The Scars of Grace

Introduction

There are scars that hurt, and there are scars that save a life. During Communion at Église Nice Métropole, Nadine Demoget takes the time to put its symbols back at the center of worship: the broken body and the shed blood are not empty rituals, they are the living traces of grace. In a time when some churches are being built without the cross, she reminds us that the sacrifice of Jesus is not a chapter of the past to be turned: it is the heart of the message, and it is what Jesus himself asked us never to forget.

Message Outline

1. Communion has its roots in the Passover

• The first Communion meal took place in an upper room, in Jerusalem, during the Passover meal: the lamb, the bread, everything was prepared for the Jewish Passover.
• It was in the middle of, or toward the end of, this meal that Jesus took the bread and the wine and shared them with his disciples.
• The early Church seems to have kept the same pattern: at every love feast, at every shared meal, the bread and the wine were at the center, Communion was not separated from ordinary life.
• Paul received this tradition and passed it on to the Corinthians: "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:23).

2. "Do this in remembrance of me"

• "This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24). Then: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:25).
• This is not a fixed ritual: it is a firm and persevering determination to remember until Christ's return.
• Acts 2:42 confirms this: the first disciples devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
• Jesus left us only two great symbols: baptism and Communion. That is no small thing. He was determined that his Church would never stop remembering the importance of the sacrifice.

3. A Church that forgets the cross loses its meaning

• A Church can face headwinds that push it to say: we can do without the cross. Today there are churches that exist without Christ, communities that are pleasant on paper but empty of meaning.
• The Church only has meaning if the cross is there. It only has meaning if the one who reigns within its walls is Christ.
• Persevering in the symbols of Communion is intentionally saying: "Lord, without the cross, there is nothing."
• Paul speaks of the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7). For generations to come, it will be a real fight to keep the cross at the center of our expectations and of our life of faith.

4. The scars of Jesus, the visible trace of grace

• On the cross, Jesus took our condemnation. He was free of any stain; that condemnation was not deserved by him, but he carried it so that we might have life.
• "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). The blood of Jesus is the source of life and of the forgiveness of sins.
• As he told the Samaritan woman, a river of living water flows in our hearts and springs up to eternal life (John 4:14). At the source of that living water is the work of the cross.
• When God looks at you now, he no longer sees what you were: he sees Jesus in you.

5. Grace, an undeserved gift renewed every morning

• Grace was not improvised. Two thousand years of history prepared this gift given at the cross.
• There is nothing to do to earn grace: there is simply a heart to open and a "yes" to say.
• Grace is having your name written in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 21:27). It is standing before the Lord each day and knowing that he listens to you.
• Grace is a gift renewed every morning, God's love made personal in Jesus Christ. It is offered to all who desire it: you have nothing to earn, you simply have to say "yes."

Key Takeaways

• Communion is the memorial Jesus himself wanted: taking the bread and the cup is refusing to forget the cross.
• The Church has no meaning without the cross, without the cross, the Christian community becomes an empty shell.
• The scars of Jesus are the visible trace of a grace that had a price: a real broken body, real shed blood.
• Grace is not earned, it is received: all it takes is to open your heart and say yes to Jesus.
• When God looks at you today, he no longer sees what you were; he sees Jesus in you.

Personal Application

1. The next time you take Communion, what will you truly want to remember about the sacrifice of Jesus?
2. Where in your faith are you tempted to set the cross aside a little, like an old chapter to move past?
3. If you saw the scars of Jesus today as the trace of his grace for you, what would that change in the way you live?
4. Is there an area of your life where you are still trying to earn grace, when it is already offered to you freely?
5. How do you want to welcome tomorrow morning this grace "renewed every morning"?

Verses Cited

• 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 — "This is my body... this cup is the new covenant in my blood"
• Acts 2:42 — The disciples devoted themselves to the teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer
• Hebrews 9:22 — Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness
• John 4:14 — The water I give will become a spring welling up to eternal life
• 2 Timothy 4:7 — I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith
• Revelation 21:27 — The Lamb's book of life
• Matthew 28:20 — I am with you always, to the very end of the age
• Psalm 23:4 — Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me

Further reading

• How to Give Constructive Feedback to a Volunteer
• Encouraging participation in small groups
• New Church Leader Mistakes: How to Avoid Them

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Jesus institute Communion during Passover?

Because the Jewish Passover already recalled Israel's deliverance through the blood of the lamb. Jesus willingly places himself within that story: he himself becomes the Lamb whose blood delivers. By instituting Communion at the heart of the Passover meal, he shows that his death fulfills what Passover had announced for centuries.

Is Communion truly the body and blood of Jesus?

No, they are not literally the body and blood of Christ, as Nadine Demoget reminds us. They are symbols Jesus intended to recall the work of the cross. "Do this in remembrance of me" (1 Corinthians 11:24): the bread and the cup are the visible traces of a grace that was paid, once for all, in his broken body and shed blood.

Why keep observing Communion if we already know the Gospel?

Because the Church tends to forget what is central. Jesus knew how easily the cross could be pushed behind other priorities. Persevering in Communion is declaring each time: "Lord, without the cross, nothing has meaning." It is a deliberate, regular act, until his return.