Ordinary Communion

Psalm 103:1-5

Most of us walk into a service like this thinking communion is a special moment, and we are right. At the same time, many of us also walk into this moment on spiritual autopilot. We sit in the same seats, in the same room, listening to familiar words about the bread and the cup. It can start to feel like one more routine in a life already loaded with routines. You drove the same roads here. You drank your usual coffee. You scrolled through the same apps. Now you sit in the same sanctuary, holding the same little cup and piece of bread. It all can feel very ordinary.

Psalm 103 refuses to treat ordinary things as disposable. David begins, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” David knows how quickly the human heart starts to assume, to drift, to forget. David knew we would forget the benefits that show up every single day, wrapped in routine. David says, “Do not do that. Do not forget His benefits. Name them. Remember them. Bless Him for them.”

Think about your last twenty-four hours. That cup of coffee that warmed your hands this morning. The bed you woke up in. The car that started when you turned the key. The fact that clean water came out of a faucet when you turned it on. The friend who sent a message and checked on you. The breath you just took without thinking. None of that is guaranteed. None of that happened because the universe owes you anything. Every bit of that was mercy. You woke up today in a world where God decided again to keep your lungs working and your heart beating. You did not schedule that. You did not pay for that. You received it.

The problem is that our hearts like to move everything into the category called “of course.” Of course the power works. Of course the refrigerator runs. Of course the car starts. Of course my body woke up today. The more we say “of course,” the less we say “thank You.” When you believe you are owed everything, you will be grateful for nothing. Psalm 103 is a direct challenge to that attitude. David pulls the lens in very close and forces his soul to remember. Forgiveness. Healing. Rescue. Love. Compassion. Daily renewal. He treats those realities as benefits, not daily routines.

That brings us to communion. Because in a few moments, you are going to hold two of the most ordinary objects in the world. A small piece of bread. A small cup of juice. Nothing flashy. Nothing impressive to the eye. If you saw these on a table at home, you would not think twice. Yet here, this simple bread points to the body of Christ given for you. This simple cup points to the blood of Christ poured out for the forgiveness of sins. Ordinary in your hand, eternal in their meaning.

This table is the clearest picture of what Psalm 103 celebrates. “Who forgives all your iniquity.” At the cross, Jesus took the judgment you and I earned, so that God could give us mercy we never could earn. The greatest benefit you will ever receive is not a job, a house, a healing, or a miracle you can post online. The greatest benefit is that the holy God you offended now calls you forgiven, beloved, adopted, and secure because of the death and resurrection of His Son. If God did nothing else for you beyond the cross and the empty tomb, you would still have enough reason to bless His name for all eternity. Yet on top of that, He keeps handing you breath, food, shelter, friendships, strength, and thousands of small mercies every day.

So this communion moment is not about checking a religious box. It is about waking your soul up. It is about saying, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” It is about refusing to treat the body and blood of Jesus like religious routine. It is about bringing all those ordinary mercies from the last week into this room and laying them next to the mercy of the cross. The same God who put food in your refrigerator and gas in your car is the God who put His Son on the cross for your salvation. The same hands that guided you through another hard week are the hands that were pierced for you.

So here is the move I want to invite you to make as we prepare to receive the bread and the cup. Pick one ordinary gift from your life that you usually ignore. Maybe it is running water. Maybe it is a job that pays your bills. Maybe it is the friend who keeps showing up for you. Maybe it is the fact that you are still here, still breathing, even after everything you have been through. Bring that one ordinary gift into your mind and hold it before God. Then add to it this extraordinary mercy, that Christ died for your sins and rose again so you could be forgiven.

In your heart, pray something like this: “Lord, I see this gift. I receive this gift. I am grateful for this gift.” Let that sentence cover the small gift and the great gift. Thank Him for the roof that covers your head and thank Him for the blood that covers your sin. Thank Him for the food in your kitchen and thank Him for the bread of life who satisfies your soul. Thank Him for the people who love you and thank Him for the Savior who loved you first.

Psalm 103 exalts the mercy of God, yet it also quietly exposes our forgetfulness. Maybe you walked into this service complaining more than thanksgiving. Maybe you have been moving through life assuming everything should go your way. Maybe you have treated your salvation like a boring fact instead of a burning fire. This is the time to confess that. Tell the Lord the truth. Acknowledge where entitlement has replaced gratitude. Admit where you have been living as if you are owed. Then let this table preach to you. You were not owed the cross. You were not owed the forgiveness of one sin, much less all of them. You were not owed the presence of the Holy Spirit, the promises of Scripture, or the hope of eternity. All of it is grace and mercy.

In a moment, when you hold the bread and the cup, do not rush. Let your fingers feel the simplicity of these elements and let your heart feel the weight of what they mean. Ordinary gifts in your hand, pointing to the greatest benefit your soul will ever know. Remember the words of Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.” As you eat and drink, do exactly that. Remember. Receive. Be grateful. Let your gratitude grow as you reflect on God’s great gift to you.