From Pagan Fear to the Father’s Table

Eucharistic Meditation

Recently, I met with Reuben Henriquez, who was sent by Trinity Reformed Church here in Moscow with his wife, Lydia, to serve as missionaries and Bible translators among the Ganj people in Papua New Guinea. We discussed practices among the various village churches there, and he shared something with me that I found very surprising.

He said that many churches do not practice communion except when someone is first baptized.

This is not because of some ecclesiastical or liturgical doctrine, such as requiring and lacking ordained ministers. But rather, it stems from an unfortunate misunderstanding of God’s character—a fear rooted in the lingering paganism they left behind.

They have read 1 Corinthians 11, in which the Apostle Paul warns the church that if they receive the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, they can drink judgment upon themselves, causing illness and even death. And so rather than receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper as a gift that it’s intended to be, these Papuans would rather pass—afraid that God will harm them.

In this, God is more like a spirit from their pagan past, always seeking to hurt rather than bless. They understand the presence and power of God, and perhaps even have a right belief in His holiness. But they do not understand Him as their good and loving Father who desires to bless them in every way.

I share this not to critique these brothers and sisters in their weakness, but to remind you of God’s blessing in your life. Every week you come to the Lord’s Table, you receive Christ’s body and blood, broken and shed for you, and you do so in faith, knowing that the Lord is kind to all who humbly come to Him. This is an enormous gift to know and understand God as He is, and also to receive Him and all His benefits.

So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

This communion meditation was given on August 16, AD 2026, at King’s Cross Church Downtown in Moscow, Idaho.