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.
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