This meal is for those who are born anew, born again. Once a child is born they immediately begin to suckle at their mother’s breast, and the weeks which follow bring a daily miracle of growth, strengthening, and maturing. A child’s birth is only the commencement of its life, and its life must be nurtured and sustained or else it will languish.
We have heard news stories of children abandoned, abused, or left to starve. This rightly horrifies us. Newborn life is clearly dependent life. It is not able to stand, or hardly do anything more than drink, on its own. But drink it must. And drink it does.
Our baptism signifies the new-birth which must take place by faith. It signifies that in order to enter the kingdom of God, “Ye must be born again.†It shimmers as a beacon of joy, heralding good news that God’s grace makes dead men live. But whereas baptism, like birth, only takes place once, eating and drinking is the principle task of living.
What do newborns do? They eat, they drink, they sleep. If you find that your faith is weak and languishing, I propose that you’ve not been eating, drinking, resting. Remember, it isn’t mechanically partaking of this meal or of the Sabbath which bring renewal. It is faith. It is trust that in Christ’s body and blood is your only hope for new life. Here is your only place to find rest from the guilt of your sin. Here is the only meal which will nourish and grow your faith. Here in the body and blood of Christ crucified, risen, ascended, and reigning.Â
So come in faith and welcome to Jesus…
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