For it is a Remembering that Christ died for us.

Transcription

1 Holy Communion The Lord s Supper A Sacrament of the Church A Holy Reminder (A sermon for World Communion Sunday) I Corinthians 11: For many people this is a very sacred thing, a High, Holy Ritual of the Church. It is so sacred to some people that they will not partake of it unless they feel worthy! Others will not partake of it every time it is offered out of the desire to keep it Holy and Sacred, to keep it from becoming merely a ritual and therefore mundane. However, for all that we may think of it, and feel about it, Communion is actually a gift from God through the Church. For to God Communion is a means of Grace calling His children to the Table He has prepared for us to nourish and sustain us for His purpose. Communion is one of only two Sacraments we, the Church, celebrate. The other is Baptism. Communion, otherwise known as the Lord s Supper, is a Holy Reminder of all Christ did for us, does for us and will do for us. It is the Sacrament of Remembering. Jesus called his disciples to remember him in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup. Today that Remembering is what makes The Lord s Supper a Means of Grace for us. For Communion is one part ritual, the praying over and consecrating of the elements of bread and juice, and one part mystery, something that transcends the elements and becomes the Spiritual presence of Christ. We proclaim this mystery every time we share in the ritual and say, Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Communion is the only Sacrament of the Church that acknowledges and engages the past, present and future work of God with us. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and God s promises are just as persevering. When we come to the Lord s Table we are always coming at the Lord s invitation! And when we come to receive these elements of bread and juice we are receiving them not from the hands of men and women, but from the Lord s hand. For we remember how on the night that he was betrayed he took bread and blessed it, and the cup and blessed it, and then gave them to his disciples. And so we remember and bless the bread and the cup and receive these elements of Grace. For it is a Remembering that Christ died for us.

2 When we come to the Table of Grace we do not come worthy, sinless and clean. We will never be able to approach the Lord that way, for we all sin, every day, in more ways than we know or could ever acknowledge. No one is worthy. That is what the death of Christ proclaims! For as Paul puts it in Romans 3: 22-25: For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. We approach Communion humbly, honestly declaring our sinfulness knowing we do not deserve it, and yet God calls us to it because God loves us and wants to be in a renewed fellowship with us. For Paul later declares in Romans 5 vs.8: But God proves His love for us in that while we were yet (still) sinners Christ died for us. The Lord s Table is never a Table of Judgement for those who come humbly seeking reconciliation, it is always a Table of Grace (undeserved). For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3: 16 & 17) At Communion we celebrate this God of Grace who calls us to his table knowing we are not perfect. We come knowing we are there only by the Grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord who died for us. When I approach the Table of Grace I do so with the image of Jesus on the cross uttering those words we hear in Luke 23: 34, Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. For I don t know my own actions sometimes. Like Paul shares in the 7th Chapter of Romans I don t do the good I want to do, but the evil I hate. At the Table of Grace Jesus spreads his arms as on the cross welcoming me to come and lay my burdens, my sins, down at the foot of his cross that I may experience forgiveness. This is one means of Grace for us. The death of Jesus on the cross is remembered in the service of Communion, a Holy Reminder that we come at the Invitation of God to receive forgiveness of our confessed sins. We are not worthy, but by the Grace of God we are made worthy. I can t speak for you, but as for me, I need this Holy Reminder that I never need be afraid to come to Jesus. He knows my sins and as the agent of God s Love Jesus seeks to redeem me from them and make me whole again. For it is a Remembering that Christ has risen. At Communion we can mistakenly focus too much on the death of Jesus. However, if Jesus had simply died he would be no different from any other serious individual who gave his life for his beliefs. What makes what Jesus did on the

3 cross so marvelous is that Jesus was raised from that tomb of death. Jesus is alive! We serve a Risen Savior who is in the world today, as the words of that old hymn declares. And at Communion we meet this Risen Savior. It is from His hands that we receive these elements of Grace, for it is His Victory Table. Communion invites us to come not to nail Jesus to the cross all over again, but to kneel before the Risen Lord who seeks to raise us up from our fallen condition that we might serve Him in Joy. At the close of Matthew s Gospel we hear Jesus declare, And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. The Resurrected Jesus is our constant companion! At Communion we are reminded of this. So often I get to the place where I feel I am alone, making it on my own and just getting by. However, at Communion Jesus is reminding me that, Hey, I m here. I care. I want to help. Needing forgiveness from my sins is a crucial, and a vital part of my faith in Christ, but needing daily wisdom and guidance is just as crucial. I need to be reminded that the God who saves me still cares about what is happening to me day after day. As when those who were sick came to Jesus for healing, we too come to the Table seeking to be healed of the sickness in our lives. When feel broken we come to the Table to become whole again. At the Table of Grace we are reminded that this is the God we worship and this is the God Jesus makes known to us every day. It is a mystery, but somehow by the miracle of God Jesus is very present to us in the service of Communion. This Sacrament of Remembering shares God s Grace of continued presence and understanding with us that we may rise up from the altar and go forth knowing we do nothing alone. It gives us the chance to return God s invitation and ask God to come and be with us. In a painting of Jesus standing at the door knocking out of Revelation 3, it should be noted that the outside face of the door has no knob. Jesus knocks, but only we can let him in. At Communion we are at the altar of Christ, but Jesus is there too, knocking, seeking to come in and be part of our daily lives. In my hurried and busy life I tend to get out ahead of God and start thinking I can control my destiny. Then reality sets in and I discover I am not as great as I like to think. At Communion the resurrected Jesus meets me and ask, So, how s it going...really?! I look into those eyes of love and compassion and my heart pours forth my frustration, my pain, my weakness and my fear. Then God s Grace reaches out and says to me, This is fixable. Yes, at the Table of Grace we meet our Savior and Lord. In the elements of Grace we are reassured that we are not alone, Jesus is still with us. He meets us there. His love is there. His compassion is there. His understanding is there. And his knock is there for all who will hear it. In John s Gospel we hear about Jesus coming to the disciple by the Sea of Tiberias (Galilee). His gentle voice calls to

