A church had an unusual ritual every Sunday morning. Before the church sang the Doxology, they would stand up, everyone turned to the right facing a blank white wall, and they sang. Every Sunday without fail they did this. A newcomer to the church was confused by this and asked, “Why do you do this?”
No one knew. The only answer they could come up with was, “We’ve always done it this way.” But that answer did not satisfy the newcomer. Other people were asked the same question. Finally an elderly man who had gone to church longer than anyone else remembered the reason.
It seems that at one time they didn’t have hymnals and the words to this song were painted on the large white wall. Everyone stood, turned to the right facing the wall and sang. Over the years the words faded and the wall was repainted numerous times yet no one remembered the significance for standing and turning toward the wall.
Many times we end up doing things for the wrong reasons because no one ever stopped to ask why. We develop habits and traditions sometimes based on nothing more than false information.
Each Sunday here at Central Christian Church we have a time of communion where we partake of emblems that remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. In fact, some of you who have been attending Central for years may be a little uncomfortable right now because we aren’t doing things the way we have always done them today. Since I am preaching on the topic of communion, we are having the sermon first.
As I thought about our church and the possibility of new friends worshipping with us after Easter, I thought it would be good to explain why we take communion every week here at Central.
Acts 20:7 says, “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” Early historians document that the early church observed communion every week. The smaller groups possibly took communion every day, but the church as a whole took communion every a Lord’s Day. Following that precedent, we also provide communion every week. We simply want to practice what we see the church in the 1st Century practicing.
One of the complaints I hear about taking weekly communion is that it becomes too common. If you take communion every week it isn’t as special. With that in mind, I want us to look at why we take communion.
First of all, we take communion because…
JESUS STARTED IT
I don’t mean for that to sound like a little kid saying “he started it!” But the origins of communion come from Jesus. In fact, communion is also called “The Lord’s Supper” because of the fact that Jesus started it.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:23 - 25, “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In 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.”
God, Who created us, knows that we do not have the greatest memories. Throughout the entire Bible we see that God was always setting up memorials for His people. Whenever a significant event would happen, the patriarchs would build an altar. When the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River they set 12 stones by the river bank to serve as a memorial to that event. Whenever their children walked by and saw the stones the parents could tell them about God’s miraculous entrance for them into the Promise Land.
A significant memorial for the Israelites was Passover. Passover was a meal celebrated to remember their escape from Egypt. During the meal they would eat bitter herbs to remind them of their years in slavery. They would also eat sweet honey to remind them of how good the Lord is. It was during this celebration that Jesus met with His disciples and started the Lord’s Supper.
Every family would set an additional place setting for the Messiah. This was a reminder that they were looking for the One coming from God. It is from this place that scholars believe Jesus took the bread and the cup. Strong significance.
The primary purpose of communion is…
A SYMBOLIC REMINDER OF CHRIST’S DEATH
Two times in 1 Corinthians 11 Jesus said to do this, “In remembrance of Me.”
We have all been frustrated or embarrassed at times by forgetting something. It is embarrassing when someone knows you by name but you can’t remember his or her name. We need reminders.
But it is probably a good thing that we don’t remember everything in vivid detail.
If the memory of a bad accident stayed in our minds perfectly, we would never get back in a car.
If the memory of failure didn’t fade, we might not be willing to try again.
How terrible would it be if the memory of a loved one that died didn’t fade a little with time? We never forget them, but if some of the immediate pain did not leave us the grief would be unbearable.
The Lord’s Supper is the most meaningful memorial ever established. You can see the wisdom of God written all over it. It is so simple. Any culture can participate.
It is vividly symbolic. The unleavened bread reminds us of Christ’s sinless body. The juice is blood colored and easily reminds us of the blood shed for our sin.
It is portable. You don’t have to travel to some special cathedral to participate. It can be observed anywhere.
It is interactive. It is not just something we look at. It is something we do.
Communion is so much more than a religious tradition. It is more than a mid-service snack. It is a memorial. A picture of remembrance. It focuses our hearts and minds on Jesus. 1 Corinthians 11:26 says, “26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
Every time you and I eat the Lord’s Supper, it is a sermon without words about the cross. Jesus left us with a picture so we would never forget.
In fact, another reason we take communion is because it…
DEMONSTRATES THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
I do not know a lot about cars. I can put gas in the tank, clean the windshield, but other than that I am ignorant of what it takes for engines to run. I dread going into garages with mechanics. They know a lot about engines. (Or at least they should.) I feel totally inferior when I’m around mechanics.
Here at Central, we have many people in our church family who are experts with technology, experts in construction, experts in music, and experts in production. We have people with mechanical, athletic, and artistic expertise. These people are an incredible encouragement to me, but there’s also that little part of me that feels inferior.
It’s not always easy to be around someone who is better at something than you are. And isn’t it even worse when it seems like a person is better at being a Christian than you?
The Lord’s Supper erases all of that.
Let’s go back to 1 Corinthians 11 again. Listen to what Paul told the church starting in verse 20, “20When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!”
