A note from David: Today we celebrate communion. For some of you this is your first time to celebrate communion with us. We have decided recently to make communion a more significant part of our faith community. In the past communion was a small portion of the end of the service, almost like a footnote that we squeezed in because we had other important things to do. As a result, this important ordinance of the church got lost in the shuffle. Without intending to do so, we gave something significant an insignificant place. We decided to change that because in the celebration of communion is a declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That message is central to who we are as a church and a denomination. To make the main thing a secondary thing is to lose the main thing.

So, communion is now a prominent part of our first Sunday of the month. In it, we take time to celebrate the powerful gift of eternal life that Jesus Christ has offered us. We take time to acknowledge the significance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We take time to reflect. We take time to celebrate and pray. Our goal is to keep this time meaningful and central. Today we will invite you to come forward as groups, both as an expression of your faith and as a way to demonstrate that worship is active. If this is your first time, we invite you to make this an honest time with God. For some people who have not yet come to the point of trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I encourage you to just remain in your seats and consider what you believe about God and what your next steps are. For others who are convinced that Jesus Christ took your place on the cross and when standing before God you know that your only plea will be that Jesus’ sacrifice satisfied the righteous requirement of God – His righteous account for your record of sin. You trust that as if you whole life depended on it. Then I invite you to join us and celebrate your faith.

In addition, communion is one of those times when we visibly see what it means to belong to a church. Together we share in this experience. It is part of what defines us. It is part of what sets us apart. So, let’s celebrate our faith and