MAUNDY THURSDAY April 14, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 “THREE UNIONS IN COMMUNION!”

 

MAUNDY THURSDAY

April 14, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-29

 

“THREE UNIONS IN COMMUNION!”

1.     God unites bread and wine with Christ’s body and blood.

2.     God unites sinners to Himself.

3.     God unites sinners with each other.

 

1 Corinthians 11:23-29 (EHV) “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night when 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 the meal, he also took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ⁷ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the Lord’s body and blood. ²⁸ Instead, let a person examine himself and after doing so, let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For if anyone eats and drinks in an unworthy way because he does not recognize the Lord’s body, he eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

 

          Tonight we remember the time when Jesus provided us with the blessings of Holy Communion. We do not just remember it though; we get to receive those blessings as we celebrate Holy Communion. There are different names for this sacrament, all of which tell us something about it. You’ve heard it called the Lord’s Supper. Makes sense. It’s the meal the Lord Jesus gave us. It’s also called the Sacrament of the Altar because that’s where the elements are kept. Not as often it’s called the Eucharist coming from the Greek word for thanksgiving which certainly is our attitude in receiving it. Probably most frequently among us it’s called Holy Communion or just Communion. That’s a word that means a “super union” or intense union and that’s an apt description because of what takes place in this sacrament: unions. Three of them.

          Now it’s no secret to anyone here that food brings people together. Got family coming over? There’s going to be a meal. How do we celebrate birthdays? With a party and good food, a cake, a birthday treat at school. Want to get to know the neighbors? It’s a block party with a barbeque or cookout. Get people to stay for a meeting? Offer them food. Have you been to Bible Class? Food! Food, meals, brings togetherness. God knows people better than we do. No surprise that He uses a meal to bring things together.

          Like bread and wine with the body and blood of Christ. “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night when 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 the meal, he also took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new testament in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” Jesus takes bread. Since it is Passover we know it is unleavened bread but when he gives it he says, “This is my body.” He takes the cup. Since it is Passover we know the fruit of the vine in that cup is grape wine. When he gives it he says “This is my blood of the new testament.” Wait! Is Jesus saying His body and blood are really present with the bread and wine? Yes. He is. Our human reason might rebel. That doesn’t make sense. Isn’t it just a picture or symbol? No. First, it is foolish to question what Jesus can or can’t do. If He says it is, IT IS! Secondly, it is so important for us to know Jesus’ body and blood are really present. There is a covenant happening. In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ providing this meal the word used is either covenant or like it says here, testament. Those are synonyms. In Bible times that is the most solemn form of agreement there can be. In Bible times covenants had to be sealed with blood. Not fake blood that you can get at a novelty store. Real blood. Sometimes it was animal. Sometimes it was human. Here it is the blood of God’s one and only Son and the covenant God makes is to forgive us our sins and remember them no more. How awesome that the Lord unites bread and wine and body and blood for the forgiveness of sins!

          Because that’s what makes the second union in communion possible, where God unites sinners with Himself. If you are throwing a dinner party at your home whom you invite will be important to you. You are likely to invite family—but not all family! You are likely to invite old acquaintances and current friends. You may invite a neighbor you have become friendly with. There are some people you will never have over. Someone who has repeatedly hurt you or betrayed you. You won’t invite the neighbor whose dog keeps pooping on your lawn or who keeps you up at night with late night parties and loud music.

          But that’s what God does in Communion. Think about it. There is no way that God should invite people like us to His meal. We don’t deserve it. We say and sing “Oh how I love Jesus,” but the way we spend time and money says we love our sports and entertainment more. Betrayal. Our bodies are God’s temples and we let our dog poop on his lawn by the things we allow into our minds with what we watch, read or look at on our phones. Now don’t misunderstand. It’s not like God is the grumpy old man in the neighborhood who yells at kids for stepping one foot on his lawn. He’s like the kind and loving neighbor who’s had to put up with the loud parties, whose nice requests to turn the music down has been met with defiant turning it up, who instead of calling the police patiently endures and then invites you and me, the offenders, over for a meal. How can He do that?

