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We are
finishing our series of sermons on the sacrament of Communion. By now, I bet
you could tell me what a sacrament is. In a sacrament, God uses ordinary,
physical things to point us to and give us the gift of divine love and power
that we call grace.
Today’s sermon
is the hardest of the series. There are certain things I want to make sure we
cover. There are other things I wanted to include, but I know we will not have
time for. I also want to answer your
questions. So let’s get rolling and see where we end up.
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John 6:56-69
56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in
them. 57 Just as the living Father
sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because
of me. 58 This is the bread that came
down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But
the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at
Capernaum.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is
difficult; who can accept it?” 61 But Jesus, being aware that
his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend
you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he
was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives
life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and
life. 64 But among you there are
some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that
did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come
to me unless it is granted by the Father.”
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer
went about with him. 67 So Jesus asked the twelve,
“Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him,
“Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of
God.”[1]
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One of the reasons I wanted to do this sermon series is
that Communion is often misunderstood – or just not understood at all. In some
ways, Communion has lost its meaning. It has become, for many, a burden.
Something extra that makes us get out of church late.
So with this series, I wanted to broaden your
understanding of what Communion is and why we do it. I wanted to help you see
the benefits of the sacrament and to gain a new or renewed appreciation. It is
my hope and prayer that through this series of sermons, you know that God’s
grace is available to you in the sacrament and that you have a hunger for that
grace.
Part of helping us better understand Communion is
answering questions we have. So I want to do that first. One of the common
questions that people have concerning the Lord’s Supper is who can take
Communion. I received a couple of questions along these lines last week. Can an
unsaved person take Communion? Is Communion always open to non-members of the
United Methodist Church? Another common question is; can children take
Communion?
We practice an Open Table. That means that, as This Holy Mystery says, “All who respond
in faith to the invitation are to be welcomed.”[2]
Our open table means that children are welcome. It means that non-members are
welcome. It means that those who are not saved or are not Christians are
welcomed. It is our faithful response to Christ’s invitation – to God’s grace –
that brings us to the table, not membership, or a certain age, or any other
distinction.
As for those who are not saved, or those who have not
accepted the call to discipleship, Gayle Felton says, “The sacrament might provide the first
opportunity for a person to recognize their sin and ask for forgiveness.”[3]
In fact, a pastor friend of mine told the story just this week of her own
conversion through Communion. As she heard those words, “This is the body of
Christ; this is the blood of Christ,” and heard her name called, she decided to
accept God’s gift of salvation and begin her journey of discipleship.
Another question I received was, “If you never take
communion will you make it to heaven?” A similar concerned not taking
Communion. Is there anything wrong with not taking Communion? I’ll say it this
way, not taking Communion won’t keep you out of heaven. John Wesley said this:
“The first reason why it is the duty of every Christian [to take Communion] is
because it is a plain command of Christ.” The second reason, he says, is “because
the benefits of doing it are so great.”[4]
Communion is a matter of obedience, and it is beneficial. It is how we receive
God’s sanctifying grace that helps us grow on our journey of salvation.
Communion is important in our salvation, because it is a
means of grace – by which we break free from the power of sin. Someone asked
how we might respond to those who don’t believe in the importance of Communion
as it relates to salvation. I think that is two-fold.
One, they probably have a different understanding of
salvation. Our understanding of salvation is that it is a life-long process. It
is not a single moment. It is not a one-time event. We are delivered from the
penalty of sin in an instant, but true salvation is God’s grace breaking the
power of sin.
The second part of their not considering Communion’s role
in salvation is their understanding of Communion. For many traditions, the
Lord’s Supper is not a sacrament, but an ordinance. Something ordained and
commanded by Jesus. You do it, not because of any spiritual benefit, but
because you are commanded to do so. We believe Communion is more than an
obligation. It is more than something we do because we’re told to do it. We
believe it is one way we experience God’s saving grace.
The next set of questions I received deal with the
elements themselves. What kind of bread should be used – leavened or
unleavened? We use grape juice instead of wine, could other liquids be used?
Why are you supposed to dispose of the elements in a certain way?
At the Last Supper, Jesus used unleavened bread. That
meal was, according to Luke’s gospel, a Passover Seder, at which unleavened
bread is used. In Communion, either leavened or unleavened is acceptable. Our
official position is that the bread, “look and taste like bread.”[5]
As for the cup, we use grape juice instead of wine. This
practice goes back to the late 19th century temperance movement.
Wine and, for us, grape juice are the traditionally accepted drinks used. But
we are not limited to just those. This
Holy Mystery says this, “Variations may be necessary in cultural contexts
where the juice of the grape is unavailable or prohibitively expensive.”[6]
For example, some areas use coconut water, because it is cheap and readily
available. Several years ago, the church I attended used water on World
Communion Sunday as a sign of solidarity with those impoverished areas.
As for the proper disposal of the elements, we are to
treat the consecrated elements with respect. This Holy Mystery says, “We respect the elements because God is
using them for holy purposes.”[7]
We don’t believe they have undergone any physical changes, as I talked about
last week, but they are set apart for sacred use. Because of that, we don’t
want to simply throw them in the trash.
Proper methods of disposal include the pastor or others
consuming the leftovers, “returning them to the earth” by pouring, scattering,
or even burying them. Another is by taking them to share with shut-ins or those
who are ill and unable to attend worship.
This morning, we are gathered as one worshipping
community to celebrate one of the purposes, meanings, and benefits of
Communion. One I have not talked about yet. In our scripture this morning,
Jesus tells the gathered crowd that those who eat and drink abide in him and he
in them. In the Lord’s Supper, we commune with Christ. But there is another
aspect.
In Communion, we are joined to Christ and we are joined
to one another. After this teaching, John tells us that many of those following
Jesus left. But the 12 remained. Peter’s answer to Jesus was, “Lord to whom can
we go?” They knew that they were joined to Jesus, and in that, they were joined
to one another.
One of the meanings of Communion is fellowship, community.
Swiss theologian Ulrich Zwingli said that Communion is “a sign of Christian
fellowship.”[8] In the Lord ’s Supper, we
come to the Table as one community. It is a shared experience. A shared
experience of thanksgiving, of healing, of reconciliation – of community.
It’s even in the name of the sacrament. Communion means
community – coming together as one body to partake of the grace of God. It is
in the sacrament, the gathering at the table, that we are the Body of Christ
fully realized.
One of the liturgies in our hymnal paraphrases 1
Corinthians. “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body.”[9]
As we come and we share in the bread and the cup, we are joined together, and
in some cases re-joined.
The table is a place of healing and reconciliation –a
place of love and redemption. It is a place where differences are set aside and
amends are made. It is a place where the Holy Spirit makes us “one with Christ,
one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.”[10]
At the table we are joined with one another and joined to
the church universal as the Body of Christ. We gather with those present, with
the Communion of saints, with other Christians around the world – through the
body and the blood of Christ, we are made one.
One of the ways we can express community and fellowship
is something I mentioned earlier. By taking the elements to those in our faith
community who cannot attend worship, we extend the table and the community.
That may be a ministry one of you would like to take on. I know it would be meaningful
to you and to those you serve.
As we come to the table today, we come to be joined to
one another by the Holy Spirit. We come to celebrate Community.
I’ve told this story so many times that I know Abby is
tired of hearing it. When she was 3 or 4 years old, she loved Communion
Sundays. One Sunday, as we drove to church, I hear this booming voice from the
back seat – Abby never had a tiny voice – “Dad, are we having community today?”
Misty and I looked at each other and laughed and thought “Aw, how cute.” At the
time, I sort of blew it off. But as I thought about it – yes, that’s exactly
what we are doing.
We are having community today.
[1]
New Revised Standard Version, 1995
[3]
Felton, Gayle – United Methodists and the Sacraments;
p. 71
[4]
Wesley, John – The Duty of Constant Communion; I.1
[5]
This Holy Mystery; p. 30
[6]
Ibid; p. 31
[7]
Ibid.
[8]
Ibid; p. 4
[10]
Ibid; p. 10
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