An Optical Illusion
Eucharistic Meditation
In well-ordered churches, where pastors preach the whole counsel of God, and congregants are sincerely endeavoring to walk with maturity in the Lord, an optical illusion can develop.
By this, I mean that some of you may be tempted to look around each Sunday and think that you are surrounded by people who are much better than you. They are dressed decently, you’ve never heard him say something unkind to his wife, she’s always smiling at her husband, maybe their kids sit cheerfully still… whatever it is—they seem to have things together. On the other hand, you know your own sin. You know you snapped at your wife this morning, or disrespected your husband last night, or gossiped with your roommate, or gave in to a particular sin again. And you begin to wonder if you really belong here.
But the reality is that we do not walk around with our sins displayed on our foreheads for all to see (thank God). This room is full of Christians who have done all manner of wickedness, making your own offenses nothing unique. And so what this means is that despite this optical illusion, you belong here just as much as anyone else, provided that you are coming with simple and sincere faith in the Lord.
When you confess your sins and come to this Table, you and everyone else are coming as sinners Christ died for, sinners made saints. And that is very Good News. So keep your eyes on the Lord alone, and come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.
This communion meditation was given on September 14, AD 2025 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.