June 4, 2001

Lesson for June 17


The Lord's Supper is not an insignificant ritual
___ Matthew 26:26-29
___By Bobby Dagnel
___First Baptist Church, Nederland
___In his book "The Church and The Ministry in the Early Centuries," Thomas Lindsay writes that when it comes to the early church and its observance of the Lord's Supper and its importance in the act worship, it is considered to be "the very apex and crown of all Christian public worship, where Christ gives himself to his people, and where his people dedicate themselves to him in body, soul and spirit ..."
___Study the history of the church and you discover the observance of the Lord's Supper was no insignificant practice. "Therefore," Paul writes, "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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment of himself" (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).
___The ordinance of the Lord's Supper lies at the very heart of the Christian message. The symbolism, solemnity and sanctity required by all who participate make it one of the most inspirational and worshipful services of the Christian community. When the Lord's Supper is properly observed and not trivialized as an appendix to the worship service, the church realizes many benefits. By examining the focal passage, Matthew 26:26-29, and the shared meal we have come to call the Lord's Supper, we are reminded of the unique fellowship we have with one another.
___In verses 26-27, Jesus gave the bread to his disciples and instructed them to drink from the common cup (Mark 14:23). To share the same cup is to share the same destiny, good or bad (Psalms 16:4-5). As James and John were posturing for positions in glory, Jesus challenged them at the point of the cup, "Can you drink the cup I drink?" (Mark 10:38).
___To eat the bread and drink the cup is to be reminded of our unique kinship. By virtue of his blood and our faith response, we are bound together as family. Just as biological families are bound together by blood relations, the family of faith is bound together by no lesser means. In fact, our relationship to Christ and to one another takes precedence over all other kinships (Matthew 10:21-22; 35-37).
___Like any family, there may be disagreements and differences of opinion, but it is our unity in the midst of such diversity that gives us a distinctive voice. In Irwin Hasen's comic strip "Dondi," the character of the same name is enjoying a picnic lunch with a friend. His friend tells him that helping him do his work made her feel important. She says, "It's like music! When you solo you're important, but a duet can also be fun because you're working with somebody else who is important. And some of the greatest music is written for loads of people to sing together."
___Dondi asks her, "But don't they sing differently? Some with high voices while others have low voices?"
___The little girl's answer is a message to the church today. She says, "Sure they sing differently, but the important thing is that they all help each other sing the same song." While, in the church, we may all have different voices, we all sing the same song--Christ and him crucified.
___The focal passage, more especially, brings to our remembrance the sacrificial death of our Savior, whose blood was "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (v. 28). While it's one thing to imagine Jesus dying "for many," it is quite unimaginable when contemplating the reality that Jesus died for me and for you, individually. It's one thing to proclaim to the world, "Jesus died for you"; it is something else to confess, "Jesus died because of me."
___The story is told that when the late and venerable pastor R.G. Lee made his first trip to the Holy Land, he visited the site historically designated as Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. Lee told his Arab guide he wanted to go to the top of the hill. At first the guide tried to dissuade him, but seeing Lee was determined, he went along with him. Once on the crest, this much beloved pastor removed his hat and stood with bowed head, greatly moved. "Sir," the guide asked abruptly, "have you been here before?"
___"Yes," Lee replied, "2,000 years ago."
___When we participate in the Lord's Supper, we look back 2,000 years and remember the role we played in bringing about the sacrificial death of our Savior.
___The reading of this text and our participation in this meal must also bring to remembrance the hope of what lies ahead. The promise of Jesus in verse 29 regarding eternity creates in us a sense of expectation. Paul referred to this promise as our "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). How tragic, as Paul describes it in Ephesians, to be have no hope and be without God in the world.
___Hope for tomorrow gives us the strength and courage to press on today. We have to know a better day is ahead or we give up. What oxygen is to the lungs, so is hope to the human spirit. It's the ingredient that keeps us going.

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