Sermon: MORE THAN DINNER – 10/04/09

In my church growing up, we could not take communion until we were confirmed so I spent much of my childhood as a spectator looking on. As confirmation and the chance to finally participate approached so did disappointment. Because my birthday fell on the wrong side of some date picked by someone I was not able to go through confirmation with my classmates. For one more year I only watched on as my peers knelt to experience communion for the first time.It was common for the church in its early days to meet in the large homes of wealthier members since there were no church buildings. Often at the end of their worship time they shared a fellowship meal, kind of like a potluck following the church service. Since the dining area could seat only a few, the host most likely selected those who ate with him while the rest ate in the open courtyard outside. This meal was then ended by the observation of the Lord’s Supper.
Paul writes some 20 years after the night Jesus met with his disciples in the Upper Room, “For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24 NLT)
Confirmation Sunday took place in my home church on Palm Sunday. In the spring of 1967 my turn finally came. My first time for Communion happened four days later at the Maundy Thursday service. We sat together as a class – me an 8th grader with a bunch of 7th graders. I was nervous – so nervous my stomach began to turn with much rumbling. I was sure everyone else could hear me – it seemed to drown out even the quiet background music of the organ. I don’t remember anything about the moment I first received and ate and drank the elements but I do remember the embarrassment of my noisy stomach.
Because of how things divided up in those house meetings of the early church the more well-to-do members sat inside the house with the wealthy host. These folks had more money which in turn translated into a lot of food and drink. Outside in the courtyard the not so well-to-do also ate – not nearly the quality or quantity. When everyone was done eating it was time to share in the Lord’s Supper. You can imagine that most of those outside in the courtyard had been done quite some time before those in the house. And you can imagine that those inside of the house were much more satisfied – some of them even tipsy – while those outside in the courtyard were maybe wishing they had had a little more to share with one another.
Paul goes on, “In the same way, [Jesus] took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “’this cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.’ For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.” (1 Corinthians 11:25-26 NLT)
We only had communion four – maybe six -times a year in my home church. When I asked why I was told it was because we weren’t Catholics or Lutherans. We didn’t want to be confused with them. I found out later that the frequency was left over from the days of the ordained Methodist circuit riders who were only able to visit and serve communion at each of their churches six or so times a year. As a young pastor I was told it was best not to have communion too often because people tended to stay away from church on those days – the service tended to last longer and some just wouldn’t put up with that. I was told some people would stay away from communion because they were afraid they might take communion unworthily and get cursed somehow. They quoted from the Bible the verses we heard today which say, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself ….” (1 Corinthians 11:29 KJV) I followed that advice so for most of my ministry including a couple of years here I led my congregations in communion only about six times a year at best.
Transubstantiation, consubstantiation, Eucharist, Last Supper, Holy Communion, Mass, Real Presence, sacrament of grace, Ordinance, the Lord’s table, intinction, common cup, wafers, bread, wine, grape juice – all of these phrases refer to that moment in the Upper Room just before Jesus’ crucifixion – some of the words are synonyms but other words representing differences in understanding and practice – some of these differences minor but some of them huge – leading to argument, hurt feelings, strong divisions, and even battles.
Just before Paul’s recounting of that first Lord’s Supper he writes in concern, “… in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church …. When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this! (1 Corinthians 11:17-22 NLT)
I’m not sure what caused my change in method. Maybe it was something I read. Maybe it was some sort of conviction. It could have been the realization that the founders of Methodism shared in communion as often as possible. Whatever it was I came to believe in the importance of observing communion with greater frequency. We began to share communion on the first Sunday of the month, as well as other opportunities. Did you know we share in communion every Sunday morning at 7:15 in the chapel? Did you know that every Wednesday night between WNL supper and the night’s activities – at about 6:10 – we also have communion in the chapel?
As with many other Christian denominations we consider Communion to be a sacrament – first instituted by Jesus – now a special and visible means of God sharing His grace. The Wesley’s recognized the power of God became available to those sharing in the Lord’s Supper and urged their followers to draw on that power by frequent participation. John Wesley described the Lord’s Supper as “the grand channel whereby the grace of [God’s] Spirit was conveyed to the souls of all the children of God”
Sharing in Holy Communion has always been an important observance for Jesus’ followers. Jesus asked that the bread and wine be shared in order to remember what he had done for us and our world. This was true in the early days of the church and ever since. It was true for Paul. It was true for John Wesley. It is true for us.
Paul was upset with the Corinthians because of their view – or lack of view concerning Communion. Why? Why did he believe sharing in the Lord’s Supper unworthily would bring serious consequences? And what was he thinking about when he said “unworthy”?
Whereas we tend to think that unworthy has to do with being sinful we are only partly right. We should not think sinfulness precludes us from taking communion. The reason Jesus gave himself for us was because we are sinful. To refuse communion because of sinfulness only makes foolish the reason for it all. Do we feel unworthy? We are all unworthy. Do we not deserve it? None of us deserve it.
Paul wasn’t giving caution because the people were unworthy. Paul was giving caution because the people were observing this important sacrament in an unworthy manner. This was not a discussion of the character of the worshiper but the conduct of the worship. Paul was saying, “Hey listen guys. What do you think you are doing? In the Lord’s Supper you are declaring Jesus died for the world but you seem to care only for yourselves. You state proudly that Jesus is the living bread but you are unwilling to share both the daily bread and the living bread with those less fortunate than you. You know Jesus died to bring the world together and yet you divide people by your lack of concern for one another. You will find God’s blessing as you share with one another but you will discover God’s disapproval if you ignore the needs of one another.”
How would we respond if Paul made that speech to us? Would we be just as guilty or do we, nearly 2000 years later, finally get it?
We have a long ways to go but I think Paul would be happy if he were to come to our Wednesday night meal. Well housed and homeless, gray hair and pink hair, employed and unemployed, old and young, red and yellow, black and white – all eating together the same food at the same tables – some able to pay for themselves and beyond and others with nothing to contribute – all with a first name on a name tag – all welcomed to our basement – all loved by God – all forgiven through Jesus.
Paul reminds us we make null and void our proclamation that Jesus died for us if we don’t include the rest of the world. We miss out on God’s blessing if we are only concerned with feeding, often pampering, ourselves while others go hungry.
What if The Lord’s Supper was more than just dinner? What if church was a whole lot more than a potluck supper? In our heads we know it – in our hearts and lives … may we practice it.