          The answer is found in the meal itself. It is a forgiveness meal. It is the forgiveness that Jesus won for us that unites us with God. In Matthew’s Gospel it says, “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.”  How can you possibly have someone who has hurt you over and over again eat at your table? Only when you have forgiven them. We struggle with that, don’t we? But God does not. The sacrifice that Jesus made to pay for your sins and my sins is so perfect that God completely forgives us. He lets us know that by inviting us to His meal. In communion God unites sinners with Himself.

          And then sinners with each other. I’m guessing you’ve all experienced something like this before. You get invited to a wedding, guess what? There’s going to be a meal. You RSVP, Yes, I’ll be there. You go to the wedding service and then to the venue and what is it you wonder? Who’s going to be at my table? Will I know them? Is it someone I like? Will it be uncomfortable for some reason? If I don’t know them, will I connect with them? That depends. What do you have in common?

          When Jesus first gave Holy Communion the disciples with him were actually quite a diverse group. Fishermen and tax collectors, very zealous and ambitious, laid back and wondering. Yet they had one thing in common that overcame their differences. Jesus.

          That’s what unites us too. Some of us work at jobs that get your hands dirty daily and some at jobs where you are expected to keep them clean. Some of us think Covid is really scary and some of us think it’s no big deal at all. Some of us have money in the bank, some of us are living paycheck to paycheck. Some of us cheer for the Brewers, some actually cheer for the Cubs! All these differences. But all exactly the same, sinners in need of a Savior. It’s Jesus that unites us. Jesus and His teachings. We can disagree on everything else but Jesus is the uniter. As Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians, “One Lord, one faith, one Baptism.” God unites us in Communion.

          All these special unions in Communion help us to understand the last part of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians. When you are invited to a special meal, you don’t just show up. You get yourself ready. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ⁷ Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the Lord’s body and blood. ²⁸ Instead, let a person examine himself and after doing so, let him eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For if anyone eats and drinks in an unworthy way because he does not recognize the Lord’s body, he eats and drinks judgment on himself.” How do I get ready? Look in the mirror of God’s Word. Do I recognize the unions God put in Communion? That Jesus’ body and blood are really present with the bread and the wine? That I am a sinner who only gets united with God through the forgiveness won by Jesus? That I am united with these people I commune with? Three unions. One meal. Three in one. Think I’ve heard that before. God’s at work. Amen.

 

April 6, 2022 Pastor Timothy J. Spaude Text: Luke 23:13-16 A PART FOR THE WHOLE?

 

MIDWEEK LENT 6

April 6, 2022

Pastor Timothy J. Spaude

Text: Luke 23:13-16

 

A PART FOR THE WHOLE?

1.     Totally unacceptable.

2.     Unless it’s Jesus!

 

Luke 23:13-16 (EHV) “Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who is misleading the people. Look, I have examined him in your presence. I have found in this man no basis for the charges you are bringing against him. ¹⁵ Herod did not either, for he sent him back to us.  See, he has done nothing worthy of death. ¹⁶ So I will have him flogged and release him.”

 

          One Bible commentator stated that here Pilate offered the Jewish religious rulers a part for the whole. That’s not a new concept. It happens often in bankruptcy cases. Someone racks up a debt. They aren’t paying. Company is getting nothing. The person who owes the debt or their representative may try to negotiate. “I don’t have the money. Will you accept 10 cents on the dollar? A part of the debt to pay off the whole debt?

          I think we all understand that is not acceptable. Oh, to be sure, sometimes when a company believes they will not get what they are owed they may cut their losses and take what is offered. Some money is better than no money. That doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. That company will make you pay. Your credit will be ruined. You will have bankruptcy on your public record for the next 7-10 years and that will affect where you can rent, what you can buy, maybe even whether you get a job. A part for the whole isn’t acceptable.

