Good morning, everyone. I want to share a little story to start our communion thoughts today. A pastor once asked an older farmer, dressed in bib overalls, to say grace before breakfast. The farmer began, 'Lord, I hate buttermilk.' The pastor peeked open an eye, wondering where this was going. The farmer continued, 'Lord, I hate lard.' Now the pastor was really curious. 'And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour,' the farmer added. The room got quiet—people shifting in their seats. Then the farmer smiled and said, 'But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re doing, help us relax and wait till you’re done mixing. It’ll probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.'
Communion is a time to pause and examine our hearts. We all have some 'lard' in our lives—things we dread facing. Maybe some 'buttermilk'— situations testing our patience or making it hard to love others. And probably some 'white flour'—trials we don’t yet understand. How are you doing with the wait? Are you able to stay calm and trust God’s plan? This table is an opportunity to reflect on Christ, His sacrifice, and examine our hearts. When we believe the ingredients of our lives aren’t mixing well, we remember it is Through Christ’s death on the cross, that God’s grace becomes the mixer that takes all these things and makes us new. Just like those biscuits, He’s working something beautiful out of it all. Let’s pray."
"Father, we come before You with grateful hearts. We thank you for the kids in this church who organizing prayers before their school events, who are loving and speaking up for the kids that others are making fun of. Thank you for the kids who have the courage to go against the flow and glorify You, even when it’s awkward or scary.
And Father, for the adults who see their jobs as their mission, serving out of love every minute, even when they’re exhausted, down, or tired—we pray for courage, strength, and endurance to press on. For the adults stepping up to lead groups of kids, serving in Your name—I pray for courage and clarity to shine through them.
Lord, for all of us working to learn how to love You, there’s some lard, some buttermilk, and some white flour in our lives. We confess our sins right now and we pray for your help to keep us walking toward You, to remain in You. Through Your grace and forgiveness, teach us to extend the same to others. Embolden us to show Your love in all circumstances —to trust that You’re mixing something beautiful, even when we can’t see it yet. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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