Communion as community

Reading

1 Corinthians 11:23–33 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. 33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together.

The Shape of Communion

Paul was intrusted to pass on the Act of Communion. Paul was in some ways a suprising choice as he had not been there at the firest commuion. But by Paul writing.

1 Corinthians 11:23–24 NIV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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.”

It is clear that the communion was being followed in the very earlies of days.

The chocie of Paul also conveys the significance that this once Jewish inspired event was for all, not just the Jews.

The first communion took place at passover just before Jeusus was betrayed and killed.

Matthew 26:17–19 NIV

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’ ” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.

Jesus instructed his disciples to find a suitable room and we know from the scriptures that Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and did the same with the wine and changed Passover from refering to a animal to focusing on the upcoming sacrifice of him, Jesus, the son of God.

In the early curch as today, communion became an important part of worship.

Communion is intended to be a corporate act to be instituted as part of the body of christ. no one to be undertaken individually. That is not to say it is wrong to take it by yourself, there are good reasons this may need to be the case. but by design communion is about fellowship.

A corporate act.

Communion means fellowship with God and with others

The books of the apostles key theme is ‘Together’

The over riding message is at the communion table is that we are not only sharing in Christ but we are also sharing in each other that belongs to Christ.

There is no such thing as a solitary Christian.

When we are called to come together to share the lords supper this is more than coming together physically, in the same location it is also coming together spiritually - being of one mind and heart.

Philippians 2:2 NIV

2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Romans 15:6 NIV

6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 4:2 NIV

2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.

Not Just the bread and the wine

Reflecting on the fellowship aspect of Lords Supper its character changed in the early chuch.

At Jesus’ institution of the Lord’s Supper with His disciples the bread and cup were part of a meal, with the bread probably broken near the beginning (cf. “when He had given thanks,” 1 Cor. 11:24) and the cup taken at the end (cf. “after supper,” v. 25).

By the time Paul wrote, the Lord’s Supper was celebrated in two stages which consolidated the partaking of the bread and cup at the end of a communal meal.

The worship with the bread and cup came to be called the “Eucharist” (Didache 9:1; Ignatius Letter to the Philadelphians 4), from the Greek word for “thanksgiving” (eucharisteō). The communal meal was called the Agapē (Jude 12; Pliny Letters 10. 96. 7), a Greek word for “love.”

Strong words at Corinth.

This was the case in Corinth -

Pauls exposition of the communion was preceded by strong words

1 Corinthians 11:17–22

1 Corinthians 11:17–22 NIV

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

At the Church in Corinth the communion was as we have heard preceded by a love feast, and Agape meal where people would eat together and all would contribute to the meal.

Sounds like a good idea.

But this meal had degenerated with the rIch sitting on one side of the room and enjoying suptous provisions that they had brought themselves and shared with each other, while the poor had to sit somewhere else and eat the meagre fayre they had brought.

Immediatly after this there would be the celebration of the Lord’s supper.

Paul was concerened by the lack of evidence of love together, a lack of compassion that was evident in the agape meal that then spilled over into the Communion. - Remember the idea that Communion is sharing in each other as well as in Christ. This was clearly no the case in Corrinth. The two elements were a contridiction of each other.

What should have been an act of communion was simply an act of collaboration. They came together in the same room, they sat together but they did not come together spritually.

The problem that existed in the church in corinth can and does exist in the church today. On one hand the church is amazing - you can walk into some churches and find yourself sitting on a row with someone on benefits, a CEO, a black person, a disabled person, someone who holds a PHD, someone else who left school at 14 and we have a connection in christ. A commononality that being a brother and sister in the lord brings . Other places are less like this -”You can’t sit their, that’s Ethyl’s pew”!

But even in places where we all get along and there is equality can it really be said that we meet we experience tru communion. Can it be said, as it was for the early church, they were a company of blievers of one heart and one soul. - Somthing for us to strive for.

Mention-

1 Corinthians 11:27–28 NIV

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.

What is communion

So if Communion is not Just coming together and eating the bread and drinking the wine what is is?

The best word to describe this rich spiritual fellowship, the way we should be is the greek word κοινωνία (Koinonia) - Participation, sharing, partnership, contribution, common sharing - FELLOWSHIP

This fellowship goes much deeper than friendliness.

George fox - The church ecperience a relationship that is eternal.

Other relationships are temporal.

Without this deep eternal relationship, the church is nothing more than a club. One of the reasons the early church turned the world upside down was that they had a clear understanding of their relationship to God and their relationship to one another. They had a true sense of Community, the shared their lives together.

Koinonia turned the world upside down

Can this be said of us?

We are made for this kornoia, God has created us to be in fellowship with him and with others. We are restless and unhappy unitl we find it

The question is how can we cultivate this sense of Kononia - this rich sense of fellowship and community?

One place is a the Lords’ table.

Community at the Lords table

When we come together to take commuion - we can focus on community. The lords table helps us to focus only on the bread and the wine but also that we together as believers are a community of hte cross.

The sight of the eblems that Jesus chose to perpetuate the memory of his death, birngs home to us most vividly that having been brought into being by the cross we continue to live under the cross, all our perspectives and behabiuiurs are governed by the cross

Just as the cross enables us to enjoy a new relationship with god it also enables us to enjoy and experience new relationships with one another. If there is one place that we need to open our lives to the power of the cross it is in the whole are of relationship.

Accordign to Dr E Stanley Jones -

Christianity is the science of living well with others according to Jesus Christ.

Many of our attempts to live together in harmony are pretty hap hazard we don’t follow the prinicples of the cross. Can we commit our selves to following ing God’s ways? ways that we find represented int he cross and iat the Lord’s table?

The Lords table is a vivid reminder that we are a community of people called to live by and under the cross. The bread and wine portray and symbolise not only our togetherness in Christ but that our lives together are to be governed and regulated by the cross.

A family meal.

A family meal is more than the food.

Question :Are our relationships governed by the cross?

When we are together are we in communion or just in collaboration?

every one has the capacity for Joy and for Pain

Depending on our relationshop and our fellowship we are going to have either one of these two emotions. This is where the cross bears on our relationship. Where there is joy and pain there has to be the cross. A cross it the point where love moves into suffering - Jesus loved us so much he suffered for us.

We are called to do the same - we are called to suffer for each other. we are called to hold onto relationships no matter how hard it may be and suffers, when necessary, the pain that is sometimes inevitable when people of a differnet up bringing or background meet together.

Expression of `agape meal’

Video harbour: 6:20 - 8:15

Link this to the the things we put on the reason we run things.

We are going to come to the Lords table.

Then we are going to have a meal. This is our time to be in communion with God and with each other.

Last SONG

As we take communion together let us take time to remember Gods family, locally and around the world. Let us aslo rember those we have fallen out of Communion with and pray we may be restored.

Come to this table, not because you must - but because God says you may, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and grace. Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more. Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you. Come and meet the risen Christ, who paid the ultimate cost to restore you into a loving relationship with God and with His children.

END

2 Corinthians 13:11 YLT

11 Henceforth, brethren, rejoice; be made perfect, be comforted, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of the love and peace shall be with you;

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