Being There Is the Best Thing

 

In the late 1970s Bell telephone launched an ad campaign with the slogan, “Long Distance is the next best thing to being there.” There is an unspoken truth in its message which we often don’t give much thought – the best thing is actually to be in the presence of the people we love.

Letters, e-mails, texts, phone calls, Facetime, none of these means of communication comes close to matching the power and effect of personally being in the presence of other people. We can talk of long distance relationships, but what we all want and need are “being there” relationships. And that shouldn’t be surprising, that is the way God made us.

So why is it surprising that God has given us a sacred act in our worship of him in which he is present? That ritual is called Holy Communion. In an absolutely miraculous way Jesus Christ comes through simple objects like bread and wine and says, “This is my body, this is my blood, given for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

To our miracle cynical 21^st century ears that sounds ridiculous. But to our ears which have come to be convinced of the truth of Jesus Christ’s death and physical resurrection, those words are music which bring comfort, strength and hope.

There are many convincing evidences and reasons to believe the truthfulness of Christianity. When it comes to Communion, though, then we must step out in faith as countless millions have in the past and say with a broken father of 2000 years ago, “I believe, Lord, help me overcome my unbelief.”

Jesus Christ doesn’t want a long distance relationship with you. Will you believe him?

Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.

 

 

Christians have struggled with the following questions for centuries.

      “How do I grow in my faith in Christ?”

      “It seems like so often I’m just going through the motions.”

      “Why don’t I feel more excited about being a Christian?”

Answers have usually drifted towards one of two extremes. On the one side, believers have looked to spiritual experiences to satisfy the hunger for a more meaningful relationship with Christ. Whether it has been dreams, visions, or supernatural events, the inevitable result is the need for increasingly powerful emotional events which have less and less to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The other extreme has been for Christians to develop a set of rules and regulations to follow in order to distinguish themselves from the “ordinary” believer. The result, however, is the same, a distancing from the cross and the empty tomb.

Whether you’ve lost the feeling or seem to be going through the motions in your life with Christ, the cure is the same as it has been for 2000 years, the message of God’s rescue through Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s strong, reliable and unchanging. You can look for substitutes, but none will satisfy like the Good News. When it comes to experiencing God in your life, simple is always best!

 Worship service times: Saturday: 6:00 pm, Sunday: 9:00 am & 10:30 am.