COMMUNION (YOU GO FIRST)

Few different passages today, If you want to put your finger in a few passages, Luke 22, John 13, 1 Corinthians 10

What if today... we stopped… and just thought about Jesus. I believe that one of the greatest causes of anxiety is to think about ourselves too much, or maybe to think too much of ourselves. So this morning I thought we could consider how communion allows us to forget about ourselves for a little bit… to put God first… to put others first.

In a sense, Communion allows us to forget

Jesus said as often as you do this, do it to remember me. When was the last time you stopped to remember Jesus? The word remember really jumped off the page at me this week. What happens when we remember? A big part of remembering can be forgetting about something else, at least in that space and time. Does anyone feel like in the season of life that you are currently in that it would be nice to forget about everything else for a few minutes? I’m sure there must have been moments in Jesus’ relationship with the disciples where what He was doing caused them to hone in so much on what HE was doing that they stopped paying attention to everything else that was going on in the empire, in their personal lives, and just locked in on the person of Jesus Christ. We’re going to talk about what I believe was one of those moments.

Each gospel records a little different rendition of that night where they ate that last meal together. The gospel of John where we are going to read from in just a moment is the only one of the gospel’s that doesn’t mention the taking of the cup in the bread, but it’s also the only one that records Jesus washing the disciple’s feet. The four gospels are so rich when we read their accounts in harmony with one another. Before we look at our text from John today let’s consider a few verses from Luke 22. This is right after Jesus had communicated the body and the blood to them… Eugene Peterson’s version from the message says this…

Luke 22 The Message

24-26 Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.

I have to believe that this is right about the time that Jesus decided to set a new standard for leadership for His disciples.

Look at John 13

TEXT: John 13:4–8 (Says that Jesus) “got up from supper and laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand later.” Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no place with Me.””

LET’S PRAY

All of us today might say that we would bow and wash someone else’s feet because Jesus shows us an example. But to participate in foot washing today within a church service would serve more as a ceremonial display considering the fact that we have clean water to shower in, shoes that fully cover our feet, and didn’t have to walk through dirt or sand to get here today. So where’s the principle of foot washing today?

It’s found in surrendering our supposed rights for the sake of others. (REPEAT)

I think that perhaps one of the greatest parts of this story is that Jesus went first. What do I mean by that? Jesus washed their feet after everyone was already seated. That means that everyone knew that there was a need, but decided to remain dirty because surrendering their rights or preferences in that moment would have been an admission of humility or perhaps turning over control of themselves. (LET’S HEAR THAT AGAIN)

Jesus washed feet after they were seated. Everyone else had passed on the opportunity.

We don’t like to go first in service… We will serve after someone does. We will give up my rights as much as someone else does, because we have to keep a certain amount of control, and we don’t want to give someone else the upper hand… When Jesus came on the scene and did things in a new way, people were so used to people contending for the upper hand that they just assumed that’s what he was trying to do. But their assumptions about him didn’t change his true motives. You can have the upper hand stuff, that whole discussion is exhausting. I don’t want the upper hand, I just want to see people with dirty feet coming to the table with us.

Getting to that place of serving the unwanted though is sometimes easier than what Jesus did. While it goes without question that Jesus would have washed the feet of the homeless, stranger, or the enemy, he chose to set the example for us by washing the feet of those closest to him. He knows how we are wired, and while I know that the Holy Spirit will communicate to you in whatever way that you need during our time together today, here’s a question I would pose for you before we move towards taking communion. Are you willing to submit to… turn over the upper hand... release control... to those closest to you? We think that maybe we know more than our spouse... have been a Christian longer than someone else, or have a lived a better life morally, that perhaps you should call that shots. Jesus flipped that on its head, didn’t he? Figuratively speaking today would you wash your spouse’s feet, your children’s, your parents, everyone else you’re sitting with here today? Would you also let them wash yours? Peter’s pride almost kept him from being a part of Jesus’ servant example. Just because you are sitting in a prominent position with Jesus doesn’t mean you still aren’t going to get dirty from time to time.

The team is going to come back up and sing another song and If you don’t have the communion elements yet and you would like them, just slip your hand up while we sing this song and we will get them to you. While we sing this song, you can worship along with the team, you can pray and reflect on Jesus, you can remember Him today by just forgetting about everything else around us so we can center ourselves in Him today. Let’s continue worshiping and centering ourselves on Him today.

My father has spoken and he keeps his every word Hebrews 10:18 “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.”

Read devotions keep going

COMMUNION

1 Corinthians 11 – Paul is writing and talking about their interaction with each other. Remember communion would have been taken with a whole meal in this time, and he’s saying you are getting drunk, and pigging out and not even paying attention to those who are without. What if we considered that spiritually this morning? Where have we become so concerned about what church and the religious experience is for us, that we have left others outside? How do we invite others to the table? Maybe you don’t find the answer to those questions today, maybe they are just good questions to keep asking. I know I’m going to keep asking them. Let’s read a few verses there from 1 Corinthians 11 that Paul shares on communion. Starting in 1 Corinthians 11:23–30 “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when 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.” In the same way He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy way, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a person must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not properly recognize the body. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number are asleep.”

DOES EVERYONE HAVE THE ELEMENTS?

The Bread

Verse 26 says that when we do this we are proclaiming the story of Jesus’ work on the cross until He returns. It is important to proclaim this to others, but also within your Spirit to cry out Lord I believe in the work of the cross and want to join you, sacrificing myself to you! As we take the bread together today can we commit or recommit to surrender our bodies/our temples/ our whole selves to Him in the same way that He surrendered His for us? Let’s take the bread.

The Cup

It’s really challenging for me to lead communion without talking about healing. Verses 29 and 30 of this chapter say that taking these elements without a discerning spirit could become sick or experience death. If that’s the case then could not the one who takes with a discerning, remembering, and honoring spirit find healing? I don’t know about you but man it seems like we need a lot of healing right now. Healing of relationships, families, finances, minds, hearts, spirits, and even our nation and our world. As we take this cup today, could we all in unison claim the healing power of the blood of Jesus Christ in our world and on our own lives? Let’s take the cup.

Pray

Let’s stand and sing just one more chorus together before we leave here today.

Post song

I’ll be preaching us Back into our series on the BIG 10 next Sunday, as you leave take some extra time this week to forget the world a little more, and give a little more attention to Jesus.