A Picture to Remember

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Aubrey was thoughtful as her family arrived home after church. There had been a communion service that morning, and she had some questions. “I know when we take communion it reminds us of Jesus’ death—and we’re supposed to do it until He comes back and makes everything new and perfect. But will we have communion in heaven too?”

Dad shook his head. “No, Aubrey. Not in heaven.”

“Why not?” asked Aubrey. “I don’t understand.”

“Well…” Dad thought for a minute, then pointed to a picture on the piano.

“Before Uncle Dan and Aunt Lisa left to be missionaries in Asia, they had that picture taken. It reminds us to pray for them while they’re gone—while they’re at work telling people about Jesus.”

Aubrey nodded. “It helps us keep them in mind when we can’t see them.”

“Remember when they were home last summer?” Dad asked. “They spent a couple of weeks with us when all our rose bushes were blooming. Mom cut so many for the house, we had vases of roses everywhere we looked.”

Aubrey laughed. “I remember! We cleared off all the tables to make room for flowers. We even put Uncle Dan and Aunt Lisa’s picture away for a while because we needed the space on the piano for another bouquet.”

“Yes,” said Dad. “Do you think they minded?”

“No,” Aubrey replied. “It didn’t matter then because they were here in person. That’s better than a picture!”

“Exactly! Think of the communion service as a picture of what Jesus did for us. The bread and the juice are symbols reminding us that He suffered and died to pay the penalty for our sins,” Dad explained. “But the time will come when we won’t need that picture anymore, because we’ll be with Jesus in person, and we’ll see the scars from the sacrifice He made for us on His hands and feet.”

Aubrey nodded. “We’ll have the real thing, not just a picture!”

“Right,” said Dad. “And instead of communion, the Bible says we’ll have a feast in heaven to celebrate the gift of eternal life He provided for us through His death and resurrection.” • Linda M. Weddle

How About You?

Do you take part in the communion service? Before you do, it’s important to know what it means. Talk about it with your parents, your teacher at church, or your pastor. When you do participate, remember the sacrifice Jesus made for you and look forward to His return, when He’ll get rid of sin and death forever. When that time comes, we won’t need the picture of communion anymore because we’ll see Him face-to-face.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Corinthians 11:26 As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

Today’s Key Thought:

Communion is a picture of Jesus’ death