PODCAST
Examen*
March 20th, 2024
1 Corinthians 11:28-34
Life can be busy and frantic. Living such a way can often lead to an unexamined life. We can become unaware of what is shaping us. We may read a devotional in the morning, but then all day we are inundated by ads everywhere. We may have television shows, podcasts, newscasts, and other types of media trying to shape us into their idea of the proper type of consumer.
The church has ideas about what we should consume, too. In the most profound way, we become what we eat through the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. We should be consumers of Christ, but this is a different type of consumption. It is intentional, reflective, life-changing. That’s why Paul commanded self-examination before consuming the body and blood of Christ.
It is a practice which, when done well, transforms the life of a church. We become unified in knowing that all of us are sinners in need of God’s grace. All of us are made whole, not through our own efforts, but through participation in Christ.
*Examen is a devotional exercise involving reflection on and moral evaluation of one’s thoughts and conduct, usually performed on a daily basis.
Author: Ryan Quanstrom
March 20th, 2024 at 8:00 am
As I read the Scripture focus in 1 Corinthians 11 I found that the Sacraments in the life of our denomination is limited to Communion, Baptism. Today I began in prayer and then reading this post. The one thing that stood out to me was the command of Paul to “….self-examination before consuming the body and blood of Christ “ . Then The *Examen instruction , “ …reflection on moral evaluation of one’s thoughts and conduct ….” The intentional self care spiritually is key to my health in “Abiding In Christ “