Meaningful Presence
Psalm 23:5
August 17, 2008
One communion Sunday, the communion was prepared with a twist. The grape juice looked darker than usual. The pastor thought nothing of it and began to serve the communion. Promptly upon receiving the cup, each recipient’s face had a peculiar, stunned look. When it came time for the pastor to receive he discovered why the strange looks...the juice was prune juice!
I guess the congregation was spiritually constipated. They needed their bowels stirred by Jesus.
Let me ask you… what should we expect to get from communion. What do we receive by taking the elements? A little (and I mean very little) nourishment? Some vitamin C from the juice? What do we receive?
For millennia, the church has believed that communion or the Great Thanksgiving or the Eucharist was a sacrament. This meant it was sacred but not just something holy in and of itself but it is a sacred means of receiving GRACE. It also meant that the Lord was present in a real and powerful way during the Eucharist.
I see that following Jesus is first of all a profound experience with the presence of God. For myself, it seems as if this act of worship takes on a greater and deeper meaning every time that I participate. I truly have a sense of the presence of the Lord. Yes, God is present in the singing and throughout my day but there seems to be something special and unique that defies explanation about communion.
And just as we experience the presence of the Lord, I believe with every part of my being and more that we are to take this presence to share with those around us. We are to take the Lord’s Table to other people.
So as I talk about taking the Lord’s Table to people, I’m not literally saying for you to take a some bread and cup full of juice to work or next door to your neighbor and say, “Hey my pastor said I ought to do this. He said I ought to bring you communion and that it would be really good for you.” I’m not saying that. Although it certainly would be good to take someone a meal especially if they are sick.
What I’m saying is that we ought to be taking grace to people around us. We ought to be showing them what the grace of God looks like. This is especially important because what a lot of people see Christians bringing to them is two scoops judgment with a covering of hypocrisy.
A meaningful presence is what this is all about. Taking the Lord’s Table to others means taking the grace that we find and sharing with others to be a blessing to them. No one ever got to the end of their life and said, “You know, I just gave away too much grace. I should have kept some for myself.”
And unfortunately, not too many people put on their bucket list, “Give more grace to others.” You all know what a bucket list is, right? Let me show you a clip that explains it.
SHOW Bucket List clip.
A bucket list is the list of things to do before you “kick the bucket.” Give more grace to others probably never makes it to such a list. Probably because if it is so important to you than you are probably already trying to do it.
So what does a meaningful presence look like? I have a few things.
Meaningful Presence
• Extreme Hospitality
This is tough. I am constantly trying to find the right balance between showing extreme hospitality and taking the time to partake meaningfully in the Lord’s presence.
I guess the picture from Psalm 23 has been extremely helpful. “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” God shows extreme hospitality especially when the hour seems darkest. Maybe? Perhaps? I can do the same.
I guess it means two things. First, remembering to be a meaningful presence and help prepare a table for others that are suffering. The enemies surround them. I can try to simply be there. Secondly, I can remember that when God prepares such a table for me in my dark nights of the soul, I can share with others. I think most of us tend to withdraw when tragedy strikes. Sometimes the greatest thing that I can do is be hospitable during my own tough times. It has the effect of getting me out of myself. Because when these times hit, I often don’t feel very useful and I don’t feel very important and I don’t feel even very valuable but showing hospitality to others reminds me of just how important they are to Jesus and then how important I am to Jesus.
• Radical Generosity
I’m talking radical generosity. Grace means generosity that is over and above. It is something that everyone takes notice of.
“My cup overflows.” Here is a picture of a celebration even in the midst of being surrounded by enemies. And this not some sophisticated restaurant where the waiter carefully fills your cup. No, the drink flows freely. It is poured into the cup overflowing and splashing on your arm and on everyone around you. There is so much generosity and so much abundance that spilling some doesn’t make any difference because God’s supply cannot run out. You and your friends that are celebrating couldn’t even come close to drinking up all the drink! And since God is so radically generous to us, doesn’t He call us to be radically generous in return. Splashing our blessings on others.
