Romans 5:17 For
if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of
the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
This morning when I drove into the
church parking lot, I was surprised to see a flock of blue jays hopping on the
grass in front of our Fellowship Hall. They were feeding on something, but as
there were no berries on the trees, I wondered what they were eating. As I
watched a few of them fly away, I saw that they had small white cubes in their
mouths. I quickly realized that they were feeding on the Communion Bread from last
Sunday morning!
After each Communion service, our
church elders dispose of the extra bread and wine by emptying the cup’s
contents on the grass, as well as scattering the small squares of bread on the
lawn. Eventually God’s creatures come and feed on the elements – insects,
birds, and small animals. Today, however, was the first time that I have seen
any of them actually taking Communion!
Grace is a wonderful gift that we’ve
been given through Christ, so that we may dwell with God in His Eternal
Kingdom. Seeing the blue jays feeding on the bread crumbs reminded me of the
simple way that my Heavenly Father nourishes me with the Bread of Life and the
Cup of Salvation.
May you experience the richness of
God’s grace and the blessing of His goodness today.
Question for reflection
What does
Communion mean to me? How have I experienced God’s grace through it?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift
of grace that You purchased for us through the giving of Your Body and Blood.
We know that we do not deserve such a bounteous blessing, so we are humbly grateful
for what You have done and what we have been given. In Your Holy Name, we
cheerfully pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s Blue Jay drawings. If you would like to view a larger
version, please click on this link: Blue Jay.
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