Dead Faith - Rev. Colleen Hurley-Bates(9-1-19)

Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara

At the last supper, Jesus began a sacred tradition which His people have practiced daily since that evening. The Eucharist. Communion. The Lord's Supper. The Table. The Blessed Sacrament. Some of the names connote the different emphasis that is put on the act. Whatever it is called, it is meant to be a remembrance of His death on the cross for our sins. Although churches celebrate it in different ways, it is meant to be done with Christ as the center, as He meets supernaturally with His people. For the next two weeks, we will be talking about words from James and two concepts Christians have grappled with for years: faith and works. While we understand we need both, this has been an important point of discussion, especially since various writers in the New Testament have written about them both. We are going to dive into the conversation in earnest next week. For this week, we will meditate on these words as we ready ourselves to take the elements representing the body and blood of Christ. Please take time to ponder these words from James, not arguing about them, rather seeing the ideas which lead us to Christ. How good it will be to be together on Sunday!