D.L.

There are times when the world seems to stand still, and we experience this when a significant event happens, and we remember where we were, what we were wearing, and with whom we were. Every year we remember.
Today, Sunday, the 2nd of November, I invited our people, God’s people, to come and sit at the table of the Lord. In Dunfanaghy and Carrigart Presbyterian Churches, we celebrate Communion four times a year. This Sunday morning was the last one for 2025.

Today we remembered.

The Last Supper is one of the accounts that is repeated four times in the New Testament. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all have this vital event in the life of the disciples and Jesus. The Apostle Paul also refers to it in 1 Corinthians 11, and he adds a strong warning, which is worth remembering, in 1 Corinthians 11:27. This is why it is so important to follow the next verse, v. 28, where there is an invitation to examine our hearts.

Come to the Table!

For weeks, I have been thinking about today, its meaning, its importance and its powerful influence in our lives. It is a celebration, a joyful event, a place where you and I come to remember, to give thanks, to eat, and to drink. It is not my table, nor is it the church’s, but it is an invitation from the Lord Jesus Himself.
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me”, and that is what we do. Following the directions of the Apostle Paul, we come to a place where the Holy Ground becomes real, and if we follow Paul’s instructions, then we can experience the Presence of Jesus.
The Lord’s Supper is for me a time to look back and be grateful. It is a time to reflect on my present and be thankful, and it is a time to look ahead and be hopeful. In leading our people and inviting them to draw near to God, I had a powerful awareness of something that was both solemn and dramatic, yet also bloody, as it was the death of Jesus, mixed with an inexpressible joy, which made me feel ever closer to Him.
It is one of the most moving acts of worship, to be able to repeat the words of Jesus and feel the weight of his words digging deeper into my heart, an act of sanctity, of pure love and forgiveness.
To see my brothers and sisters holding to the bread, pausing for a few seconds to remember, to bring home the authenticity, honesty, and purity of Jesus’ death and then having the cup that reminds us of a greater sacrifice was an act of genuine faith that moved my heart and brought joy in my spirit.

Remember me.