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Lately, I have been drawn to reading a lot of books. Spiritually speaking, God is very active in my life right now. Do not imagine that this looks like perfection on my part or that I never get down or discouraged. I waver and waffle more than should be necessary given His work, but I am aware and in awe of God's current activity and presence. Many of the books I've been reading have mentioned this phrase "communion with God." This phrase is new to me. Different to me. I do not think that it is a "Southern Baptist" phrase which is where my roots of faith lie. {lay, lie - I never understood the difference, please correct me}
I have come to love this phraseology. Communion with God. Communion as a Southern Baptist knows it is the Lord's Supper. It is partaking in the juice representing the blood of Christ and the yeastless crackers representing the body of Christ. As a symbol, it is feasting on Christ Himself. Although I've understood the seriousness of the Lord's Supper throughout my life, rarely, have I understood its holiness. All throughout the bible, we see the importance of feasts and dining, and for a while, as I thought about communion with God, I thought of holiness in the act of eating together, fellowshipping together. That in it's own way, eating with others, is meant to be holy. It is no surprise that when my friend Tara describes the perfect small group she mentions feasting and relating together over a meal. When I talked to her about it, I imagined what most of us believe about Italians and their meals together: large, boisterous, delicious food, and delightful conversation. Maybe that's why traditionally eating dinner together as a family can be so important. Eating together allows one to share life in a safe environment, building one another up, and truly connecting with one another in a meaningful way. There is something special about that element of life because God intends it to be special with Him.
Communion with God is sitting across the table with Him. Enjoying His presence. Talking with Him, laughing with Him, crying with Him, and listening to Him, as together we feast off of His bountiful provision of Himself. There is nothing better than feasting on Him. He is living water. He is the bread of life. It is no mistake that He places Himself in these elements. Water and bread are life essentials. I thought to myself, this is exactly why and how God responded to Nikol when she decided to have coffee with Christ. She had decided to commune with Him.
An aside about water: Last weekend I went to Chattanooga, and it is a city full of water features. I thought to myself God is like water. Even people who don't like to drink water, like to play in the water, bathe in the water, and be near the water (ocean, lake, etc.) It is essential to life, to health. It has a trinity in the way it is solid, liquid, and gas all at once, just as God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our bodies are made up of mostly water. Water satisfies the body's thirst like no other beverage. It is refreshing and life giving.
There is no meal that could be better prepared for us than Himself. He alone is good. He alone is Holy. He alone is loving. He alone is vital to living. He alone provides abundance to life. He is everything we need and everything we are longing for. And yet, we get to feast of of Him while we sit across the table from Him and enjoy Him. What a beautiful picture of the relationship we are to have with Him. Because of this phrase, "Communion with God," I've come to appreciate life's moments as much holier than I did before, much more sacred than ordinary.
Have you come across this term before?
How has it impacted you?
What do you most enjoy about communing with God?
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