Communion Pics

Dakota Community Church

February 8, 2009

Communion Pics

I Corinthians 11:23-26

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.

In the Facebook age it is so easy to get pictures of friends and loved ones. I have been loading a new software program that helps manage congregational issues and one of the options is to load a picture of each person and eventually print a photo directory. Almost all of you are available in a photo on Facebook.

The great thing about photos is that they empower us to remember.

Think about your earliest childhood memories; do you really remember the incidents or are you really only recalling the photos that you have viewed repeatedly through the years?

Here are a few of my favorite memory enhancing pics.

What about this idea of remembering Jesus as we partake of communion? There are not too many pictures available of Him.

I found his graduation photo on-line and a nice group shot; but that’s about it.

This morning I want to give you four photos of Jesus to help in this communion remembrance.

1. Jesus on the Mount of Olives

I want you to remember Jesus the preacher, the teacher, taking his followers aside to feed them the word of God and introduce them to the Fathers plan for redemption.

Jesus has been baptized by John, returned from the temptation in the wilderness and now He begins His teaching and preaching ministry: What did we learn that the kingdom of God begins with? – Repentance!

Matthew 4:17

From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Matthew 4:23

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.

Matthew 5:1-21

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.