Communion Devotional
Robert D. Pace
World War II left London ravaged by Nazi bombs. The artillery had rattled nerves and emaciated the landscape. Saddest of all, were the thousands of homeless children left to roam the streets just to survive. They were desperate, starving children traumatized by war and living in fear of not knowing their future or where their next meal would come from.
Out of necessity, orphanages sprang up throughout London. The psychology of it all had created temperamental and unruly children. But there was one orphanage, operated by an elderly couple, which enjoyed unmatched serenity. And when a team of social workers investigated this orphanage they noticed something no other orphanage was doing. Every evening this elderly couple walked to the bedside of each child and tenderly pressed a slice of bread into each child’s hand. The children would wrap their fist around that bread and hold it throughout the night. It was the secret to their repose. The bread in their hand was the promise of their next meal! Thus, it affected their entire mindset: a slice of bread assured them tomorrow would be alright!
What a spiritual application this makes. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” and you and I hold in our hands a symbol of that “Bread of Life.” There’s no other bread that so thoroughly feeds us; no other bread that so completely calms us; no other bread that so confidently assures us of the hope of eating at that great heavenly feast the Bible calls “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.” Jesus, the “Bread of Life,” removes the fear of tomorrow and supplies every need.
Let us read from the Scriptures as we partake of the Lord’s Supper:
Luke 22:14 says: “When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. (15) And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. (16) For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God. (19) And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. (20) In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”