Communion Message
Reading from Colossians 1 & 2
September 11, 2005
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Reading today from Colossians: "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 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 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, 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. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth that you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all that he has done. And don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and the evil powers of this world, and not from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and he destroyed it by nailing it to Christ's cross."

The accusations against us were nailed to the cross of Christ. Now the Scriptures say at times like this we should examine our self. 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, Your word says if we confess our sin You are faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord we desire to be forgiven and cleansed this day. The elements that we hold remind us of the great price that has been paid for our salvation and for our sin. We partake of these sacred elements in remembrance of You. Let's partake of the bread, and also the cup.

Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.

Can we say together praise the Lord? Praise the Lord. Say it again...praise the Lord; one more time, praise the Lord! We praise You this day and worship You with all of our hearts, Lord, for You are worthy of nothing less, in Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said...amen.