Sunday: A "Mini" Easter?

Scripture: Luke 22:14-23

Each week when the early church came together to worship, it essentially was a “mini” Easter celebration. What do I mean by that? They celebrated the resurrection of Jesus every week. It was the primary focus of their celebration. Not only did they celebrate his resurrection, but they also remembered his death as they celebrated the Lord’s Supper together. Also known as Eucharist or communion, the broke the bread and drank of the cup in memory of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. It wasn’t a sad time, but rather a joyful celebration with the knowledge of what came after: His resurrection. Do we look at our worship service each week as a “mini-Easter” celebration? Is it a joyful time or is our worship stale? In his last few hours, Jesus demonstrated to the disciples the need to remember Him by breaking bread and drinking the cup. The events that followed may have brought sorrow to His followers, but that sorrow was soon replaced with joy when they realized that he was no longer in the grave! Let’s be joyful as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ each week.

Prayer: Lord, help me to understand the significance of communion in worship. Help me to view worship as a time of celebration each week. Please help my worship to be vibrant and exciting, rather than stale and stoic. I thank you for your sacrifice for my sins and that you are alive today and in control of our world. I love you, Jesus!