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before Christ was crucified He gathered His twelve disciples together
that He might have a quiet meal and talk with them. And it is that Last
Supper, as it is known, which we call to mind when we observe Communion
Sunday.

The first Christians did not have communion on Sunday. They used to have
a common meal together on weekdays, and at a neighbour's house. At these
meals they would recall the sayings of Jesus and His loving deeds.

But Christ not only had the Last Supper with His disciples, and taught
them to remember Him in the breaking of the bread: He also gave them the
lesson about the bread and the wine by which to remember Him.

You know how bread is made. Grains of wheat are put in the ground by the
farmer, and these grains give up their lives in order that other grains
may grow on the stalk at harvest-time. Then these grains are gathered
in, and finally ground into flour. Christ also gave up His life just as
those first grains of wheat in the ground. And He meant to tell us by
the bread at communion that if we are to help other people we must be
willing to give up our own selfish desires for their sake.

By the wine at communion Christ meant to teach us that just as the
branch of a grapevine must be attached to the stalk before there can be
grapes, so you and I must keep close to Christ in order to be able to
live the life of unselfishness which shows that we are His followers. He
says: "I am the vine, ye are the branches. Without me ye can do
nothing."

After Christ's death, whenever the disciples took their meal together,
they would think of Christ, and they would forgive one another and
become more gentle and loving. Whenever we see the communion-table
prepared, we also must think of Christ, forgive those who have wronged
us, and try still harder to be unselfish and kind.

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS CAROL

In England on Christmas eve boys and girls and men and women go about
the streets singing Christmas carols, or songs, at the doors of people's
houses, and the people for whom they sing give them tokens of their
good-will. The first verse of one of the oldest and best Christmas
carols is as follows:

"God rest you merry, gentlemen;
Let nothing you dismay,
For Christ was born of Mary
Upon a Christmas Day."

That is a very beautiful carol, but there is one still more beautiful.
It is the one the angels sang the night that Christ was born:

"Glory to God in the highest,
Peace on earth t