A barber in a small town was busy cutting hair one day when the local cop walked in to get a haircut. And the barber was feeling a bit generous that day, so he said to the cop... "Since you do such a good job protecting us, and watching over us... today’s haircut is free." The cop said he appreciated that, and the next day when the barber showed up at his shop, there were a dozen donuts waiting for him. In walks a local florist. The barber tells him how much he appreciates all the work that he has done around town, planting bushes and flowers and making the town look real nice, so he gives him a free haircut. The next day, the barber shows up at his shop and there are a dozen flowers waiting for him. In walks the local preacher, the barber tells him how he is feeling generous that day, and how much he appreciates all his hard work with the children and taking care of the needs of the people, so the preacher gets a free haircut. The next the barber shows up at his shop, and there are a dozen preachers waiting there for him.
When things are tight, we all including myself tighten the belt. We hold back giving of money and our stuff. But I was thinking, isn’t this the prime time for giving? Isn’t this the time when people really notice our generosity? And we do this not so that we are noticed but so that Jesus can be seen in and through us. We do it to show the meaningful presence of Christ.
• Memorable Service
“You anoint my head with oil.” Even in the darkest places when you are trapped in a cave and surrounded by enemies after running through the desert being beaten, battered, bruised, and exhausted, God is there to anoint your head pouring oil over you to revive you and heal you and renew you. When we are there for others being a meaningful presence and serving them in the midst of their dark nights of the soul, they remember those times. They hold on to them just as we do.
I have the opportunity to hang out with alcoholics and addicts that are working on recovery. And it is truly amazing to see how they often serve one another. You see for those in recovery serving those who are still suffering in terms of sharing the greatest thing that they have, recovery, is what recovery is all about. I know it seems paradoxical. I know it seems like I am using double talk or something. But it is true.
There is a phrase that is often used. Perhaps you’ve heard it, “You’ve got to give it away to keep it.” Those in recovery learn that you have to give away your experience, strength, and hope in order to keep. You’ve got to share your recovery with those who still suffering in order to keep it. For some mysterious reason, it works.
And that to me is what grace is all about. In order to have grace and to receive grace, you’ve got to give grace. In order to be grace-full, full of grace, you’ve got to pour out grace on others. I think that is what Paul meant when he talked about being a vessel. You can’t hold onto to grace. You can’t simply be filled and then ready to give grace to others. The only way is to be overflowing with grace so that it spills into the lives of other people.
And this is what being a meaningful presence is all about. People remember when you served them. People remember when you were there even when you don’t.
It seems now that I coming into a time of my life when I run into people or talk to people maybe that I haven’t seen for while and occasionally I hear them say, “I still remember when you…” I had forgotten all about it. It didn’t seem that big of a deal to me at that time. In fact, sometimes I even swear that they are talking about somebody else. Memorable service. Meaningful presence.
I recently heard a woman talk about how her spiritual mentor gave her explicit instructions to make amends. She didn’t want to do it. Apparently she blew up at a bank teller and was rude and nasty even though it wasn’t the teller’s fault. This woman didn’t want to apologize even though she knew that she was wrong. She wanted to forget it. Avoid the teller. Heck, just avoid the bank because she was afraid. Finally after two weeks, she mustered up the courage. She went and cut the most beautiful rose that she could find from her garden, put it in a vase, and went to the bank. She walked up to the teller and said, “I don’t know if you remember me but I was in a couple of weeks ago and I treated you poorly. I was rude. I was inconsiderate. The problem that I had wasn’t your fault even though I took out my frustration on you. I am sorry. If you could, perhaps you might find it in your heart to forgive me.”
The teller took the rose, look up, and tears started to gush. “No one has ever said something like that to me.”
I hope you had a chance to have a meaningful contact with Jesus earlier. I hope you made the connection. I’m not going to ask any questions today. But simply this, “Go and be the presence of Jesus.” Show extreme hospitality. Show radical generosity. Serve others memorably.