4 them after their long night of fishing. They are tired and frustrated. Into this scene Jesus comes, not judging, not condemning, not chastising, but only seeking to enter their situation. By first entering their circumstances he gains their trust, listening to their story. From there he can move them to that place that is best for them. At the Lord s Table Jesus enters our circumstances as we bring them in prayer and share our deepest feelings and thoughts. He listens and shows he cares. Then he guides and shows us a new path, a new way up from the pit we think we are in. At Communion we do not worship a dead leader, we fellowship with a risen Savior. Communion is a Holy Reminder of our Risen Lord. For it is a Remembering that Christ will come again. I like to know the book I am reading is going to turn out well when I begin reading it. If I like the main characters I don t want anything too bad to happen to them. When you like reading mysteries this can be a problem. Roberta would often jump to the end of a story to see if she wanted to continue to read the book. I can t say I have ever done this, but I do appreciate those who would. For many of us this issue is what makes Christianity so appealing. We know how it turns out. The ending of the story has already been told to us. We know Jesus died on the cross, and was raised victorious from the grave, and we know that some day Jesus is coming back. It is one thing to know that Jesus died for our sins, and still something more to know that Jesus is present with us to help us in our daily lives. However, in the message that Christ is coming again God is promising something for us that has power to address our greatest grief and deepest sorrow. At Communion we do not simply celebrate the Grace of God in Christ Jesus who died for our sins, or simply celebrate the Resurrected Jesus who is still present with us to help us in our daily living and witness. At Communion we are reminded that this world is not our home, but we have a home not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens. Theology has a term for this, eschatology. It is a big word to speak of matters concerning the end of time, judgement and the final destination of the soul. There is an eschatological reality in Communion, we are reminded that Jesus is coming again to judge the living, and the dead. We are reminded that there is a time to come when Jesus is going to gather to him all those who have been faithful to God. We are reminded what Jesus said to the disciples in John 14: I go to prepare a place for you... One element of this message is judgement. But for all who come to the Lord s Table this is a present reality and opportunity for confession. We come to the Table knowing we are not worthy, but knowing that Jesus meets us there to receive our confession and then Remind us that He has a place for us. Listen to

5 how Jesus said to the disciples in the upper room, I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father s kingdom. (Matthew 26: 29) Communion is a preamble to the great feast in Heaven, when God s Kingdom will be complete, when sin and temptation will be no more, where we will all be changed and made new, whole and completely as God intended us to be before sin came into the world. What a wonderful image! What a wonderful promise! We have a day coming when what Jesus started on the cross, made even greater by the empty tomb, God will complete never to be undone for all eternity. We will be perfect! We will never again have to wrestle with temptation, grieve our sins and mistakes, wallow in the shame of our faults and weaknesses, or feel the weight of our sorrows or shed tears of pain again. We have a place with God. For many whose loved ones have already died this message completes what the Resurrection began. We will not merely live again, but live with God. Those who have died with Jesus in their hearts already have this promise. For us who still wait for it with eager longing can have faith that we will be united with Jesus, and through Jesus with those we love. Listen to how Jesus says this in John 14 vs.3, And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. We will not wander aimlessly through the universe looking for heaven, but Jesus Our Lord will come personally and get us, just as he did for all those who have gone on before us. When we gather at the Lord s Table this is the Holy Reminder to us that Jesus knows us and will come for us. Imagine, if you can, the reception in heaven as we accompany Jesus there. Many imagine a loved one greeting them as they wander up to the gates of heaven, but for me this is a much more exciting imagine. Our Lord walking us into His Eternal Home. That reunion will still happen if our loved ones are there, but they will not come to meet us, but be cheering as Jesus escorts us there. All this if part of Communion! It is a mystery! It is a wonder! And yes, it is a ritual, a service the Church provides. But it is even more a gift from God to Remind us of All that God promised, and promises still. It is a Holy Reminder that sins can and will be forgiven, our Savior and Lord will be with us for daily guidance and comfort, and that a day is coming when all the pain, sorrow, trouble and stress of this world will be no more, for we will truly be with God. One final word. For everyone who worries that Communion is only for the good, the righteous, the perfect...hopefully you will have a new understanding and

6 appreciation of its true importance for us who seek faith and peace with God. For those of you who see it as merely a ritual and want to keep it sacred, maybe now you can relax and appreciate that there is nothing we can do to remove the holiness of this Sacrament as long as we seek to Remember Jesus. I need Communion, if for no other reason than because in this world of difficulty and strife I need a constant reminder of the Promises of God to me. Jesus died for me, so I don t have to worry over my inexhaustible sins that plague me. I can come and know mercy and forgiveness. I don t have to go it alone, my Savior is still with me always and he is only a heart beat away. I can find help in my every time of trouble. And this life with all it problems is not my home. Jesus has made a place for me and is coming again to get me and bring me home for good. Yes, I need a Holy Reminder of these great promises, so that I can live here as I want to live there.