Faith Sowers

Today was a very meaningful day for me. It was my last Sunday at Parkwood Baptist Church. It is never easy leaving a community of people one has a spiritual connection to. I certainly have developed one with the students I’ve ministered to the last two years. But, the reason today was special was because I had the opportunity to share in one of the most beautiful Christian traditions with a special friend.

Earlier this week my boss and pastor asked our college minister and I if we’d like to serve the Lord’s Supper at Sunday services. Kevin and I have worked together for years as youth workers from different churches but this has been the first time we’ve gotten to serve on staff at the same church together. We both said sure and I personally didn’t give it much more thought.

Flash ahead to Sunday morning and Kevin and I find ourselves in front of the congregation at the end of service. I took the opportunity to read the Apostle Paul’s thoughts on the eucharist with the Corinthian church and served the bread. Kevin then served the cup. It was still business as usual.

It is amazing how God takes the “usual” and transforms it into something new. Kevin and I came to the table again in the second service and instead of reading Paul I shared some of my thoughts about Communion as they connected to the sermon. Mike Had just preached about Jesus on the cross and his desire for his people to care, connect, and commission each other (there were 2 more but I can’t remember them). It hit me that the Lord’s Supper fulfilled his sermon in totality.

If we focus on serving each other the bread and wine as well as what we’re communicating to the person we’re serving by passing them Christ’s cup (his mission and suffering), we may receive a glimpse of the beautiful. As I stood next to my friend whom I have grown up with in ministry I realized this sacred and intimate connection. After this thought occurred to me Kevin leaned over and said, “it has been great serving with you.” if I was a better writer you all would understand that he was saying this has been a special time for us. I responded by telling him that serving the Lord’s Supper this way would be one of my most meaningful ministry experiences. It is what my friend and author Josh Hayden calls a “signpost.” May we all understand the beauty and intimacy of the last supper of Christ.

P.S. Thanks Kevin for joining me in God’s story!