God Never Intended an Altar - Communion Devo 2

This is pretty much a summary of what you can find in one chapter of John Mark Hicks' Come To The Table.  I must give him all the credit for this one. I would encourage anyone who has an opportunity to read it to do so. It really is a great book so far. 

John Mark Hicks opens his introduction of Come to the Table with “God never intended an altar, though he planned for it." The idea here is that although God planned Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, that was only a means to an end. God’s ultimate intention is to have communion with his people. Today, we accomplish this through the communion that we share here at this table.

Have you ever wondered why God created everything? Of course. We all have. When we talk about the “Trinity” it can be difficult to understand, but it helps us understand God’s purpose behind creating everything. The Father is often spoken of as the source of creation. He said it, and it was done. The Son is the instrument of creation. The Father said it, and the Son did it. The Holy Spirit is the power behind creation. He gave the breath of life to you, me, and the animals. These three shared in community with one another in love. God created man to share in this loving community.

                Imagine a couple who decides that they are going to have a child. This couple already has a great relationship with one another. They aren’t lonely. In a perfect world, this couple chooses to have a child in order to share their loving communion. That’s exactly why God created man, to share his loving communion.

                God also created man to bring Glory to him. That glory is found in communion with him. Israel was chosen to bring glory to God. Did they always do that? No, but they did when they kept the sacrifices, abstained from idols, and shared in communion with God. God’s people share his glory by communing with him.

                When God chose Israel, there was nothing particularly virtuous about them. They were stubborn. There were few of them. Why not pick the Egyptians instead, who were great and mighty? God chose them because he chose to love them. God invited them to commune with him at the table, and before they would go to the table, they went to the altar. The Altar led to to the table. The Sacrifice led to communion.  

                When God chose Gentiles, there was nothing particularly virtuous about us. Most gentiles were idol worshipers involved in every form of disgusting sin. But God loved man, and chose to extend communion to all men. To make this happen, God offered up his own son on the altar. Thanks to that sacrifice, we can enjoy communion with him at the table. The Table is our center of communion with God, and that was always his goal.

                In Revelation 21:3 we read “He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his people, and God himself will be with them. God’s ultimate goal has always been to destroy death and renew communion. God forgave us at the cross, but his ultimate goal is fellowship. We experience that fellowship through this table that we now take part in.