I take it that one of the things we do when we share the communion meal with our brothers and sisters in the Lord is look forward to the great wedding feast, the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

So why don't we enjoy it more? Certainly, the most common expression on people's faces at the communion meals I've eaten is solemn. And usually there's a determined attempt to keep it a private experience,to avoid catching anyone else's eye, to acknowledge others at the table.

But that's not the way we celebrate the wedding feast. The bridegroom invites his guests to 'Eat friends, drink, and be drunk with love' (Song of Songs 5:1). Sounds like a proper party to me.

So, maybe next time you eat and drink, and rejoice in the Lord's death which has brought you into this family, you could try smiling at the people around you. Just a thought.