heals, and that he makes all things new. Let us receive his gift of forgiveness and be transformed, like a piece of Kintsugi art, into something beautiful and strong, bearing the marks of our journey, but made whole by his love.