          Not to creditors. Not to us. Would you accept a part for the whole? What if someone agreed to buy your home for $300,000 and at closing they said, “Will you take $100,000, a part for the whole?” You’d tell them they’re nuts. Imagine standing at the altar with your betrothed who repeats the words after the pastor. “I promise to be faithful to you, 360 days a year.” Would you take a part of the year for the whole? Mostly faithful? Absolutely not. If you reserve a minivan rental for your family of 6 and the rental agency says, “Sorry we only have a compact.” Will you be happy? Is that acceptable? No way.

          So why do we expect God to? What, we don’t do that, do we? Oh yes, we do. We expect God to be satisfied with a part rather than the whole. We expect Him to accept partway obedience as though we have wholly obeyed. Take worship. Who of you can go the whole worship service without letting your mind wander? I can’t and I’m leading it. And yet we just because showed up we feel we did our duty to God.  He should accept my part devotion for the whole. We do that when we play the sin game. I just thought it. I didn’t actually say or do it so it’s not that bad. God should accept my partial obedience like it’s the whole perfection He deserves. We do that when we try to justify the unbelieving family member or family friend. He tried. He was such a good person. He should be in heaven. God, accept a part for the whole. The standard we set for ourselves, expecting other to pay in full in faithfulness or money, we throw out the window and expect the holy God to be satisfied. That’s pure arrogance and it’s what makes today’s crucial hour so important for us.

          Listen again to what happened. “Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who is misleading the people. Look, I have examined him in your presence. I have found in this man no basis for the charges you are bringing against him. ¹⁵ Herod did not either, for he sent him back to us.  See, he has done nothing worthy of death. ¹⁶ So I will have him flogged and release him.” Did you catch the part for the whole offer? Pilate knows Jesus is innocent. Other Gospel writers tell us Pilate knew that envy was behind the chief priests’ accusations, so he was looking for a way to let Jesus go. Pilate’s wife had warned Pilate that Jesus was innocent. “Have nothing to do with him,” she said, “I have suffered many things in a dream because of him.” When Pilate heard that Jesus was the Son of God his superstitious mind was reeling. He did not want to be responsible for harming Jesus. What if he really was a son of the gods? What would they do to Pilate? What to do, what to do? Ah, the diplomat, the negotiator. I’ll offer a part for the whole. Instead of ending Jesus’ life I will flog him. Will you accept a part of Jesus’ life instead of all of it? Once again salvation hangs in the balance. If Pilate’s best efforts work, there is no cross for the Christ.

          Thankfully a part for the whole was unacceptable to them. Here was their response. “But they all shouted together with one voice: “Take him away! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ Barabbas had been thrown in prison for a rebellion in the city and for murder.” Now if we were watching this play out on the movie screen we would want to boo and hiss. Our blood would boil at the unfairness of it all. But knowing what we know, instead, we breathe a sigh of relief.

          Because the only time when a part for the whole is really acceptable is when it is Jesus is on the cross. It’s why the Son of God became man to begin with. So He could be our substitute and not just ours but for all of humanity. “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world,” John testified. God accepted Jesus’ payment for sin on behalf of the whole human race. And make no mistake about it, God did not settle. He did not take less than what was owed. He got more. Only Jesus is the very Son of God. Only Jesus is holy and innocent. Jesus is the only God man there is and he was not punished in part but in whole. And because Jesus’ sacrifice was more than acceptable you and I will never get what we deserve. We won’t have to stand before God on Judgment Day hoping He will take our part for the whole offer knowing full well that He will not.

          That’s what changes us. We really don’t want to offer God shoddy half hearted worship. We want Him to have our all. We don’t want God to be our focus just part of the week but all week long no matter what we are doing. We don’t sing, “Take part of my life and let it be consecrated Lord to Thee.” We really do want all not part. Friends, this side of heaven, we won’t perfectly do that. Our sinfulness doesn’t just affect part of us but all. And yet the day is coming when we will serve God in the perfect righteousness, innocence and blessedness, as we desire and as God deserves. All because Jesus came to each crucial hour on His Lenten journey and thought of us instead of Himself. Praise Jesus! Amen.