At the Table | Being Transformed

17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (Common English Bible)

Something powerful happens when we truly encounter Jesus around the table. We don't just remember him, we're changed by him. The communion table isn't just about looking backward to what Jesus did two thousand years ago. It's about what Jesus is doing in us right now.

When we eat the bread, we're reminded that Jesus gave his body for us. When we drink the cup, we remember that Jesus shed his blood for our forgiveness. But more than that, we're participating in something that transforms us from the inside out.

Think about how meals work in our regular lives. When you eat food, it doesn't just sit in your stomach unchanged. It becomes part of you. It's broken down and transformed into energy that powers your muscles, feeds your brain, and keeps your heart beating. The food becomes part of who you are.

That's what happens spiritually when we come to the communion table. We don't just observe Jesus' sacrifice from a distance. We take it into ourselves. His love becomes our love. His sacrifice becomes our motivation. His life becomes the pattern for our lives.

This is why Paul can say with such confidence that anyone in Christ is a new creation. It's not just a legal declaration or a spiritual technicality. It's a real transformation that happens when we allow Jesus to become part of us at the deepest level.

But this transformation doesn't all happen at once. Just like physical nutrition is something we need every day, spiritual transformation is an ongoing process. We come to the table repeatedly because we need repeated encounters with Jesus to keep changing us.

Every time we return to the communion table, we're saying yes to that transformation again. We're opening ourselves up to let Jesus shape us a little more into who God created us to be.

Personal Application: How has encountering Jesus around the table changed you? What areas of your life still need to be transformed by his love? As you prepare to come to the communion table again, what are you hoping Jesus will do in your heart?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for not just dying for us, but for continuing to transform us through encounters around your table. Help us come to communion not just as a religious duty, but as people hungry for your presence and open to your transforming work in our lives. Make us new creations, shaped by your love and empowered by your Spirit. Amen.