JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Exploration, today’s Reason to Believe is the practice of communion among followers of Jesus.

It was Jesus who established this practice on the night before He died on the cross. In Luke 22:19, He took bread, gave thanks and broke it. He gave to His disciples, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Then, after supper, He took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

First Corinthians 11:26 says, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” And so, the practice of communion among Jesus’ followers continues until His return.

The practice of communion is a reason to believe in God’s good news.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Moment Of Celebration reflects on the significance of the bread and the cup.

In First Corinthians 11:23, the Apostle Paul wrote, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.’ 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.’

Communion is a time of remembrance to the defining moment in history when the love of Jesus was poured out for us sacrificially so that we could live for His glory, live through His power, and live with Him in relationship forever.

Whenever we eat the bread and drink the cup of the communion table, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

The significance of the bread and the cup is a reason to be glad in the Year of Celebration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com