The Communion of Saints
The Christian is a citizen of the church universal. While we delight in the uniqueness of each individual, our deepest joy is to be part of the community that Christ embraces as his Own body.
Invited to his marriage yet to be, we partake of his body and blood. And at these sacred moments, it is enough just to stand around, passing the peace for which the world yearns, being the church adorned as a bride awaiting her divine Lover.
—W. Paul Jones
The Art of Spiritual Direction
Jones references the church and the Lord’s Supper in today’s devotional reflection. The privilege of partaking in His body and blood in communion is not a grace to be experienced solo, but rather to be shared as a community of believers, and embraced by faith as an even larger experience, that of the Church universal and eternal. When in the Apostle’s Creed we profess to believe “in the communion of saints” we are acknowledging the spiritual union of all the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead. It is into this remarkable family that we’ve been adopted and are included. It is in this context that we are urged to live our lives: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Let us consider the marvelous body of Christ we are a part of, and pray into the role we play in other’s lives, and in carrying this communion forward to the next generation of believers to join us. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics