Readings: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16, Acts 7:55-60, John 14:1-14, I Corinthians 11:23-29
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, May 7, 2023
This morning I want to take you on a journey – a journey towards the Communion Table. Along the way I want to share with you six signposts from the Scriptures. These signs are designed to direct us to the table.
SIGNPOST 1: Our first sign comes from 1 Corinthians 11:26;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
Our celebration is often called a Memorial or a Remembrance of Christ. At the table we look back to the life of our Savior. We see how He was born as a helpless baby in the manger, how He grew to be obedient to the will of God, how He told us about His Father and brought peace and healing to many lives. We see how He gave himself for the sake of all people, accepting death upon a cross for our sakes. He claimed to bear our sins. We see how God raised Him from the dead and He is declared Lord of all.
We proclaim His death, that His death was not the ultimate calamity, but the ultimate victory of a life filled with God’s love, a life in which we are called to share. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
SIGNPOST 2: Our second signpost is from 1 Corinthians 10:16:
“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”
Around this table many have testified that they have sensed God presence in a special way. The bread and wine, representing for us Christ’s body and blood, call us to share in the life of the Savior who died for us and was raised for us.
Symbols, such as bread and wine, have been described as “interpretations to the heart” through which we experience a fellowship with Christ that is unable to be put into words.
As we commune with Him, we know we're not alone. We need never give in to fear or despair, for He stands with us and shares in our lives. “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”
SIGNPOST 3: Whilst we come to this table as individuals, our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11: 20-21 reminds us we are also a community of faith. The Corinthian church was in danger of forgetting this, so Paul chastises them,
“Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper, for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”
That was not how it was meant to be! Fellowship with God, and with each other, is an important element of our celebration. A church manual belonging to the year 150 A. D, one of the earliest church documents outside of the Scriptures called the ‘Didache’, contains the following prayer to be said over the bread.
“As this broken bread, once disbursed over the hills was brought together and became one loaf, so may the church be brought together from the ends of the earth into thy kingdom."
“May the church be brought together." Let us remember each other around this table. We are not alone in our hurts or our needs. We are to come together in fellowship, to worship God. We remember Christ’s life, we sense His presence, not in isolation but as a community. And as a community there are things that should color our celebration.
SIGNPOST 4: Our next signpost points us to one of the things that should be part of our celebration - thanksgiving. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 says;
“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said,"This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
“When He had given thanks.” Some traditions of the church refer to the Lord’s Supper as the ‘Eucharist’, a Greek word meaning "Thanksgiving." Jesus gave thanks. For what? For the fact that He was about to be betrayed and tried by a corrupt court? For the fact He was about to endure untold suffering and face an untimely death? If anyone had cause to complain about His lot, it would be Him! Instead, He gave thanks.
As we review our life, no doubt we can find things to complain about. If we take a deeper look, we will find a great deal to be thankful about. Not only has God given us our "daily bread", but here at this table, we see God’s promise to nourish our spiritual lives, that God is able to meet the deepest needs of our hearts and minds. Now is a time for counting our blessings.
Jesus gave thanks. So should we.
SIGNPOST 5: We should count our blessings in hope; our next signpost, 1 Corinthians 11:26 declares;
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”
"Until He comes." Those three little words remind us that the best is yet to be. They look forward to the time when people, all people, will give Jesus Christ His rightful place in their lives. That day may be today, or it may be a thousand years away, but until Christ’s reign is established upon earth, we are told to praise Him by gathering together at His table with the expectant hope of a living faith.
SIGNPOST 6: Our final signpost, bids us not to speed towards the table! Just as roads have speed limits for our safety, so we are told in 1 Corinthians 11:28;
“But let a man examine himself first, and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
The word “Sacrament” was one used in Greek to describe a pledge, an oath of allegiance or a vow of loyalty. Only a fool would rush into a deep commitment without giving it serious thought. As we come to this Sacrament of Holy Communion, Paul simply says, "Examine yourself first.” Use this as a time for putting your life right with God. See how much God has given for you, and respond by placing your life in God’s hands.
Let a person examine themselves first!
Such are some of the signposts we see in the Scriptures as we travel towards the table. We haven't exhausted them all by any means. Those we've seen remind us:
- This is a time of remembrance.
- This is a time to focus on Christ.
- It's a time the sharing in His love.
- It's something we share in together as a community of faith.
- It's a time of thanksgiving
- It’s a time to pledge our loyalty to God.
These are some of the signposts that point us to towards the table, signposts that people all over the world will be looking towards that they may deepen their fellowship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
As we approach the table this morning,
May we rejoice in the knowledge we are part of a community,
Called to remember Jesus Christ in this special way,
Taking bread and wine in simple faith.
For when we remember Jesus in this way,
His promise is that the Holy Spirit will renew our lives.
To God’s Name be all the Glory!
AMEN
Rev. Adrian J Pratt B.D.
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