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ONE BREAD, ONE BODY
Refrain
One bread, one
body, one Lord of all;
One cup of blessing
which we bless;
And we, though many
throughout the earth,
We are one body in
this one Lord.
Gentile or Jew,
servant or free, woman or man no more. (Refrain)
Many the gifts,
many the works, one in the Lord of all. (Refrain)
Grain for the
fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one for all. (Refrain)
Text: John Foley b.
1939
Used by permission.
© 1978 OCP Publications, 5536 NE Hassalo, Portland, OR 97213 All
rights reserved.
Communion is an
important sacrament to Christians. We may have different beliefs
about what the bread and wine mean. We all know they represent the
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some believe the bread and
wine are symbols of the body and blood. Lutherans believe that
within the Eucharistic celebration, the body and blood of Jesus
Christ are objectively present “in, with and under” the bread and
wine.
Jesus is the common
thread for all Christians. This communion of the eating of Jesus’
body and the drinking of Jesus’ blood is a celebration of him
sacrificing his life that we may live. All we have to do is believe
in him.
Recently I watched
a television reporter interviewing a boy evangelist. She was
questioning the boy’s ability to fully understand his Christian
beliefs. Her question to him was: “I am a Buddhist. I can’t go to
heaven even though I am a good person?” His answer was, “No!”
The boy’s answer
might not strike you as politically correct, but Jesus tells us we
must believe in him to receive everlasting life. We cannot achieve
it through good works.
Christians
understand that God gave his loving son to atone for all our sins.
All that is required of us is to believe that Jesus is the son of
God and that he died for our sins, overcame death and was
resurrected. The only thing standing in the way of his gift is us.
We have the freedom to believe and accept Jesus in our hearts
— or not. God doesn’t make the choice. We do.
Heavenly Father, we
ask for your strength as we face our everyday trials and
tribulations. Help us remember that celebrating Holy Communion is
our way of confessing our sins while witnessing our faith.
Richard McDiffett
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