Core 52 Week 35 - Communing Together

Intro:

Dumb stuff we do as a kid - like wrapping a rubber band tightly around the end of your finger and watching it turn colors.

(You did it, or your best friend did.)

Pretty simple - we cut off the blood flow to the end of our finger. Keep it up long enough Einstein, and your fingertip will damaged or ruined.

This moment of Jr. High grossness is meant to illustrate in a provocative way what happens to us spiritually and relationally when we are cut off from our community of faith.

Plenty of examples in our world today of ways we’re cut off from one another, especially at church.

However, the wisdom of God is to provide us a way to know that our connection to Him and to one another is real and vibrant.

In our fellowship, it happens every Sunday about the middle of our service. We celebrate communion.

Lord’s Supper, Eucharist in some traditions.

Communion, along with baptism, are the two main ordinances (laws, rules) of very nearly all groups who call Jesus Lord and Savior.

We disagree on the mechanical aspects of the ritual (recurring practice) and we argue about what actually occurs to the bread and wine but almost no one believes that the regular observance of communion is essential to our faith and practice.

Passover and the Lord’s Supper

Passover explanation

4 cups shared in traditional passover celebration.

Middle of the meal, he took bread and gave it to them to eat.

Luke 22:19 NLT

19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

3rd cup quotes Ex. 6.6 where it says, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment.” This cup Jesus identified with the cup of the new covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. We are redeemed by His blood. He paid for our sins.

Luke 22:20 NLT

20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Jesus reinterprets the Passover and invests it with new significance.

Reasons for the “mechanics” of our practice.

With this in mind, what is supposed to happen when we eat that bit of cracker and drink a little swallow of juice?

We move spiritually and relationally in four dimensions.

Up and to the Side

We Look Up

1 Corinthians 11:23–25 NLT

23 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 24 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 in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, he 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 in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.”

Communion is the time when, with the mind’s eye, we stand at the foot of the cross to remember the cost of our salvation.

When we take the bread and cup, we are spiritually there at Jesus’ cross.

We Look to Each Side

1 Corinthians 10:17 NLT

17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.

This is the primary way we experience the unity Jesus prayed for:

John 17:11 NLT

11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are.

This is a “spiritual metric” each of us can utilize to measure our maturity in the gospel and in our relationships. When we’re at odds with one another, communion can be difficult.

We Look Inside As We Share With the World.

Inward

Part of spiritual health is to look inside - take a “diagnostic” so to speak.

Wearable diagnostics for heart, iWatch for steps, etc. Now there’s a wearable device for A1C.

This is our weekly moment to look inside and let the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice and love cause us to reflect on our thoughts and actions.

1 Corinthians 11:27–30 NLT

27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.

We deepen our relationship with Christ by looking inward (examining ourselves). We acknowledge our sin and rebellion against God.

We use those moments for self-evaluation, confession and repentance.

We become better prepared to follow and obey him.

Outward

By taking communion together, we recognize that we are unified in our relationship with God in Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:26 NLT

26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.