We are excited to move into our next Practice in our yearlong series on the spiritual disciplines! Today, we start into the practice of 'community' by taking Communion together, since the community of the church finds its center at Christ's table.

Brock's teaching explores what it means for the church to collectively be the body of Christ in the world. He argues that in Christ's physical absence, the church is commissioned and empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the work Jesus did during his earthly ministry. Drawing on Paul's treatment of communion in 1 Corinthians 10, the sermon presents a multi-layered understanding of the bread as representing Christ's historical body, our participation in that body through communion, and the church as Christ's living body in the world. Brock challenges the congregation to think about communion not in terms of fragmentation but multiplication, just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish to feed thousands. The sermon then turns to the blood of Christ as the singular bond that unites the church, arguing that shared opinions, values, and politics are secondary to the two things that truly bind believers together: their sin and Christ's blood.