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Communion ServicePart 5 of 8

Communion Service

David Mairs
Psalms 91
2 November 2025
20 min

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0:00 I wonder if you have ever been caught out in one of those heavy rain showers that we seem to be having more regularly than we would like. You know the ones I'm talking about? The ones where you can get really drenched, sideways rainstorms. And you know that moment in the middle of a rainstorm when you suddenly realise, I need to get out of here, I need to find some shelter. And you normally start to run somewhere. If you're out in a walk, you'll run towards an overhanging tree. If you're out in a car park, you'll run for the car. If you're in Ballyclare or wherever, you'll run into the nearest shop or cafe.

0:42 You just know that moment when you need to find shelter. You don't care how you look when you get there. Your hair's wet and dangling around you. Your clothes are wet. Your shoes are wet. You just want shelter. it's happened a number of times to Vivian and me I was going to show you a photo but I wasn't allowed if you know what I mean but recently we were out walking around our local area and we could see the clouds darkening we knew we were too far away to make it back home and we thought I hope that doesn't come our way but of course it did and the rain came and you know how we describe it it was chucking it down you would have thought someone was pouring buckets of water right in the sky right over where we were standing, and we were getting drenched. And we ran under a tree and suddenly realized this tree's of no help at all, because the rain was coming at an angle where it was getting under the branches and all over us.

1:36 So we ran across the road to the other side of it and got under a tree there, and we found shelter. And it was like, and the rain passed, and we were able to go on our way. But it was a real place of refuge, of a sense of being able to stay out of that drenching. Listen to these words at the start of Psalm 91. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. It's a beautiful thought.

2:19 One of those reminders that we can find shelter in our lives when we dwell within the presence of God, when we are close enough to rest in his shadow, when we understand that he is a place of refuge, a fortress, that sense of security, comfort, peace that comes when we are with him. God doesn't promise that when we dwell in the shelter that everything will be okay, that nothing untoward will ever happen to us, but rather he promised us that we are never alone and that he is with us regardless of our circumstances. And this psalm, as it was read by Rachel, reminds us of how hard and challenging that life can be, even at times it can feel frightening and we can be fearful. There are dangers all around us, some subtle, some not so subtle, and we need to know where to go in such times. I love how the writer of Hebrews talks about the importance of running to God for refuge. Reminds me of this sense that there's an urgency, we run, and that the hope he gives us is an anchor for the soul. All the BB boys are going, preach it. but you know what I mean it's deep it's secure it's steadfast it's that sense of being unmovable and Psalm 91 reminds us of an important truth that we are held by a faithful God and that's the space I want us to sit in today in the midst of our messy lives in the midst of our brokenness and our imperfections,

4:21 in these moments, we have the opportunity just to take this time and remind ourselves that we are held by a faithful God. I find great comfort in accepting my own weaknesses, my brokenness, my imperfections, because it reminds me of two things. Firstly, it reminds me of my need of Jesus. Secondly, it reminds me that I'm just like everyone else, flawed, broken, and damaged by sin. And I am someone who needs the Lord to hold me and do a work within me that changes me into the person that he wants me to be. So let's just walk slowly through this psalm and then we'll move into a time of sharing communion. The first thing that I thought would be interesting to look at is this idea of dwelling, the hidden life. Let's think about that small, powerful word at the start of the psalm, whoever dwells in the shelter of the most high.

5:33 Dwelling's not the same as visiting. Dwelling here means to live close to God, to rest in his protection, to make him your constant place of safety and peace, the refuge and strength that scripture so often refers to. And the original Hebrew translation, the literal translation is, he who sits in the secret place. I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I used to love getting wee secret places, building wee forts and dens and hiding in them and that sense of safety that you got from your wee secret place that you could run to. It's that kind of imagery and understanding. And there's a difference between someone who drops by your house for a coffee and someone who keeps a toothbrush there. One is visiting, the other belongs. All our children have toothbrushes at our house, our grandchildren I should say.

6:30 They don't just visit, they dwell, they spend time, they have overnights. And in a sense, they belong to us. When we go into the bathroom, we see them all, all six of them, all different colors. Everybody knows whose is whose. And when they're there, that's their, they go and use them. It's that sense of dwelling. And the invitation of Psalm 91 is for us to live to dwell with God. Heart, mind, habits, thoughts, every single moment of every single day, in a sense, acknowledging that God is with us in everything that we are doing.

7:14 To be aware that his presence never leaves, it's there. And to rest in that truth. And what this does is it signifies a deep, intimate relationship that we can have with God. That sense of taking time to be still and to know him personally. And that's exactly what communion reminds us of. It reminds us of the new covenant relationship that we have with God because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for us. It's not about what we do, but rather about what he has done and continues to do for us. And when we share bread and wine a little later, we're reminded that we don't just believe in Jesus, but that we belong to him.

8:08 We sit in that secret place with him. We dwell with him. And maybe this morning as you arrived in here, maybe life feels a little bit scattered as it can do. You don't know whether you're, you know what we say, don't know whether I'm coming or going. And you kind of a sense can move in and out of a feeling that God's near. Sometimes you feel his presence, sometimes you don't. And sometimes you're hoping to find a bit of peace here and there, but we struggle to stop long enough to rest. Never being still enough so that we can know God's presence, so we can sense his presence.

