Dear <<First Name>>,
Today's devotional message is taken from the sermon I preached on Sunday. This can be viewed here and the celebration of communion (and prayer for health and healing) is included at the end.

Pastor Simon Measures

Daily Guide

Devotional reading for today

Gladness and simplicity of heart

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart.

Acts 2:46 - NKJV

On the Day of Pentecost, three thousand people embraced the Gospel and joined themselves with the disciples. And so the early church got rolling - rock and rolling! The scripture above is part of Luke's summary report of how it was in those early days. For one thing, they were breaking bread from house to house. This was the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Luk.22:18-20.

Jesus took the bread, took the cup and after His ministry words said, "Do this!" The Lord's Supper was thus ordained that we should celebrate it regularly, often or even frequently. Have you taken part in the breaking of bread lately? It can be when your church gathers or it can when two or more gather. The latter is how it was according to the scripture above. It can be called the eucharist - which derives from a Greek word meaning thanksgiving - and called communion. I like to use the word “communion” because it reminds me of two words with the same root: commune and communal. We each personally commune with our Lord God and, together, this is a communal event that reminds us of our oneness in the body of Christ. We commune and it is communal. Let both of these aspects of communion be present in your celebration of the Lord's Supper.

There is an element of the sacred in the Lord's Supper. This is why we will often speak of communion as a sacrament and count it a precious moment in our Christian encounters with God. St Augustine defined a sacrament as "the visible form of an invisible grace." Indeed, speaking of a sacrament suggests an event in which God’s grace is present. Remember the invisible grace made available at communion. Communion is an encounter with the divine in which you can receive grace freely given at the Lord's table. This is something you don't ever want to miss out on! 1Cor.11:23-26.

Grace flows towards you, make sure you're where you can receive it!