This Sunday we’ll explore the sacrament of Holy Communion.  There is a lot of misunderstanding  between Protestants and Catholics about Communion.

In one memorable scene from the TV series, Downton Abbey,  the proudly Protestant Lord Grantham is having a heated discussion with his Catholic son-in-law, Tom Branson.   Lord Grantham condescendingly quips:  “You’re telling me that you believe that Christ comes back to life every Sunday in the form of a bowl of crackers and you proceed to just eat the man?”

Yet, there’s something profoundly important in that “bowl of crackers” – holiness comes near to us, even as near as eating.

We modern people are so hungry for holiness and Communion promises to make God present.  It promises a palpable experience of Christ’s nearness as we eat and drink bread and wine.

But does Communion fulfill its promises for you?   Or, do we actually leave this holy meal “hungry”?   This Sunday we’ll explore those promises and problems.   And then we’ll experience Holy Communion during our traditional First-Sunday celebration.