Communion Message
Relationship Life or Death
January 1, 2006
Pastor Leighton Sheley

Holidays and New Year's time is a time that just comes natural for me, and probably for you, a time of reflection, evaluation, and possibly redirection. We look back on the previous year. We look at the things that happened right, the things that didn't happened quite so right, and see if there are some adjustments that we can make to make the coming year better.

I've got a New Year's resolution list, like many of you do, and on that list is to lose weight this year. It's been on the list for 10 years. It hasn't happened yet, except between meals. But this is a new year, so we're going to try again.

And then my children informed me this week that it's time for a change of my haircut. Yes, I've had the same haircut for about 30 years. It's sort of styled like the 50s because I like the 50s, but I don't like becoming 50. And it doesn't work anymore because top, front, and center is this little growing bald spot and my kids say as my hair grows it grows out the side and not the top, and I start looking like Mickey Mouse, so we're going to try a few new hairstyles this year. Some of them won't work; we will all know it.

And I am going to make another adjustment this year: my daughter is 18, in about seven or eight months she is going to be going away to college. I have run out of time, so I'm going to make some adjustments so I can spend some time with my daughter before she goes away, because that relationship is very important to me.

And there is another relationship that is very important to me, and that is my relationship with God. God doesn't want a religion with us, He wants a relationship with us, and relationships require attention and they require investment. That's true in our relationships with each other. That's true in our relationship with God. Relationships are something that's living, and something that's living is doing one of two things; it's either growing or it's dying. Our relationship with each other or with God is either growing or it's dying.

And I know there will be some amongst us who would say well I've known that certain couple that they haven't gone anywhere with their relationship in 20 years and they're still together. And I'd like to propose to you that that relationship is either dead or dying, because if it isn't growing, it's dying.

So I'm going to ask you as the Scriptures say to examine yourself at this time. I'm going to ask you this question, if you were to examine yourself and compare your relationship with God this year at this time, New Years, compared with last time at New Years, how would you come to a conclusion? Would you say that you are in a better place in your relationship with the Lord? or would you say I need to make some adjustments, I need to put in more time and more energy and more attention and more investment of myself into this, the most important of all my relationships. It's time for examining ourselves as the Scriptures say.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.

A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That's why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are being judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

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 forever thankful that You are a potter who doesn't give up on this clay, that we are not merely creations to You, but that You have chosen to love us with an everlasting love, adopt us into Your family as Your own children, make us joint heirs with Jesus Christ, and in order to accomplish this reconciliation go to Calvary's cross. Lord forgive us for our sin and cleanse us from our unrighteousness we pray, in Jesus' name. And in remembrance we now partake...let's partake together of the bread and also the cup.

Thank you Lord, thank you Lord, thank you Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, and all God's people said, amen.