October 6, 1991 1 Corinthians 11: 23 - 30 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is (broken) for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way He took the cup also, 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 manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. [NASB] GUESTS AT THE LORD'S TABLE When the disciples came together for the Passover meal that we call the Last Supper, it was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who was the host. It was a borrowed room, but it was Jesus who made the arrangements, and took care of the details, even though His disciples helped carry them out. You can read the story in Luke 22, how Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the large upper room, which they found by following a man carrying a water pitcher. Eating the Passover meal, or Seder, is a significant observance in the yearly schedule of any practicing Jew. It is a holy time, and a family time. I doubt if we Gentiles can ever fully capture the warmth and the wealth of feeling that have surrounded the Seder for centuries. That night the disciples were guests at their Master's table. They were together as family, with Jesus as the Host. This was a very significant occasion, and Jesus wanted them to grasp the significance. "With desire I have desired to eat this meal with you," is the way that He expressed it. It was as though Jesus was saying, "Don't miss what is taking place just now! I love you! I want you to know that you are dearer than life to Me! This is the way that I will give you assurance down through the years of your lives!" And then that holy night Jesus did something else, something that had never been done before. He changed the Seder, the sacred Passover meal, with its Paschal Lamb and bitter herbs and remembrance of Egypt and the wilderness and Canaan, and He turned the focus of the meal on Himself. "From now on," He said, "When you remember, don't just remember the Old Testament-- remember Me!!" Can you understand how blasphemous this would be for anyone but the Christ? This was a sacred moment, indeed! All the symbols of the Old Testament were pointing to this sacrifice! The Paschal Lamb became the body of the Lord. The singing of the 'hallel' took on new significance: "This is the day which the Lord hath made!" and "Bind the sacrifice with cords to the altar!" (Psalm 118) All that Jesus had said about being the Bread of Life took on new significance. The cup became the blood of the Everlasting Sacrifice. That night Jesus ordained a new kind of Passover Supper. He commanded his disciples to eat of it, and as often as they ate, to remember His death, His shared LIFE, and His promise to come again and eat with them in the Presence of God the Father. This is the sacrament to which we all are invited this morning: What, then, can we say about I. THE NATURE OF THE SACRAMENT A. IT IS A MYSTERY! We can only know and understand of God that which He chooses to reveal to us. The sacred MEAL OF REMEMBRANCE for the family of faith will always be in great part A MYSTERY and any attempt to literalize or explain will certainly fall short of the truth it conveys to those who know God. B. IT CONVEYS TO US A PRESENCE! Suffice it to say that when we partake of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper we encounter A PRESENCE and by faith we come closer to God than in any other way. Some of our brothers and sisters make it a literal Presence; others have other explanations. C. IT IS AN EMBLEM OR SYMBOL There is something humbling and something of the acknowledgement that we do not have all the answers when we come to the Lord's table. In our arrogance- the arrogance of our culture that has put the "feelings" and "individual freedom" above every other good, it is good that we look with saints across the ages and around the world to this supper as A SIGN AND A PROMISE of that which is inexpressible. The church fathers and traditions of the ages testify that this is a means of grace. We come to the table of the Lord, where HE is the Host, not to dicate OUR terms, but to look to Him for assurance that indeed He has come, and has died for us, and that He ever lives on high to make intercession for us! [But what may we expect this sacrament to BE, to DO for us?:] II. THE FUNCTION OF THE SACRAMENT Without pretending to explain the inexplicable, the scriptures do help us understand what happens when we share at the Lord's Table, where He is Host: A. WE BOW IN OBEDIENCE It is an exercise in OBEDIENCE. The command, the imperative of the Lord was: "This do! In remembrance of Me!" The disciples who heard their Lord say those words clearly understood what He was saying and doing! They were to perpetuate that moment when Jesus declared that