For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. – 1 Corinthians 11:26
“Not eating enough is one of the biggest mistakes in the morning.”62 Adelle Davis famously put it back in the 1960s: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.”63 Why? Breakfast not only replenishes essential nutrients that help us kickstart our day, it also sets the blood-sugar pattern for the rest of the day. Failure to consistently eat breakfast has even been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease!
Important as breakfast may seem, breakfast is not the most crucial meal for Methodists. John Wesley regarded The Lord’s Supper as third in his five instituted means of grace. Why? He believed that
the experience was more than a symbol, it was an opportunity to actually commune with Christ and receive the grace of God… [he] also believed that the sacrament had converting potential. Consequently, his invitation was an open one, extended to anyone who truly and earnestly repented of sin, was in love and charity with neighbour, and intended to live a new life following the commandments of God.64
This is the reason that Wesley encouraged early Methodists to practice “constant communion,” which included being present whenever possible at the Holy communion. While our church, only serves the Holy Communion once a month, the key question we have to answer is “Why is communion important to me? What is my heart’s posture when I am receiving the Communion elements?”
你们每逢吃这饼，喝这杯，是表明主的死，直等到他来。《哥林多前书》11：26
没吃饱是早上最大的错误之一。著名营养师的阿戴尔.戴维斯回顾20世纪60年代：”像国王一样吃早餐，像王子一样吃午餐，像穷人一样吃晚饭。“为什么？早餐不仅能够帮助我们补充开始新的一天所必需的营养素，还可以在一天中的其他时间设置血糖模式。如果不能坚持吃早餐，可能导致肥胖，糖尿病和心脏病！
早餐看起来很重要，但早餐并不是卫理信徒最重要的一餐。约翰. 卫斯理把主的晚餐设为五个蒙恩途径的第三个。为什么？他相信这一点，
“这个经历不仅仅是一个象征，而是一个真正与基督相交并接受上帝恩典的机会...... 他也相信圣礼已经潜移默化了。因此，他的邀请是一个公开的邀请，扩展到任何真正愿意为罪悔改，愿意与邻舍亲爱和睦，并打算按照上帝的诫命过新的生活的人.” 这就是约翰.卫斯理鼓励早期卫理信徒实践“恒守圣餐” 的原因，其中包括尽可能出席圣餐。虽然我们的教会每个月领受一次圣餐，但我们必须回答的关键问题是 ：为什么圣餐对我来说很重要？当我领受圣餐时，我心中存的是什么样的姿态？
反思
当我们被邀请同领圣餐时你有何感受？是否感到正在领受上帝的恩典？
Reflection
How do you feel whenever you are invited to partake in the Holy Communion? Do you get a sense that you are receiving God’s grace?
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