Today, I served communion for the first time as a deacon.
It was a simple act on the surface. Passing bread. Offering the cup. Yet it carried a weight I did not fully anticipate. Serving as a deacon is an act of service and sacrifice, and in that moment, I felt both more deeply than ever before.
In the Baptist faith, communion is one of our two ordinances. It is not a ritual for its own sake. It is a continual reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and His example of humble obedience. Communion calls us to remember the cost of grace and to examine our own hearts before God. It renews our relationship with Him by drawing us back to the cross and reminding us why we serve.
Covid changed how we observe communion. What was once prepared and served by deacons became prepackaged cups handed out at the door. The meaning never changed, but the act of service did. Today, returning to the role of the deacon in serving communion felt like restoring something sacred. It felt personal.
As I passed the bread and the cup, my thoughts kept returning to my father.
My father served as a deacon when I was a child. I distinctly remember his first time serving communion. At the time, I did not understand what it meant. I did not grasp the responsibility placed on him or the quiet sacrifice required. I only knew that he stood at the front of the church with a seriousness I had not seen before.
When I was ordained as a deacon, those memories began to resurface. Today, as I served communion, they came into sharp focus. I could see him clearly in my mind, passing the cups and the bread with reverence and care. In that moment, I was not just serving alongside other deacons. I was walking a path my father had walked before me.
As a child, I saw only the outward actions. As a deacon, I now understand the inward weight. Service is not about recognition. It is about obedience. It is about placing yourself in a position to meet the needs of others while pointing them toward Christ. My father lived that lesson quietly, and I did not fully appreciate it until now.
Communion renews my relationship with God by reminding me of Christ’s sacrifice. It also deepens my understanding of what faithful service looks like. Christ served with humility, love, and complete submission to the Father. My earthly father modeled that same spirit in his own imperfect but faithful way.
There is a new respect that comes with understanding. I feel closer now to both my Heavenly Father and my earthly one. I see more clearly how God uses faithful men to shape us, often in ways we do not recognize until years later.
My father died in 2012. Today, I wished he were here. I wished I could sit with him and talk about these memories. I wish I could tell him that I finally understand. I wish I could thank him for showing me, through his actions, what service and love look like.
Though I cannot speak to him now, I believe the lessons he lived out remain. They live in the way I serve. They live in the way I approach communion. They live in my renewed commitment to follow Christ’s example.
Today, communion was more than remembrance. It was connection. It reminded me that God uses both heavenly grace and earthly examples to draw us closer to Him. In serving the table, I found myself deeply thankful for the Father who gave His Son, and for the father who quietly showed me how to serve.