Communion as celebration

Aspects of Communion.

Each time we have taken communion recently we have been exploring what Communion means. We have been looking at Paul’s statement about the meaning of the Lords supper in 1 cor. 11.

We have identified five aspects of the Lords supper and so far we have looked at.

Communion - and act of Community - Koinonia - our fellowship together

Communion - Covenant is highlighted - the promise of God

Communion - a service of Commemoration - keeping what could be a routine event into a momentous one every time we take it.

I think we have seen that this act we call communion is close to Gods heart. Both in the way He instructed us to do this but also in the way he seems to draw close and meet with us as we take this act together, it is a time when heaven and earth overlap and God’s presence is tangible amongst us.

We have two aspects left.

Communion as celebration

One of the words used for communion is Eucharist which means thanks giving. Today we are looking at Communion as an act of celebrations

The Communion service is not only a time in which we remind ourselves that we are a body: a living breathing collection of individuals, coming together as a vibrant community (that Koinonia) with a strong relationship through our belief in Christ that to a greater or lesser degree shares aspects of our everyday lives together. We choose to come to commemorate the death of Jesus and remember the nature, of the new covenant, but it's a, time when we open our hearts to God in joyful celebration and praise thankful for all that God has done in our midst. And for all that he's committed still to do.

Our hearts to God in joyful celebration and praise thankful for all that God has done in our midst.

And for all that he's committed still to do.

Jesus you’ll remember prior to distributing the bread and wine at the Last Supper gave thanks and following the conclusion of the Passover. That Idea of giving thanks, of being grateful, of celebration even, went further than just Jesus’s words -

Matthew 26:26–30 NIV

26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

We read that he and his disciples sang a Hym - this was clearly not a pity party.

Matther 26:26-30

A communion service I believe, although, focusing on solemn profound truths should not to be dower or sober to the point of depression.

Some of the communion services that I have experienced seem to be like throwing a ‘glum switch’. A happy, clappy, engaged group of believers suddenly become sombre and quiet at the mere word of communion.

They act as if a small cloud of Doom was hanging over their head and they might just be struck by lightning at any moment.

I fully believe that we need to be respectful, I fully believe that there is a time for stillness, quiet, contemplation, introspection and space for repentance. We should not belittle or make light of the, suffering of Christ on the cross. We should respond to his sacrifice with sympathy and with sorrow. But it's not the end of the story. – Thank Jesus.

Yes, we start there, but after we remember his suffering in his sacrifice for us shouldn’t our hearts just respond in grateful worship and praise.

At the communion table we only remind ourselves of Jesus redemptive sacrifice, but we rejoice in it, too!

Because of, his sacrifice everything and I mean, literally everything in, Heaven and on Earth has changed.

Theologian E F Kevan reminds us that the Lord's supper is a meal and throughout time meals have been the occasion of conviviality in a friendship. He goes on to say a feast is the method of expressing joy.

When you have a birthday, you have a birthday party when you get married you have a wedding meal as part of family life meals are regularly shared together –

it’s what we as humans do .

Everyone benefits from eating together.

Peace negotiator Nhat Hanh - When we come to the table, we shouldn't negotiate right away. We should spend time walking together, eating together, making acquaintance, telling each other about our own suffering, without blame or condemnation. It takes maybe one, two, three weeks to do that. And if communication and understanding are possible, negotiation will be easier. So, if I am to organize a peace negotiation, I will organize it in that way.

In middle eastern culture, the culture that Jesus grew up in - meals were and still are a sacrosanct, they held a place in culture that was more than just throwing fuel down your gullet.

According to the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index, the nation with the highest ranking of kindness to strangers is - Would you like to guess?

Iraq, a war-torn country fighting to end their occupation by ISIS. Indeed, such is the power and longstanding tradition of hospitality in the region that in the last month, despite desperate living conditions, eight out of ten Iraqis have provided hospitality to someone - that seems ok, invite the family or friends around. Until I finish the sentence - eight our of ten Iraqis have provided hospitality to someone they don’t know.

Hospitality is a bedrock of the cultures and countries in the region, and the grandest expression of Middle Eastern hospitality is—sharing a meal

There is something powerful about the human experience of eating together

E F Kevan goes on to conclude that so often when you want to express gladness or mark an anniversary or celebrate an achievement or any event, you invariably have a, common meal together and this is one of the aspects that Jesus takes up in his instruction of the Lord Supper.

According to the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index, the nation with the highest ranking of kindness to strangers is - Would you like to guess?

Iraq, a war-torn country fighting to end their occupation by ISIS. Indeed, such is the power and longstanding tradition of hospitality in the region that in the last month, despite desperate living conditions, eight out of ten Iraqis have provided hospitality to someone - that seems ok, invite the family or friends around. Until I finish the sentence - eight our of ten Iraqis have provided hospitality to someone they don’t know.

Hospitality is a bedrock of the cultures and countries in the region, and the grandest expression of Middle Eastern hospitality is—sharing a meal

More than just a shared meal

But the The Lord's supper is more than just a shared meal it is a spiritual feast. One we share with God and each other

Jesus when talking to the gathered crowd on the side of the Lake in said,

I am the bread of life. – Note the I am Statement the Direct link to YHWH we looked at last week.

Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Although this isn’t a direct reference to the communion. Nevertheless. This is a description of what happens when we meet together at the Lord's table. We feed on Him we are nourished and refreshed in his presence. Just as we eat the bread not merely look at it and just as we drink the wine and not merely look at it, so in the communion we share Christ together and our spirits are refreshed and invigorated by him.

One critic of the Gospels has described the verse,

John 6:53 NIV

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

John 6:53 NIV

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

As Christian cannibalism.

The critic evidently didn’t understand the bigger context and how the spirit and soul can draw strength and nourishment from regular dynamic contact with the living God

This is one of the mysteries of communion how something so ordinary as the act of consuming bread and wine (or grape juice) can have such a direct experience on our spirit and soul.

Some Christians especially the Catholic church believe that the bread and the wine miraculously turn into the body and blood of Jesus as they are consumed.

Other christians see it purely as symbolism the bread remains bread but represents the body, the wine remains welches grape juice and acts as a proxy for the blood of Jesus.

From experience I know that the bread stays bread and the wine does not turn to physical blood but I believe there is something far more than just symbolism here.

The mysterious experience of communion that somehow seems to inhabit both the earth and heaven as the Holy Spirit moves as we take the bread and the wine to me is more than symbolism.

While I can’t agree with the Catholic expression of what happens, my experience tells me that is not true. Equally, my experience tells me that something miraculous can and does happen in the the context of communion and that they may be nearer to the truth than those that are wedded to pure symbolism.

Whilst it is indeed a mystery, we should not let the mystery of it, hinder us from, experiencing and enjoying it. After all, most things in life, are more ‘caught more than taught’. This is especially true when it comes to experiencing God

I say enjoy it for one can no more be in the presence of Jesus and have a close relationship with the Son of the one true God without enjoying him anymore that you can take part in a good meal with family, friends and, not experience a great degree of joy satisfaction peace belonging and pleasure.

A New Passover.

We have heard how the acts of Jesus on that night of Passover where he took the bread and the wine changed the impact of Passover from being a Jewish festival of remembrance of an historic event, to something for all mankind representing an event that is both in history 2000 years ago on that cross and also in the present as the God of now brings acceptance, healing and restoration to those who believe in him and accept him

John 6:26–29 NIV

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” 28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” 29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

The Passover was the communal meal eaten during the evening of what the Jews might refer to as the 15th Nisan. It came to be applied also to the weeklong feast of unleavened bread, which, followed.

Both the Passover meal itself and the week that followed was and is so this day great family event.

A time of celebration and rejoicing for the nation. The basis of that, celebration was their deliverance from the tyranny in bondage of Egypt and freedom from slavery.

However, now an, even greater exodus than that that was enjoyed by Israel’s been affected in human history. It is the deliverance fashioned by Jesus on the cross of Calvary because he the Paschal Lamb (the passover lamb) have been slain and because of his sacrifice we have been set free.

So we too are encouraged to keep the festival of this new Passover. A Passover that doesn’t just happens once but brings continual, repeating salvation.

The Lord Supper, the Christian equivalent to the Passover is a powerful means of crystallising truth and bringing home to our hearts the reminder that there is a need for continuous celebration.

The whole of the Christian life can be perceived as a festival of Thanksgiving in which we can (and should) continuously celebrate what God has done for us in Christ. In addition to this we are commanded to stop and remember (remember me in this) and be thankful, to celebrate at set times.

The Lord’s supper is then the Christian equivalent of the Passover, to be celebrated periodically, just as the Passover was central to Israel's life and identity, so the Lord’s supper is central to the church is life celebration.

Is central to the church is life celebration

Now of course, there are many reasons that lie behind the fact that God's people celebrate when they come together but the central reason.

This starting reason is always our thankfulness for new life, new beginnings, a deliverance from the captivity and constrictions of sin that were accomplished through the saviour’s atoning death on the cross.

When we focus on the cross we are caught up in the worship of Heaven.

We join with the Angels and the Archangels to acknowledge, the truly awesomeness of our Creator and our Redeemer.

Why come here

Each of us are drawn to a church or come to church for different reasons.

You may come to to church to find answers to life's difficult questions

or to find comfort when life is hard.

You may come so you can belong

Or be encouraged

Or give encouragement to Others

You may be drawn in by the excellent coffee and biscuits

These are all valid reasons.

However, the foremost purpose, for our meeting together is to worship God and praise him for his great Salvation. - Everything else flows out of this.

Look at our values- Heart for Jesus

This is our foundation our starting point.

When we consider what God has done for us, what is symbolised in the bread – his body given freely for you and the wine, his blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Should we not celebrate? Should we not make the rafters sing with our praise? With our gratitude and thanksgiving.

If the Angels sing of the cross and have never truly tasted of his benefits, then how much more should we, us sinners saved by Grace.

Communion

So come to the Lords table .

Rejoice in what he has done for you, celebrate what he continually does for each of us.

Give praise and thanks as you take the bread and the wine.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 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.

Matthew 26:25–30 NIV

25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.” 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Communion - a confirmation of Commitment

Communion - a time of celebration