Communion Message
(Abba Father)
June 19-20, 1999
Pastor Rick Miller

Abba Father. What a wonderful name and what a wonderful privilege it is that He's given us, to be able to call Him Daddy. What a wonderful image to have of, as Steve said, curling up on His lap, so to speak, and listening to His comforting voice. Having His presence right here. Isn't it awesome that we serve a risen savior? We serve a God that's real, that's not a distant stone or a wooden idol someplace, but that we have a relationship with Him. That He loves us. That He's concerned for us. He waits for us. He challenges us. He looks ahead and prepares us for what's yet to come. What an awesome thing. What an honor it is to know that any moment He's there. The Bible says His thoughts never leave us. Whenever I think of communion, it makes me think of the cross, and when I think of the cross I think of Christ, and when I think of Christ it is that unending, infallible love that He poured out for us. It's that love that puts those challenges ahead of us, that sets our sights on new things and new depths of relationship with Him. You know, it's those challenges that build our character and build our life in Christ. When I think of the cross and I think of that love, I also think of a mirror that I have to look into, because I have to ask myself, it challenged me to ask myself. As He puts those things before me am I picking them up? Am I carrying the cross or just watching as it sits there? Am I moving ahead in what Christ has laid before me to move ahead in, or am I just kind of pushing it aside and getting caught up in the world around me? Am I becoming callused to His still small voice that calls me to be more than I am by myself? Or with His help am I growing? Am I moving ahead? Am I in a different place now than I was last week, or last month, or last year? Is my relationship with Him more personal, more intimate, more loving? Where are you? As we stand before the cross, as we hold these things in our hands, are you picking up that challenge? Can you look in His eyes and call Him Daddy? Do you see the things He's doing to prepare you? Are you moving ahead?

Would you kneel with me? Father, I thank you so much for that love. I thank you for the love that these emblems represent and the commitment that You made to us, and Lord as we kneel here this morning, we ask You to forgive us for the lack of carrying through on our end of the commitment. How often are You waiting for us and we leave You waiting? How often do You give us a challenge and we don't obey? How often do we become callused to what this world is putting in front of us, callused to Your voice as we face this world. Father, we want so badly to sit on Your lap, to call you Daddy, to have our relationship go to greater depths. And as we hold this bread in our hands we remember the commitment that it means. Lord help us to honor our end of it. As we eat this this morning, Father, we renew our commitment to You, we pick up our end. Lord, help us to carry the cross. Let's eat together. And this cup that represents Your blood that made it possible for us to call you Abba Father, Lord, I thank you so much. We praise you for the love that sees past all of our faults and loves us anyway, that makes us better than we are by ourselves, that chooses to fill us with Your very presence. Lord we love You and praise You. Thank you. Let's drink together. Lord help us to continue to grow in You and to remember to worship You and thank you for all that You've done, all that Your doing, and all that You have yet to do. We praise You Father. Praise You Jesus. Let's stand together and worship Him.

(singing) 
Abba Father. Abba Father. 
Deep within my soul I cry. 
Abba Father. Abba Father. 
I will never cease to love You.