Wednesday, September
26, 2018
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! Psalm 139:1-6(NLT)
So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29(NLT)
Sometimes my worship gets lost in
the details. Usually when I receive the
Lord’s Supper I am also serving it. Personal
reflection gets lost in a flurry of details about the next step in the
liturgy. When attempting to provide a meaningful
offering of the table for others, those who serve must come to that table
having already self-examined, or they run the risk of coming away from the
table empty.
A group of preachers, all of whom
I call friend, meets every month for the strength one derives
from accountability, fellowship, devotion, and worship. We share the Lord’s Table together. The times I do not serve are particularly
meaningful, and this month was no exception.
During the liturgy I focus my attention on the elements of the
table. They are simple; one loaf,
representing one Lord, and one cup, representing the blood shed for all. There is a single candle, the wick and wax
meeting the flame, reminders of God’s Spirit, present and alive in this
sacrament.
As the liturgy progresses in Great
Thanksgiving there are remembered parts to speak, and those flow from my lips
with little loss of focus on the table and the cost of that blessed meal to our
Lord.
This time my eyes could not leave
the wick and flame; I was captured by the aura of light and the wax of the
candle, once hard and cold, now warm and flowing, melting away, constantly changing
to a new form.
Pictures captivate me, and this meeting
of wax and wick with flame took on metaphorical significance for my life with
Christ. As I watched the wick yield
itself to the flame, I reflected on how the heat causes the waxen host to also
yield, and this allows the flame to continue, offering heat and light to
everything around it. But in the process,
there is a change. The flame does
flicker, but remains; the wax and wick, however become less, and changed.
The metaphor is, of course, our bodies. The apostle Paul told the Roman church to
present their bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). Jesus said becoming His disciples would be
nothing less than denying ourselves and following Him[2] (much
like the wax and wick submit themselves to the flame).
Ultimately the meaning of this can
be taken to extremes, and I’m not suggesting that. However, it is a good reminder that, just
like the candles get used up, these mortal bodies
of ours will not last long. What remains
is the light and heat we share in relationship with others while we are here.
A candle (wax and wick) is hard
and cold by itself. We also will not bring
light or warmth to anyone if we remain an unlit candle without the flame of God’s
Spirit. But, my what a difference when
we submit to the flame! He will shine
through us, warm others around us, and we will be changed in the process.
For You Today
It’s important to remember that living the surrendered life
of a disciple means being on the lookout for the Adversary; like any enemy,
this fireman from Hell is just waiting to turn a hose on your fire…so keep surrendering
the wax and wick of your life to the Spirit; let Him keep the candle burning!
Go to VIDEO
[2] Mark 8:34
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