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First Mennonite Church
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Join us at First Mennonite Church for the
Advent Season
What's Happening @ FMCDecember 6
Ladies Night In Christmas Celebration Plan to bring a dish to share and a $20 Christmas gift for exchange December 8
2nd Sunday of Advent Message by Pastor Phil December 9
Elkhart County Health Dept 10 am - 3 pm December 12
First Mennonite Women Sewing 9 am - 2 pm Bring a dish to share with others Quick Links:
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Sunday Worship: 9:00 AM (Sunday School following) You are welcome to join us on Sunday, or stop in for a chat! We want to meet you! |
Sermons on YouTubeFollow link above to our church page on YouTube
On the Journey...
Remembering to Thank Jesus By Pastor Phil Yoder Most Christians around the world will celebrate Communion on the first Sunday in October. This Sunday has come to be known as “World Communion Sunday” in most denominations. The idea for a day in which all Christians around the world celebrate Communion as a unifying act, was in part because Christians can’t seem to agree on much else. But on this one day, Christians join together to remember Jesus and what He did for us. World Communion Sunday was chosen to coincide with Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of Atonement, when sacrifices were made for people’s sins. Jesus put an end to animal sacrifices because Jesus is the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins. I was once part of a church that closed, and for more than a year, I felt church homeless. And during that time, I missed partaking of Communion. I really missed it. With each passing week, I longed for the bread and wine of Communion more and more. The desire for Communion became intense. Finally, I attended a church, of another denomination, knowing they would serve Communion on that day, and when it came my turn to go to the alter and receive the bread and cup, I almost ran down the aisle to where the bread and wine were being served. I was starved for the bread and wine of Communion. The one thing that bothers me about some Christians, is how flippant they are toward Communion. And this bothers me a lot. Communion doesn’t seem to be important to some. They will miss Communion for any little excuse, or worse yet, never even think to come to a service to remember our Lord and the great sacrifices He made so we could be saved from our sins and receive eternal life. I can’t imagine how this must make Jesus feel, having given His life to save us, and some who claim the benefits of Salvation don’t even bother to come to a service to remember Jesus and to say “Thank you!” In Luke 17 there is a story of 10 lepers who cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus came to them and cleansed all of them of their leprosy, but only one returned to say, “Thank you.” And the ingratitude of the 9 seemed to trouble Jesus greatly. How much more valuable is Jesus’ taking away our sins and cleansing us from our sins, than the cleansing of a few lepers from their leprosy? It seems to me, that if we are saved, and Jesus is really alive in us, we will long to find ways to thank Jesus for His sacrifices, and celebrating Communion will become a priority for us. |