WHAT IS COMMUNION
Every Friday the old man would walk the beach with a bucket full of shrimp feeding the seagulls. His name is Eddie Rickenbacker. In October of 1942 he had been sent on a mission to deliver an important message to Gen Douglas McArthur. With a handpicked crew he flew his B-17 flying fortress across the South Pacific. Somewhere the crew became lost, the plane ran out of fuel and went down in shark infested waters. For eight days the crew survived in a life raft. They ran out of rations and knew that only a miracle would save them. So they prayed As they prayed Rickenbakacker felt something land on his head. It was a seagull. He grabbed the bird. They ate the meat and used the intestines as bait and caught fish. The crew survived thanks to a sea gull hundreds of miles away from the nearest land. That is why years later every Friday, Eddie Rickenbacker would feed the gulls. From a heart full of thanks he would remember the one that had journeyed far to sacrificed it’s life for his. Like Rickenbacker, we too have reason to look back and give thanks.
1 Cor. 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night 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 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." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Therefore, 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. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
What is communion? A little girl who usually stayed in children’s church on Sunday mornings, went with her parents to the regular adult service. When Communion was served, she turned to her mother and whispered loudly, "The snack in children’s church is much better. And we get a lot more juice." Communion is more than a snack. Let me suggest to you today it is 3 things:
1. Looking Back (Past) - vs. 23-25
There are some moments which become pivotal in our lives. For some it was your wedding day. For some the birth of your child. Everything that came after that moment was different from what came before. Like Eddie Rickenbacker each one of us who is a Christian can say we faced certain death but were rescued miraculously. Our present should be spent in gratitude for what has happened in the past.
For each one of us the greatest pivotal moment in our lives was when we asked Jesus to come into our hearts. The Lord’s Table is a time of remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross for us 2000 years ago. He was betrayed. His body (like the bread) was broken and His blood (like the wine) was poured out. The God of all eternity loved us so much that He came to earth to die for our sins. Jesus came and paid a terrible price so that we would not have to.
The problem we have as Christians is that we can too easily forget what God has done for us. We have short memories and, as the old expression goes, familiarity breeds contempt. Over time we can lose sight of what God in Christ has done for us and our relationship with Jesus can move from relationship to empty religion – blindly following a set of rules.
The Taj Mahal in India by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is said that during the construction of the building one day the Emperor was walking through the building site and banged his leg on a large wooden box. He ordered the box be removed because it was a hazard to the construction. It was the coffin with his wife inside – the very reason he started the building in the first place.
God knew that we as people had poor memories so he gave us communion as a constant reminder. When we participate in communion we are calling to remembrance on a regular basis what God has done for us in Christ. This helps us not to forget.
Last week we said that baptism is like a wedding. It is a marking point that you look back to. A public declaration that serves as a pivotal moment in your Christian walk. If this is true than let me suggest to you that communion is like a wedding ring. Like your ring, communion is a constant reminder for us of what God has done to save us and of the decision you made to follow Christ. Wearing a ring is an act of remembrance. It is an act of the will which then affects the mind and heart.
You can learn to give thanks even if you don’t feel particularly thankful. If God gives a command, he expects obedience, whether you are in the mood or not. Thankfulness, like forgiveness, is not an emotion. Thankfulness is an intelligent response of gratitude to God. -- Erwin W. Lutzer
Some years ago, on a hot summer day in South Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he sway toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother, in the house and looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug of war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much to passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
After weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. On his arms, were deep scratches from where his mother’s fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pants legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, “But, look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms too. I have them because my Mom wouldn’t let go.” Just like a mother who loves her child, so God loves each of you. The scars on the hands and feet of Jesus remind us that God, in His great love for us, could not let us go. Communion reminds us of the cost Jesus paid for our sins.
At the table take time to think of what your life would be like today if it had not been for Jesus. What were you like before Christ found you? I know where I would be had it not been for the love of Jesus.
The day Jesus found me will always be the most important moment in my life.
2. Looking Forward (future) - vs. 26
The Lord’s Table is not just about looking back but also looking forward. Remembering where you have come from is important but it is hard to walk forward if you are always looking backwards. At the table we also remember that we have a hope and a future before us. Jesus died on the cross, but He didn’t stay on it. The cross is empty. Jesus is alive! He is with us here in this room right now. Because of the cross we have a hope and a future.
A pastor was in his office preparing his sermon. His little daughter came in and said, "Daddy, can we play?" He answered, "I’m awfully sorry, Sweetheart, but I’m right in the middle of preparing this sermon. In about an hour I can play." She said, "Okay, when you’re finished, Daddy, I am going to give you a great big hug." He said, "Thank you very much." She went to the door and but then she did a U-turn and came back and gave him bone-breaking hug. He said to her, "Darling, you said you were going to give me a hug after I finished." She answered, "Daddy, I just wanted you to know what you have to look forward to!" One meaning of Christmas is that God wants us to know, through this First Coming, how much we have to look forward to in the great Second Coming.
As we take the bread and the juice today we look forward to the day when Jesus will come again. Not this time as a baby in a manger but as the risen savior. We drink juice and bread now, but then there will be the wedding feast of the Lamb. All that we do today is a foretaste of what is to come.
I remember as a kid at Thanksgiving sneaking into the kitchen and getting a little taste of turkey. It was so good. That was not the full meal, it was just a taste of what was to come. Have you ever received a perfumed envelope promising a future date. The letter is not the date but the fragrance reminds you of what you have to look forward to.
When Jesus broke the bread for His disciples he knew that He would not eat it again until he returned from the dead. Think about this: it could be that you will see Jesus before you have communion again. None of us know the hour He will return or of our own death. Communion reminds us of His coming.
3. Looking Inward (present) vs. 27-30
Lastly, when we come to the Table it is a time for looking at our own hearts. We remember what Jesus has done and we remember what Jesus will do, but we must also examine ourselves to see where we are at. How is our relationship with Christ today. It is important to search your heart as you come.
Naomi and I visited the ruins of Pompeii outside of what is today Naples. The Roman City of Pompeii was destroyed in A.D. 79. The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were killed while in their routine: men and women were at the market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil. They died amid volcanic ash and superheated gasses. Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate. It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible day. The saddest part is that these people did not have to die. Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record--weeks of rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion. Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the mountain days before the eruption. If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s warning! There are similar "rumblings" in our world. While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming day of Judgment (Matt. 24). People need not be caught unprepared.
If Jesus were to return today would you be ready to meet Him?. We are warned not to take the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Let us get our hearts right before Him before we begin. Lets take some time right now before we begin to make sure that there is nothing standing between us and God.
Where are you at today with your relationship with Jesus? In any relationship it is always good to take time and review the good times. You pull out the photo album or put in the home or wedding video and remember again where your relationship has come from. E.g. transferring all our old pictures and home movies to DVD. God did this often with the Israelites. He was constantly reminding them of where they had come from in order to show His love.
A young woman in England many years ago always wore a golden locket that she would not allow anyone to open or look into, and everyone thought there must be some romance connected with that locket and that in that locket must be the picture of the one she loved. The young woman died at an early age, and after her death the locket was opened, everyone wondering whose face he would find within. And in the locket was found simply a little slip of paper with these words written upon it, "Whom having not seen, I love." Her Lord Jesus was the lover she longed for. Her locket reminded her of that. What reminds you of His love for you?
