Baseball games and taking communion

     It was an outing that had been long delayed but much anticipated as I went to a baseball game last night.  I hadn't been to a baseball game for several years and noticed right away the changes in security and the crowd control.  Police were visible everywhere and there was a man with "Liquor Control" in large letters on his shirt.  The rest appeared the same with the vendors, crowds supporting both teams and of course that 7th inning stretch.  Why am I telling you this?  You've probably gone to games and seen the same things and experienced the same events.  I was struck with the similarity between the crowds and the early church taking communion.  The event, according to the Bible had taken a turn towards the worse.  People had become involved with the tailgate parties, the being separate while in the same place with those around them, eating and drinking without control or reverence to the real meaning of communion.  With the baseball game we'd expect just this as it's a world focused event.  With the church?  Not so much.  However, here we are in the first century church seeing the same thing.  Maybe there is a bit of that going on in the churches still.  Why?
     In the taking of communion, like baseball, there is preparation needed to be able to participate.  One needs to have a clean heart, having made amends with those sinned against by taking care of the issue before taking of communion. The church today doesn't preach the need for being right before God and man today.  The church doesn't warn the participants that to take communion without being right before God has pretty heavy consequences.  Going to a baseball game not so much.  Churches talk more about baseball games than they do about communion.  This is what needs to be done.  First, be right with God.  That means being clean from sin.  That means being right with your brother or sister in Christ.  That means having made peace/amends with those with whom you have unresolved issues with.  Secondly, be aware of the sacrifice of God when Jesus went to the cross to make a way to have life and then life abundantly because of what he has done.  We certainly can't do this ourselves.  Thirdly, we need to understand the significance of communion.  The significance of communion in our spirit of humility knowing that there is no way we can appease God for our sins.  So then we share the Lord's table taking the bread representing the body of Christ broken for you.  Then taking the juice/wine which represents the blood Christ spilled that took his life.  All of this for you and I!
     If we don't arrive before the communion of the Lord in this frame of mind, the Bible tells us that we drink and eat the condemnation and judgement of God.  Wait a second!  This isn't present at the baseball game!  You are right.  However, this is present before God.  It's a serious frame of mind that the early church addressed so that we can have clear understanding of what spiritual position we need to achieve in order to be pleasing to  God and to glorify his Son who died and rose again so that we can have eternal life.  Communion isn't about the way we act at a baseball game.  Communion is about how we act daily in the presence of God toward our fellow man.  Do we share the Gospel?  Do we take care of the widow?  Do we care for the orphan?  Jesus did, does and always will. It's your choice.  Make it before you take communion.