Emphasis Preaching Journal

The sacrament of holy communion was being celebrated. The family of God was kneeling at the altar railing as the elements were being distributed. “This is my body broken for you. This is my blood shed for you.” We hear these words so often that we may not really even think about them. Suddenly a little boy at the altar rail exclaims, “Oh, yuck,” in a voice loud enough for the entire church to hear. Two thousand years ago the Jewish people were probably thinking the very same thing. After all, they believed that any contact with blood made them unclean. Blood was spilled in battle.