COMMUNION
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”
To be in Christ means something. First, it means that you belong to Jesus. His grace has sought you out and won your heart. He has taken ownership of you as your Lord. To be in Christ also means that you submit to him as Lord. Because he is your master and you are his servant, you behave under the sphere of his power and authority. To be in Christ also means that you haven’t earned your right standing before God—Jesus has. You are clothed in the righteous record of Jesus by virtue of your trust in him. And finally, to be in Christ means that you are a member of the believing community, the church. Jesus said that the church is the body of Christ—and therefore you cannot be in Christ and outside of the church.
And when Paul says that anyone in Christ is a new creation, he is saying that Jesus is the divider of history. When Christ arose, he was the first fruits of the new creation God has promised, and to be a new creation in Christ means God has already begun a transformation in you that will ultimately extend to entire cosmos.
And this meal is a sign of our participation in all of that. A sign of Christ’s ownership, our submission to his rule, his merits applied to us, our membership in his body, and our eager expectation that the same power that raised Christ from the dead will one day make all things new.
If that is not the story of your life, this meal is not for you. But if you are in Christ, then come and welcome to Jesus Christ.