Communion.

When I was young and in a Catholic Military School I made my first Holy Communion. This was part of the indoctrination into the faith and was one of several ongoing commitments that included being confirmed (which for a male is much like a Bar Mitzvah in the Jewish faith). I can remember feeling very Holy through this process and very innocent.

Then life changed. Puberty, war, death, divorce, it all changes your mindset.

Today, as a born again Christian adult communion means something very different to me and differs from service to service. If I am feeling "holy", I can promise you I am deep in thought and one with the Lord. If I am feeling "not so holy" there is another series of thoughts which include what had gone wrong prior to that time or why I was feeling guilty. Was I holding a grudge, acting like a fool or just being rebellious?

In either case, by the time communion was over, God and I usually had it worked out. I felt so much better for being able to focus in a quiet, "holy" setting away from all the distractions of every day life. My thoughts usually ended up thinking of the tremendous sacrifice and gift Jesus made and gave us, along with how I could become more one with him.

On December 13th, our preacher Dusty Rush has asked me to lead communion at the service at Campus, as well as encouraging me to involve others as he has tried to do this month. The idea is that we are not only in communion with the Lord, but also with each other. We are believers united in our faith and communion is a demonstration of unity.

So I am asking for anyone who would volunteer to join me up front that day, especially those involved in ATB, who could either say just a few words (just a few) or write in 20 words or less and I will try to read, exactly what sharing in communion every week means to you, such as what I shared in this blog. 

If not, I will go solo but would love to have you share in this wonderful time. It is an honor to serve in any capacity for the one who absolved me of my debts, and it is a joy to celebrate being debt free together.