A Devotional as Reflection on the Sermon-->Communion Matters
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:20–26
Supporting scriptures: Jeremiah 31:31–34; Galatians 3:26–29
A table can bring people together and still reveal who is being left out. In Corinth, the church gathered for the Lord’s Supper, yet some ate their fill while others went hungry. Paul names the contradiction plainly: they could not call it the Lord’s Supper while treating one another that way. Their practice at the table was obscuring the love they claimed to remember.
There is a particular hurt in being treated as though you do not count. Paul’s words to Corinth bring that hurt inside the church: when the people gather for the Lord’s Supper, some eat well while others go hungry. The table bears Jesus’ name, but their conduct says, “What I have is mine.” Paul will not let them call that communion. The way they treat one another matters to the Lord whose table it is.
Paul brings this divided congregation back to Jesus and to the words, “This is my body, which is for you.” That you is spoken to the gathered people. The one with plenty and the one who has little receive the same gift. The meal remembers Christ’s self-giving and proclaims his death; it also asks whether our life together reflects the mercy we receive.
Jeremiah’s promise of a new covenant speaks to Israel of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, and renewed relationship with God’s people. In Galatians, Paul says that those who belong to Christ are one in him. Their differences do not disappear, but they cannot make one person count for less at Christ’s table.
We do not share, forgive, or serve to prove that we deserve God’s mercy. We act because mercy has already reached us. Sometimes repair takes longer than one conversation; sometimes care means bringing another meal, making another call, or admitting, “I need help.” Paul gives this care a horizon: we keep proclaiming Christ’s death until he comes. We can face what remains broken without pretending it is already healed, trusting the promise of the living Lord.
Reflection Questions
1. Where in your life have you felt treated as though you did not count? How does carrying that hurt shape the way you see or treat other people?
2. When you defend what you have earned or what you need to protect, whose need becomes harder for you to see?
3. What makes it difficult for you to receive the words “for you”—especially when you feel ashamed, diminished, or in need of help?
4. Is there someone you have wounded, overlooked, or embarrassed? What truth, apology, or act of repair might be yours to offer?
5. What need in someone else’s life is asking for care that may take more than one gesture? What promise helps you stay present without pretending the hurt is already gone?
Prayer
God of mercy, you know both the hurt we carry and the hurt we have caused. Meet us at Christ’s table. Teach us to receive your grace without pretending, to tell the truth without despair, and to keep caring for one another as we wait for the living Lord. Amen.
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