This past Sunday was a first for me. I dropped a communion tray. We were observing the Lord's Supper as a congregation. We share juice and bread - symbolic symbols of the body and blood of our Lord who said - eat this in remembrance of me. His body was broken on our behalf and his blood poured out as the atonement (payment) for our sins. At the 9:30 service, I was coming off the platform to join the deacons who had served when I reached for the tray one of the brothers was holding - actually he was holding two. I had in my mind what I was going to have him do - but he can't read my mind! I was going to take the top one and leave the bottom one for him to serve the worship team. He felt me grab them both and in that moment - well - the bottom one hit the floor. It's all on me. In that moment several things happened.
I quickly heard the man on the left in this picture say something like 'I've got it' - or 'I'll clean it up' - our deacons are amazing servants. I can't begin to express my gratitude and respect for them and their service to Christ through Northside. Another gentlemen close by helped out immediately. That situation was cleaned up faster than anyone could imagine.
I learned later that when it happened, my wife leaned over to the lady sitting next to her in that service and said 'He will either say nothing, or use it in some way.' After 15 seconds of silence the lady said - I think he's going to ignore it. Not knowing anything about that conversation, I found myself saying to the congregation, 'when I was in seminary, one of my professors said - when something unexpected happens, you either ignore it and just press on, or you bring attention to it and use it somehow.
What nobody knew at that point, was what had happened when that juice hit the floor. I recoiled. I flinched back quickly - I didn't want to get any of that grape juice on my pants or my shoes - and in reality - it got both. Then I had a deeper thought. This may just be juice - but when it comes to the blood of Jesus that was poured out on the cross, I not only need it - I need to be covered by that blood for the forgiveness of my sins, and the salvation of my soul. I shared that story in those moments with Northside. We need the blood of Jesus. God met us yesterday in a deep way at about 9:50am.
While this tray held juice, a symbolic reminder of our Savior's sacrifice, Jesus shed his blood - for real. I wonder if those at the cross were taken back to have gotten any on them - the ones who crucified him, or stood nearby. This world recoils from the gospel in the same way I recoiled from the potential for a mess - a stain on my clothes from which I would still preach two more services. The reality is that only the blood of Jesus can remove the stain of sin so deep in my heart, and in all of our hearts.
I'm a perfectionist and so moments like this can bother me. Was I too distracted? Was I thinking about too many things at once? What caused me to drop a communion tray for the first time in my entire ministry? I think God was in it. No - I know He was. He wanted to remind me - and the entire Northside family - and maybe you right now - that his provision was for the covering of our sin. There's no other hope. We need Jesus. He died for our sins, was buried and rose again conquering sin, death and the grave. That's the gospel. That's good news!!!
'Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver of gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.' 1 Peter 1:18-19, ESV.
