Casting Your Cares

Every Sunday before communion one of our men will give a brief meditation that leads the congregation to remember that the emblems, the grape juice and the wafer, represent Christ’s broken body and shed blood. Each meditation is unique as to how the speaker wants to unite our thoughts with the Lord’s Supper. Occasionally a speaker will grab my attention with the pre-prayer statement, ‘If you are burdened, you need healing, or maybe you have a friend with problems, now is a good time to bring those prayers and petitions before the Lord.’ I’m not saying it is wrong to cast all our cares on Jesus, but I’m just not convinced that during communion is the right time to lay personal needs before Lord. Jesus did not tell us, ‘Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup tell me your problems and your needs.’ Rather he broke the bread saying, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Cor 11:24-26 NIV)