Stop Treating Your Faith Like a Checklist

It’s just a tiny plastic cup.

That’s what you could say. I’m guilty of it myself. I’ve taken Communion and realized halfway through that I was thinking about the grocery list. I stood at the front of the room here in Van Buren a while back and watched everyone, and it hit me how quickly we can let this profound moment turn into a religious checklist. We show up, we sing the songs, and we go through the motions of eating the cracker and drinking the juice.

It becomes just another church activity.

We go on our way back home and we completely miss the reality of the miracle we just participated in. We get so caught up in the mechanics of our faith that we forget the truth of what we actually hold in our hands.

He Walked Into the Fire

We look at the surface elements and completely miss the point. Communion isn’t a religious ceremony designed to make you feel spiritual. It’s a stark reminder of the raw resolve in Jesus’ heart to go to Jerusalem for you.

He knew exactly what was waiting for Him. The human side of Jesus looked at the cross and felt the overwhelming weight of that brutal death. The pressure of what He was about to endure was so heavy that He literally sweat drops of blood while praying in the garden.

But He set His face toward the fire and did it anyway. He willingly stepped into the muck so we didn’t have to.

A cracker can’t save a soul, and grape juice can’t wash away a past.

Only the resurrected Christ can do that.

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that His body was broken specifically for us (1 Corinthians 11:24). He absorbed the punishment we earned. If you are fighting a battle and feel like your hardware is failing, the answer is not grinding it out in your own strength. Start by admitting the grip and let Him do the heavy lifting.

Pulled Out of the Dirt

What you hold in your hand during that moment is the distinguishing factor between you and everything else in the world. It is the absolute proof that the Creator of the universe stepped down into the dirt to pull you out of it.

You cannot earn that kind of rescue. You can only respond to it with raw gratitude because we have nothing else to boast in. This unmerited grace is the exact foundation we are building the next era of this church on.

Look Past the Surface

Mission This Week: Stop treating your faith like a ceremonial checklist. Take two minutes every morning this week to sit in silence. Do not ask God for anything. Just express raw gratitude for the broken body that paid your debt. If your finances feel like a checklist you can’t seem to get ahead of, our Financial discipleship resources will help you build a biblical framework for your money.

See you Sunday,
Pastor Jeremy