At the Table | Not Just Any Meal

17 Now I don’t praise you as I give the following instruction because when you meet together, it does more harm than good. 18 First of all, when you meet together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it. 19 It’s necessary that there are groups among you, to make it clear who is genuine.

1 Corinthians 11:17-19 (Common English Bible)

We've all had a moment when something sacred becomes so routine that we stop paying attention to what it really means. The wedding ring that becomes just jewelry after years of marriage. The national anthem that becomes background music at sporting events. The prayer before meals that turns into mumbled words we say without thinking.

That's what was happening in the church at Corinth. Communion had become just another meal. Instead of a sacred time to remember Jesus' sacrifice, it had turned into a potluck where some people gorged themselves while others went hungry. The wealthy members showed up early with gourmet food and expensive wine, eating and drinking their fill before the working-class members could even arrive.

Paul was horrified. This wasn't just bad manners. It was a complete misunderstanding of what communion was supposed to be. They had forgotten that they were gathering around a table that represented the greatest act of love in human history. They had turned something sacred into something selfish.

We might not think we're doing anything as obviously wrong as the Corinthians, but we face the same temptation. It's easy to let communion become routine. We know the words, we go through the motions, we eat the bread and drink the cup without really thinking about what we're doing.

But communion is never supposed to become ordinary. Every time we gather around that table, we're participating in something that should transform us. We're remembering not just any meal, but the meal where Jesus told his followers that his body would be broken and his blood would be shed for them.

When we lose sight of the sacred nature of communion, we miss the point entirely. We turn a transformative encounter with Christ into a religious ritual that doesn't change anything about how we live.

Personal Application: When you take communion, do you find your mind wandering to other things? How might you prepare your heart to encounter the sacred nature of this meal rather than just going through the motions?

Prayer: Jesus, forgive us for the times we've treated communion as ordinary rather than sacred. Help us come to your table with hearts that are ready to be transformed. Don't let us go through the motions without encountering you. Make every communion a fresh reminder of your incredible love and sacrifice for us. Amen.