Monday May 2, 2022

Today is Monday, May 2 and we are exploring what the bible says about the Means of Grace.

As I enter a time of prayer, I pause and become still. I calm my thoughts and silence my mind. I breathe deeply and slowly, and center myself upon the presence of God.

Pause and Pray

Holy and loving God, in these first fifteen minutes of my day, I long to experience your presence. Come Holy Spirit, reveal what you want me to know about the power of sanctifying grace in my life. Enable me to hear the unique message you have for me in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

I seek God my Shepherd and rejoice in his goodness with the comforting words of Psalm 23.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:5-6

Pause and Pray

Grace is what saves us from sin through the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By grace we are forgiven and pardoned from sin. Additionally grace gives us power over sin through the work of the Holy Spirit. We are made more holy over time. How can we “plug into” this power of grace? John Wesley, the eighteenth century founder of Methodism, taught the early Methodists tangible practices that become ordinary channels for God’s grace to work enabling believers to reach Christian maturity. These practices are called the Means of Grace. The Means of Grace are “outward signs, words or actions ordained by God to be ordinary channels of grace.” (John Wesley The Means of Grace) They become holy habits in our lives and open us to the inner working power of the Holy Spirit. There are six Means of Grace listed in the General Rules of Methodist Societies – the public worship of God, the ministry of the word either read or expounded, the Lord’s Supper, family and private prayer, searching the scriptures, and fasting or abstinence. Today, let’s consider the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Wesley teaches me how to connect with God’s sanctifying grace. If I desire more of God’s grace I am to wait for it in the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. I participate in Holy Communion with my church family. I come to the table to share a meal with Christ and my fellow believers. Whenever I eat the bread and drink of the cup I remember Jesus and his sacrifice for me. He was betrayed for me. His body was broken for me. His blood was shed for me. Because Jesus died, I live. Wesley says through the eating of the bread and drinking of the cup, God conveys to my soul spiritual grace, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. When I participate in the Lord’s Supper I make myself available to the work of God’s Holy Spirit perfecting me and growing me in holiness.

Ask: How have I experienced the presence of Christ when I participate in Holy Communion? What could I do to increase my receptivity to the power of God’s Spirit in the sacrament?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, thank you for inviting me to dine at your table and experience the presence of your Holy Spirit. Teach me the deep meaning of this sacrament instituted on the night you gave yourself up for me. Increase opportunities for me to receive holy communion and help me open my soul to the work of the Spirit and power of grace. I read the words from First Corinthians again and listen for the message you have for me.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

God wants to teach me something about the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and my journey of faith. I reflect on what Holy Communion means to me and how I experience it. I recall the churches from my past in which I participated in the Lord’s Supper. At different churches the method and elements of communion vary – passing trays, coming forward, standing, sitting, kneeling, tiny cups, common chalices, loaves, wafers, grape juice, wine (and during Covid-19 plastic baggies). Regardless of the differences, in each place I am invited to dine at the table with Jesus and my fellow believers. I am welcomed into a means of grace where the presence of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit work in my soul.

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, I welcome the power of grace to tarry and toil in my soul. Use whatever means necessary to cleanse my heart, nourish my spirit, strengthen my convictions and refresh my walk. Teach me to avail myself of every opportunity to practice the means of grace and sup at the table of the eucharist. Amen.

Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

I leave this time of prayer with a renewed awareness of the ways God’s grace is at work in my life. I go to share the truth of his love with others.

Amen