Communion

Readings for today: Genesis 3-5

Communion. It’s what God created in the beginning. Communion with Him. Communion with one another. Communion with the world He had made and all that is in it. Communion is a blessing. It is sweet and intimate. It connects us. It is marked by joyful and mutual submission. It serves as a blessing to all who enjoy it. It’s a relationship that benefits everyone. When humanity lives in communion with God, we live openly, freely, transparently. We are protected from any kind of shame or guilt or coercion or manipulation. We have nothing to fear. Nothing to be anxious over. Nothing to worry about. And these benefits flow into the other relationships we enjoy in life. Relationships with family and friends. We find our communion with one another deepening and becoming more rich and full and sacred. Furthermore, these benefits convey to the work we do in the world. Our gratitude for the blessing of being able to enjoy and exercise dominion over all God has made. The land flourishes. Society thrives. God is honored. This is what God intends for us.

Alienation. Sadly, we chose to chart our own path. We chose to go our own way. We allowed the lust of the flesh - the fruit of the tree was good for food - and the lust of the eyes - the fruit of the tree was delightful to look at - and the pride of life - the fruit of the tree was desirable for obtaining wisdom - to warp our perspective. The result was alienation. We became alienated from God as we sought to hide from Him in the Garden. We became alienated from one another as we sought to shift the blame and entered into a power struggle. We became alienated from creation itself as it became resistant and hardened to our desire to exploit it for our own benefit. As one African theologian put it, this is what happens when we choose communion with the “ancient serpent” over communion with God.

Communion and alienation. We make choices every single day to pursue one or the other. From the moment we wake up in the morning until the moment we lay our head down at night, we are making decisions that lead to deeper communion with God, one another, and the world around us or greater alienation with the same. And we cannot claim ignorance. God has shown us what a life lived in perfect communion looks like in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has literally come to earth to show us the way. To mark the path. To map it out for us. The fundamental question for us is the same as it was for Adam and Eve. Will we believe God or will we trust the serpent? Will we trust God or will we trust ourselves to discern right from wrong, truth from error? Will we rely on the wisdom of God or will we seek to be wise in our own eyes?

Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 6-7

Communion

Readings for today: Isaiah 55-57, Psalms 119:129-152

When I was in seminary, I had the privilege of getting to know Tom Gillespie. Tom had been the President of Princeton Theological Seminary for almost twenty years when I first met him. As you might imagine, he carried a lot of responsibilities and found himself pulled in many different directions as he navigated fundraising, administrative and academic leadership, and stewarding the influence and reputation of one of the top theological institutions in the world. One of the things I appreciated most about Tom is he always made time to teach as well as preach and lead worship in chapel. I took several classes from him and got to know him pretty well. He became a mentor and friend. Most of all, I loved how he led our weekly communion service on campus.

Tom always used the words of Isaiah 55 to invite us to the Lord’s Table. “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods. Pay attention and come to me; listen, so that you will live.” (Isaiah 55:1-3a CSB) It was a beautiful invocation that called all kinds of images to mind. He reminded me of my thirst for living water. He reminded me of the blessed state of my spiritual poverty. He reminded me of my hunger for righteousness. Not only did he remind me of my needy condition but he pointed me to the only place where I could be filled…the Table of the Lord. There God presents us with the choicest of foods…the body and blood of His only Son. There Christ is spiritually present to us in the bread and the wine. There all are welcome to find new life in Him.

One of the things I found most compelling about Tom was his deep trust in the faithfulness of God. Despite all the challenges he faced and the anxieties he had to manage and the conflict both inside and outside the seminary over the future of the church and seminary education, Tom never wavered. I asked him one time why he could maintain such a sense of calm in the midst of so much uncertainty. He smiled, looked at me, and said, “Doug, God has preserved His church for 2000 years. Do you honestly think He’s at all challenged by what’s happening here at Princeton?” We both shared a chuckle at the truth of his wise words. Tom encouraged me to read the rest of Isaiah 55 and lay hold of the promises of God. “I will make a permanent covenant with you on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David. Since I have made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples, so you will summon a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you will run to you. For the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel, has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near. Let the wicked one abandon his way and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, so he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely forgive. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do. You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thornbush, a cypress will come up, and instead of the brier, a myrtle will come up; this will stand as a monument for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be destroyed.” (Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭13b-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬) God has a plan for this world. God has a plan for His people. God has a plan for His church. God has a plan for my life. I simply need to humbly walk with open hands before Him.

Readings for tomorrow: Isaiah 58-60, Psalms 119:153-176