As it’s St Fillan’s 900th anniversary I’m looking at Rev. Rutherford’s children’s address, where he talks about the history of the church, this one is for 11th June 1967, and he is talking about the Communion Table.
Next Sunday you won’t be here as it’s Communion Sunday, but if you did come you would find the Communion Table to be covered with a white table cloth just as you do at home. We put on the table cloth because we are going to have a meal, one to which we have been invited by our Lord Jesus himself.
You will remember on the last evening before his death he arranged for a meal in an upper room in Jerusalem and the sat round a table and had bread and wine and he said, “eat this meal and you will recall all the things I have said and done and particularly my death“.
Ever since then his followers have obeyed this command and when they me they would have this meal and it would help them to remember Jesus and how he died for them. Some people do this every week, some every month and some just a few times a year. But for all it helps them to remember that Jesus died on the cross, that he came amongst us to help us be more like him.
On the Communion Table are small carvings to remind us still more of his life and death and how he rose again. On the left is a rose – to remind us of his birth, to the right a lily – to remind us how he rose from the grave, in the centre are the sheaf of corn and a bunch of grapes to remind us of the bread and wine – to remind us of of the Last Supper Jesus had in the upper room.