8:55 so that we can rest in his shadow and in that sense dwell in the secret place with him. And so this psalm is inviting us right now to stop running and to choose to settle ourselves into God's presence and to make our home under his wing. I love the truth that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end, and they're new every morning because God is faithful, and his faithfulness is great. And maybe today as we share communion in a way, it can be our new day, our dawn moment, a moment when we come, maybe after a long week of worry, exhaustion, disappointment, frustration, stress. My goodness, I'm sure if we all had time, we'd be here for weeks sharing about life and the challenges of it. But God is saying this morning to us, you're here. That's good.

9:57 You're here. You're mine. Come now in these moments and rest with me in the shadow of the Almighty. So I want you to do something with me right now. I want you to close your eyes. And I want you to take a deep breath. Inhale. Fill your lungs up and then slowly just go exhale.

10:28 And I want you to do that again. A big inhale. And a big exhale. And I want you to sense the reality of God's presence with you. His love for you. And his awareness of everything that is happening in your life. Dwelling the hidden life. And as the psalm moves on, we're going to kind of think about trusting the protected life.

11:01 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare, from the deadly pestilence. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day. These dangers are real. Life is full of known and unknown dangers. And the psalmist doesn't say these things because it's quite a chaotic picture as we read through the psalm of graphic imagery. But what he says is that these things do not have the final word. If you look carefully in the psalm, you'll see a turning point where he says, he will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

11:48 All of the stuff that was going on for the psalmist and is acknowledged in the psalm, we get this turning point. And what God is saying is it's not our strength, it's not our understanding, it's not our ability to control the outcome, but it's his faithfulness that we need to depend on. And again, the bread and the wine are signs of God's faithfulness in the midst of our mess. When life feels uncertain, we look to the cross and remember that he has already proved his unfailing love for us. By sending his son Jesus into this world to take the punishment for sin once and for all. And we'll do this today to remember, to give thanks, and to proclaim Christ's death for us until he returns. Recognizing God's goodness to us and remembering that he does not remember our sins anymore because of the cross. And what was accomplished there when Jesus bore the wrath of God on our behalf.

13:03 His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. And of course, when you think about things like shields and ramparts, you know, shields protect from direct attacks. The rampart is a strong defensive wall around the city. And there's this picture of God's unfailing love protecting in different ways. His unfailing love and care for us. Because God is for us. He's not against us. And maybe today as you've come here, you're carrying a fear or a hurt.

13:38 You're anxious about what the future may hold and you're not in control. You can't fix it yourself. Maybe you're even in that nightmare moment where you cannot see how your circumstances will ever change. We need to be reminded that his faithfulness will be our shield and our rampart. and communion isn't for people who have figured it all out that everything's fine it's for people who say i trust you god even in the midst of my mess because your faithfulness to me will be my help my support and my protection and in ancient israel the idea of shields and ramparts were they were for communities not individuals they protected the city together with their shields and the walls and the ramparts that were built. And when we come to share communion, we do it as a community, as a family, together. We're reminding each other that we are covered, that we are safe, and that together we are under his wings. And then we have, at the end of the psalm, this idea of resting.

14:59 The challenge that we all find, the satisfied life. And this is interesting because we hear what the Lord has to say. It's not the psalmist in the sense that it's the Lord now talking in this situation. He says, because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him. I will protect him for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. There's something that's really intimate here.

15:37 God's stepping in to speak personally. It's not just poetry. It's a promise and God's promise is to rescue and protect those who acknowledge his name. Who call on him. Who love him. Who have placed their trust in him. And when we placed our trust in Jesus and repented of our sin and asked him forgiveness, he rescued us and promises to protect us. And when we hold bread, we're holding that promise again.

16:07 And when we drink the wine, we're drinking in the truth that God so loved me that he gave his only son. That if I believe in him, I should not perish but have everlasting life. And we know that the reality is it's not just about me, but we're told that God so loved the world that he gave. I think sometimes people worry that they're not worthy enough to take communion. Psalm 91 never says, because he is perfect and has it all together, I will rescue him. I'm thankful that the Bible never says that. What it does says is because he loves me. And I suppose we need to ask that question of each other this morning.

16:58 Do you love him? Do you love him? And if your heart today says, Lord, I do love you. And I do need you. Forgive me for the times that I mess up and help me to dwell with you in that secret place. Close enough to you that I'm in your shadow. How close do you feel to the Lord? How much time do you spend in his presence?

17:39 Just resting, listening, enjoying, acknowledging him. Because if that's where you are, this is a time for you to participate and remember the Lord in the way he has asked you to. look at how this psalm ends with long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation I find this challenging to consider and to think about what does it mean with long life what does it mean to have a satisfied life because not everyone has a long life we know that so what is this saying to us I think it's giving us an assurance that God gives us meaningful lives when we trust him but his salvation guarantees us eternal life with him wow Jesus said come to me come to me all you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. So let's come. Not because we have to, but because we are able to.

19:15 Not because we're strong in ourselves, but because we recognize we need his strength. Not because we have earned it or done anything, but rather because he invites us to come.

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About this talk

Using the image of shelter from a rainstorm, the speaker reflects on Psalm 91 and God as refuge amid life’s difficulties. The talk explores dwelling in God’s presence, relying on his faithfulness and finding rest in his promises, connecting these themes with communion and the Christian community.

Bible passages

Psalms 91 (main passage)

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