“And When He Had Given Thanks…”
That’s how verse 24 of 1 Corinthians 11 opens. With those words, Paul begins correcting a young Christian community in Corinth—a church that had already wandered far from its calling.
We don’t need to unpack the entire list of issues here, but it was extensive: divisions, rivalries, sexual immorality, confusion about marriage, disorder in worship, even debates over basic beliefs. This wasn’t just a situation where their “walk” wasn’t lining up with their “talk.” It was a deeper problem. They had misunderstood the very heart of the teaching of Christ.
I’m reminded of a conversation I had with my brother years ago. I can’t remember what we were discussing, but I remember him pausing mid-sentence: “Hold on—I need to order lunch.” He rattled off a “number something,” added “super-size it,” and when the cashier asked what he wanted to drink, he replied, without irony, “A diet soda.”
I couldn’t help laughing. “Why bother?” I asked. A single diet drink wasn’t going to change the outcome of that meal.
We both recognized the humor—and the truth. You can’t fix a core issue by adjusting the edges. Real change doesn’t come from trimming the margins; it begins at the foundation.
And that’s precisely what Paul does in 1 Corinthians 11. Instead of offering the Corinthians minor tweaks to their behavior, he brings them back to the center of their faith. He reminds them of the table. Of the upper room. Of the moment Jesus took bread and wine on the night before His betrayal.
“And when He had given thanks…”
With that simple phrase, Paul points them back to the intimacy, the sacrifice and the transforming work of Christ. Jesus gave thanks over elements that symbolized His body broken and His blood poured out—a gift meant to reshape not just their rituals, but their lives.
As we step into this season of gratitude, my hope is that our own giving of thanks doesn’t become a mechanical gesture—something we do as automatically as buttering a Thanksgiving roll. Instead, may it draw us back to the foundation. Back to the One whose sacrifice still re-centers, renews and transforms.
May our thanksgiving be more than a ritual.
May it be a response to the One who first gave thanks—and then gave Himself.
Categories: Acts17seventeen Christian Christianity Community Follower Of Jesus
Pastor Mark
Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.
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