We live in a highly atomized culture. The center of gravity skews heavily towards autonomy. “What do I want out of life? What are my preferred pronouns? Follow your heart.†And so on. We’ve even reached the point where you can fiddle with what your offspring will look like, which is nothing short of demented vanity.
The cure for this individualism, however, isn’t to run haphazardly into communalism. Resorting to a sort of tribalistic “it takes a village†mentality won’t cure the ingrown individualism that ails us. We certainly could do with a stiff dose of familial & national loyalty. But even there we should be wary. Communalism has plenty of tar pits to fall into. Just ask the Hatfields & McCoys.
No, the cure for individualism is found in the Lord’s Supper. God invites us, as individuals, to partake of this meal. Yet in inviting us to this meal, God unites us to Another. Not only are we united with Christ, individually, we’re bound to each other corporately.
As we take this meal, we should look around, and behold that we’re bound together in mystic union with all the saints; not only those present here, but all faithful believers scattered across the world, those who’ve gone before, and those yet unborn. This sacrament raises the individual saint into the glory of a vast body, and that corporate body is joined––as a bride to her groom––in a covenant to the Lord Jesus.
You ought not come to the table simply to “better yourself.†Nor should you come because that’s what your tribe “has always done.†Come because you’ve been called. Come and find true fellowship. Come and find the chief end for which you were made: to enjoy Christ––along with His body, the Church––for endless ages.
So come in faith and welcome to Jesus…
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