A MEDITATION: Gaining the confidence of Christ through Communion …

I don’t think parents have quite yet begun to recover from sending off their “kids” — now young adults — to college. It’s an emotional time for parents, but it can be for their “kids” as well.

Mitchell Dillon shared a story that reveals how some special family time was needed by one young lady …

On the eve before my daughter was to leave for college, she interrupted my television time to ask if we could spend the evening watching the “really old family movies.” I moaned at the request. Getting that old projector out and threading each of the two minute 8mm reals was not something I looked forward to. But for reasons that alluded me, she was insistent.

After the last real was over, I was glad to have spent our last evening together this way. My daughter was about to embark on the biggest challenge of her life and needed a reason to feel confident. Setting with us and watching the old family films was the perfect way for her to be reminded of how much she was valued and loved. Until that night, I didn’t realize that the family archives were replete with scenes of not just romping and wrestling, but of liberal expressions of affection, of hugging and kissing. This was more than a visit to the past. My daughter got just what she needed. A reminder of how much she was loved.

In a similar way, when the family of God gathers together to observe Communion, it’s like a spiritual version of pulling out the “really old family movies.” As we partake of the drink and bread, we’re reminded afresh of the sacrifice Christ made of His blood and body in order to save us from our sins. And as we ponder again this scene, we’re reminded of how much we are loved.

Scotty