“Remember Jesus Christ….” 2 Timothy 2:8
We celebrate communion today, and in that celebration we testify that we belong to one another. Paul says, “we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17). Most of us have likely heard the saying that there is no perfect church on earth, and if there was one, you and I had better not join it, for we’d make it imperfect. We might chuckle at that, and yet there are times when the brokenness of our own hearts and lives, as well as the irritations and imperfections of those around us can wear us down.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the power-point was never delayed? Wouldn’t it be nice if the sound system worked flawlessly? Wouldn’t it be nice if the temperature in the building was perfect? Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone treated me with care and respect? Wouldn’t it be nice if marriage problems ceased to exist in our church? Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone got along perfectly? Wouldn’t it be nice if our Pastor’s phone stopped ringing, because there were no problems requiring his services?
However, this isn’t the reality of the church, nor will it ever be this side of Heaven! John MacArthur who has pastored Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California for over 50 years, said recently: “As a Pastor, you live with all the failures of pastoral ministry, people are struggling with marital problems and problems with their kids, so you’re living in a lab that never quite succeeds, its never what we want it to be.”
When we look only horizontally, we may at times become discouraged! How vital then, that we hear the words of the apostle Paul to the young Timothy: “Remember Jesus Christ!” In communion, we are ultimately celebrating our common connection to the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ our Lord! When we remember something of the greatness of His love for us, demonstrated in His Supreme Sacrifice, it is then that we are strengthened and encouraged to deal with the challenges we face in our service to Him!
Someone has once said, “There is no ideal place to serve God, except where God has placed you today!” May God strengthen and encourage our hearts this morning to serve Him, and grow in our love for one another, as we “Remember Jesus Christ!”