He, Himself, was the Paschal Lamb. And the commandment still obtains! The family still meets at the Lord's table. We are here because we want to be-- but we are also here because Jesus has commanded us to come! We gladly obey. B. WE ARE REFRESHED AND RENEWED IN REMEMBERING The Lord's Table is also an exercise in REMEMBERING. Jesus said that night: " ...this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME." As long as we obey we will not forget. We dare not fall away from the clear understanding that HERE, in the BLOOD and the BODY of the Lord, the Paschal Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, HERE AND HERE ALONE LIES THE ONLY HOPE OF MANKIND FOR ETERNAL LIFE! C. WE BEAR TESTIMONY TO THREE WORLDS The Lord's Table is also a SHOWING FORTH. It is a testimony to three worlds that we depend on Jesus for life. Jesus said: " ... as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, YE DO SHEW THE LORD'S DEATH TILL HE COME." D. WE RECEIVE GRACE The Lord's Table is also a time of RECEIVING. It is a MEAL. It may not be a physical feast, and there IS mystery involved; but when we come to the Table we are fed. Jesus said: " ... THIS IS MY BODY, which is broken for you: ... THIS CUP IS THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MY BLOOD ..." III. THE RESULT OF THE SACRAMENT What will happen here this morning as we partake?: A. WE WILL EXPERIENCE RENEWAL The Lord's Table will a point of new beginning for us this day. No matter where you are in your journey, here we recognize that we are successful ONLY as we remain in Jesus, and that we are failures ONLY as we leave His Presence, Let us affirm that we are IN CHRIST, by faith, at this Table today. B. WE WILL KNOW A RE-CENTERING OF LIFE Course-correction is necessary in all relationships; and this is one way we stay in close harmony with God. It is easy to let the focus of our attention slip off Jesus Christ! It is easy to look at PROBLEMS, or at PEOPLE, or at WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN, or at WHAT DID HAPPEN ... and forget that what Christians live for is to abide in Christ. We have opportunity today to tell Jesus that we are depending on Him, on His sacrifice, on His love. Tell Him that HE is at the center of our lives and living! C. WE WILL RECEIVE A FRESH ENABLING. The Lord's Table is sacred, and not to be manipulated for personal ambition, but at the same time it is a powerful source of strength to each member of the Body to carry forward in the Spirit of the Lord all that He intends for us to be and to do. From time to time we all need to have this fresh outpouring of God's enabling grace. All across the centuries of the Church of Jesus Christ, the testimony of the faithful has been: It is at the Lord's Table where we receive new strength to continue in the faith. It may seem that what you need is MONEY, or AN OPEN DOOR, or a JOB, or AN ENCOURAGING WORD. And I do not in any way suggest that you do not need these, and need them desperately. But at the risk of sounding like a raving mystic, let me say that when we have Jesus, when we are centered in Him, we have His promise of "all these things." I am NOT saying that Holy Communion is the answer to all your problems; I am saying that at the Lord's Table, as Jesus draws near, we shall find His enabling grace. PASTORAL PRAYER WITH CONSECRATION AND INVITATION Invitation: To all who will come-- to all who desire to draw near to God- - to all who are drawn by the grace of God to partake-- this is the Lord's Table, and YOU are welcome! Only do not come irreverently! Do not make a mockery of that which Christ has provided. Come with heart-searching. Open your heart to the Spirit of God. Ask Him to make you worthy to partake. Come with your victories-- and lay them in gratitude at the feet of the Host. It is through Him that we ar more than conqueror. Come with your heart-aches and defeats! Come with your doubts and fears! Come with your sin to the blood that speaks of pardon! Benediction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Permission to reprint or publish this material is GRANTED as long | | as the reprinting or republishing is not-for-profit. You can access | | more of Dr. Metcalfe's sermons at his scripturally indexed sermon | | archive site, which is generously hosted by Eastern Nazarene College.| | | | http://www.enc.edu/org/wollynaz/rmetcalfe/sermons.html | | Now with SEARCH capabilities! | | | | Dr. Russell Metcalfe is Pastor Emeritus of the Wollaston Church of | | of the Nazarene. Dr. Russell Metcalfe is available for pulpit supply | | assignments and seminars. For availablity and booking information, | | you can reach Dr. Metcalfe at eflactem@aol.com. | ------------------------------------------------------------------------