Communion Message
Reading from Colossians 1
December 19, 2004
Pastor Leighton Sheley

This is what the writer of Colossians says concerning the Christ: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all of creation together.

Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of the blood on the cross. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, and yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

The only reason that we can stand in the presence of holy God as though we had never sinned is because of the righteousness that is imparted to us through Jesus Christ. And not only has God provided salvation but He continues to provide salvation on a daily and minute by minute basis, and He continues to offer forgiveness for sin and cleansing.

God's Word says if you confess your sin, He is able and just and will forgive you your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

The Scriptures say at times like this we should examine our self, and so I'd like to invite you, if you are physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Lord we are so thankful that You have provided for us a sure salvation, a salvation that is not dependent upon us or our behavior or our intentions, but a salvation that's based completely upon the perfection of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness that we receive through Him.

Lord we desire to please You, and yet each and every day each and every one of us do things that are sinful. Forgive us and cleanse us this day we pray in Jesus' name. And the elements that we hold remind us of the price that has been paid, and that the price has indeed been paid in full. We partake of these sacred elements in remembrance of You. Let's partake of the bread, and also the cup.

We worship You Lord, we do. With everything within us Lord we say thank you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said...Amen.