Tag Archives: Lord’s Supper

“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS”

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“FOR FORGIVENESS OF SINS” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell “While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26-28). This is Matthew’s inspired record of some things Jesus said as He was establishing the church practice called communion, … Continue reading →

THE LORD’S SUPPER AS A COVENANT MEAL

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THE LORD’S SUPPER AS A COVENANT MEAL A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell Matthew 26:27-28 – “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.’” Luke 22:20 – “And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.” In a recent communion meditation I pointed out how the word “is,” … Continue reading →

“This is My body . . . This is My blood”

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“THIS IS MY BODY . . . THIS IS MY BLOOD” A COMMUNION MEDITATION By Jack Cottrell In the upper room, when establishing the Lord’s Supper, Jesus passed the bread to His apostles with these words: “Take, eat, this is My body” (Matthew 26:26). Then He passed the cup to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My blood” (Matthew 26:27-28). Here is a quote from recent history: “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” What does this make you think of? Bill Clinton, of course. At his impeachment hearing, Clinton’s lawyer … Continue reading →

Why Do Some Call It the “Eucharist”? A Communion Meditation

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WHY DO SOME CALL IT THE “EUCHARIST”? A COMMUNION MEDITATION BY JACK COTTRELL – APRIL 2018 As we are now preparing to take the emblems commemorating Christ’s death for our sins, I have a question: what do we usually call this part of our worship service? We commonly refer to it as the “communion” service. Where do we get that name? It comes from the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of … Continue reading →

THE BREAD AND THE CUP OF BLESSING

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THE BREAD AND CUP OF BLESSING A COMMUNION MEDITATION – Jack Cottrell, February 2018 Imagine you are sharing a meal with some fellow Christians, and you say, “Brother Smith, will you ask the blessing on our food?” The prayer that follows often includes this: “Dear God, we pray that you will bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies.” “Ask the blessing”? “Bless this food”? Where do we get these ideas and this language? Maybe from our Bibles. The KJV of Matthew 26:26 says, “Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, … Continue reading →

THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE IN CHRIST’S SUFFERING

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THE HOLY SPIRIT’S ROLE IN CHRIST’S SUFFERING A Communion Meditation by Jack Cottrell In my previous meditation I pointed out that Jesus the SON of God was not the only one suffering at the cross. God the FATHER was also suffering, but in a different way. Jesus as the Son of God was the one who was actually suffering the infinite wrath of God in our place, making our salvation possible. But it was God the Father who, with feelings of deepest agony, was responsible for pouring out that wrath upon his own Son (Rom. 8:32). But here we shall … Continue reading →

SUFFERING AT THE CROSS

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SUFFERING AT THE CROSS — A Communion Meditation Jack Cottrell – Greendale First Church of Christ – October 2017 [Author’s note: I gave this meditation on the same Sunday when I preached a sermon dealing in part with the subject of the Trinity. In the sermon I was pointing out that it was necessary to reveal the fact that God is a Trinity of persons at the beginning of this New Covenant age, because that was the time when God was carrying out the mighty works of redemption (incarnation, atonement, resurrection, ascension, outpouring of the Holy Spirit). The necessity for … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER 5 — THE PROPITIATION SENT BY LOVE

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 5 THE PROPITIATION SENT BY LOVE Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 Believe it or not, I was once mistaken for a god! In the 1970s I was on a mission trip with Brother Sam Gonzales (now deceased), visiting churches in the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico. Many of the Christians in the churches there were descendants of the Mayan Indians, who many centuries ago had developed impressive civilizations there. Brother Sam was introducing me to several of these Christians descended from Mayan culture: “Say hello to JACK,” he said. One woman’s … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER FOUR — CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 4 CHRIST THE PROPITIATION FOR THE WORLD Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 In First John 2:1-2 the Apostle John says that Jesus is our Advocate – our defense lawyer who helps us escape the punishment for our sins. He says Jesus is our Righteousness – the One who has satisfied the law’s requirement for punishment in our place. And he says Jesus is our Propitiation – the One who turned the Father’s wrath away from us by taking it on Himself. Here I want to call attention to something else John … Continue reading →

FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2, NUMBER THREE — CHRIST OUR PROPITIATION

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FIVE COMMUNION MEDITATIONS ON 1 JOHN 2:1-2 – NUMBER 3 CHRIST OUR PROPITIATION Jack Cottrell — Summer 2017 Notice how Jesus is described in these first two verses from the second chapter of First John — “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” In previous meditations I have explained how Jesus is our ADVOCATE, … Continue reading →