In the Corinthian culture, it was common practice to show favoritism at mealtimes. Those who were higher on the social and economic ladder got to go first, oftentimes leaving nothing for those who weren’t rich or prestigious. And the Christians at Corinth had allowed this practice to creep into the church. The haves were jumping ahead of the have-nots.
So Paul encourages them in verse 33, “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.” (1 Corinthians 11:33)
He instructed them to wait for each other because, when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, we’re all on the same level. Social and economic distinctions disappear. Our spiritual inferiority complexes disappear as well. Jesus died for each of us because we are all sinners who are hopelessly lost except for the grace of God. That’s what we remember at the Lord’s Supper. A brand new Christian and a believer of 50 years are on the same level at the Lord’s Supper. It’s level ground at the foot of the cross.
In fact, listen to verse 27, “27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
Communion requires serious self-examination.
Communion forces us to be real with God.
It is in this self-examination that we realize none of us are worthy to take communion. None of us are perfect. We are all sinners. But we are sinners saved by God’s grace. And because of that grace shown to us we are now part of Christ’s body, the church.
I am of the opinion that when Paul talks about recognizing the body of the Lord, he is referring to it in two ways. First of all, remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This is why we have the emblems. But secondly, we are to remember your fellow church members.
Remember what was going on in Corinth? They were not considering each others needs. There were divisions in the church. If you have a problem with someone in the church, you need to work things out with them before you take communion. Otherwise, you are not recognizing the body of the Lord.
Jesus said in Matthew 5, “23Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
Let me summarize this by saying that in my opinion, here are the times you should not take communion.
First of all, don’t take communion if you are not a Christian. If you haven’t made Jesus Lord and Savior, then this is a meaningless meal to you.
Secondly, don’t take communion if there is someone in your life you haven’t forgiven. If you are not truly trying to forgive someone who has wronged you then maybe you need to take care of that first.
Third, don’t take communion if you are totally distracted or irritated. If you’re thinking more about what you have to do this afternoon, or if you’re worried about beating the crowd to the restaurant, then let the trays pass by. We need to focus on the body and blood of Christ during communion. If we are distracted then it is probably time to just pass it by and take it later.
I love the fact we have a time of communion every week in our worship service. Some people ask why do you want to take it every week? I want to ask, why wouldn’t you want to take it every week?
Communion is a time when…
I REDEDICATE MYSELF TO CHRIST
Communion reminds me that He is God, and I am not.
There is an attitude about God among people today. The overall thought among people is that God is my good buddy. There was a t-shirt fad not too long ago where the shirts said, “Jesus is my homeboy.”
Don’t get me wrong: there is the friendship aspect of our relationship with Jesus. He is our friend. In fact, Jesus called His disciples “friends.” (John 15)
But first and foremost, He is God. I’m going to talk more about this in the coming weeks, but when we come into worship there needs to be time when we just want to jump up and down and shout for joy. But there also needs to be the times when we are still, so quiet you can hear a pin drop… and just know that He is God.
We’ve rearranged our service this morning just so that we could focus our attention on the very thing that we’ve been talking about it. The men who will be serving communion can head to the back and get ready. Our musicians will come up now as well.
There was a man named Robert Tinsky. He was raised in Judaism. Dissatisfied spiritually, he visited a Christian Church for the first time, seeking some religious truth. He was amazed by the observance of the Lord’s Supper. He didn’t understand it. He asked some young people seated near him what it meant. They faithfully told him the gospel story as portrayed in the loaf and cup. He was amazed that there was a God who loved humankind enough to give His Son to die for us and at the wisdom that originated such a living memorial. He became a Christian and a faithful preacher of the gospel.
When we share in Communion we are celebrating a relationship with the risen Lord Jesus Christ, by taking seriously His own words on the night before he died, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
God has spoken about our worship through the Lord’s Supper. Let’s turn all our energy and attention on him. Let the shadow of the cross fall over your every thought as we prepare to commune with our God. Let’s pray.
INVITATION
A lot of you have probably never heard of Kyle McDonald, but after this story, you’ll probably never forget him. Kyle’s mission was to trade one red paperclip for an entire house. Before you say, “This guy is nuts,” you should know that he succeeded.
He started in July of last year. He found someone who would trade in a fish-shaped ink pen for his red paper clip. From there, he was off and running. He traded the ink pen for a hand-sculpted doorknob. And he just kept on trading, each time trading up for something bigger and better. Some of the trades included a Honda generator which he received from a U.S. Marine, a snowmobile, a large truck, an afternoon with Alice Cooper, a movie role, until finally, after 43 trades, Kyle traded for a two story farmhouse.
It took Kyle McDonald almost a year exactly to turn one red paper clip into a house. I think every one of us would say that this was a pretty impressive trade.
But there is an even more incredible trade that is available to each one of us. And each week, we’re reminded of that trade through the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is representative of a horrible death that Jesus died on a cross. He died for your sins and for mine. His body was broken and his blood was shed, not because of his sins, but because of ours. In the cross, Jesus took all of our mistakes, shortcomings, and sins. He takes the blackest and darkest things we have ever done. And in return, we are clothed with his perfection and holiness. And this offer is made to everyone. We simply need to choose to accept it. If you’ve never accepted this trade that God offers, we invite you to come today.
