Communion Message
The Person and Work of Christ
November 20, 2005
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Reading today from Colossians the first chapter, and I am reading out of the Contemporary English Version. We read: "We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better.

His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy. I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, who forgives our sins and sets us free. Christ is exactly like God, who cannot be seen. He is the first-born Son, superior to all creation. Everything was created by him, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God's Son, and everything was made for him. God's Son was before all else, and by him everything is held together. He is the head of his body, which is the church. He is the very beginning, the first to be raised from death, so that he would be above all others.

God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son. And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God. You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news."

May God bless the reading of his Word. It is through Christ that we can stand before God as people who are holy and faultless and innocent, not because we are holy and faultless and innocent, but because of the blood of Christ shed on Calvary's cross. And the Word says that if we confess our sin he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Word also says 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 our expressions of adoration today have been expressions of thanksgiving for all that you have done. Lord, we can't save ourselves, only you can save us...and you have. Lord the elements that we hold remind us of the price that has been paid for our salvation. Lord we ask you to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness as we partake of these sacred elements. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.

Thank you Lord for loving us and setting us free. In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said, amen.