A WORD TO THE WISE: EAT

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Thursday, June 11, 2015

EAT ME! : #18, Blogging through the Articles of Religion

Article XVIII - Of the Lord's Supper

The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ's death; insomuch that, to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of our Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and hath given occasion to many superstitions.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.

The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not by Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.

In John chapter 6, Jesus was being stalked by a crowd of fans, and followed by a handful of disciples. They followed Him from one side of the sea/lake to the other.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him [all innocent-like], “Rabbi, when did You come here?” (John 6: 25)

Jesus was like, “You know good and doggone well the only reason you’re following me is because yesterday I gave 5,000 of you free food.” (John 6: 26, slightly paraphrased)

Then, almost as if to purposely mess with the dinner-stalkers’ heads, Jesus launched into a lecture on redemptive theology, the thesis of which could be summarized by the following suggestion:

“Eat Me!”

Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. (John 6: 53-57)

“Eat Me.”

The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (John 6: 52)

Christians have been having the same argument since Jesus went back to Heaven. In the sacrament of Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist), we receive bread and wine and call it receiving the body and blood of Christ. But what does that mean?

How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

Jesus explained it to His disciples like this:

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6: 63)

Get it, now?

Spirit and life.

Jesus’ words (His lecture about body and blood) were ALIVE. The concept was real. He wanted to be taken literally.

At the same time, the whole speech was spiritual.

It’s hard for us to see a concept as both literal and spiritual.

When we speak of a concept that truly exists we say use the word literally. But when we talk about spiritual concepts we say that they are NOT to taken “literally,” which is like saying that spiritual things don’t exist.

Which crazy for Christians who worship God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy SPIRIT.

Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” (John 4: 24).

The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

We receive the body and blood of Christ in a way that is LITERALLY SPIRITUAL.

In Communion, Jesus literally offers us His spiritual body and blood; but He does not, in any way, give us his physical skin and bodily fluids.

Remember that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as the fulfillment of Passover (Luke 22: 15-20). The point of the original Passover was not the mutton that the Hebrews ate during the 10^th plague (Exodus 12). The point was that God used a literal angelic spirit to literally change Israel’s status from slave to free!

In the same way, the body and blood of the Lamb of God in the sacrament of Communion is about changing us not changing the chemical composition of the Communion bread.

The elements of Communion are meant to transform us not for us to transform the elements of Communion.

Our participation in the Lord’s Supper is a kind of collective prayer. We remember Jesus’ death and resurrection until His coming again. We recall His suffering for the sake of our salvation. In our liturgical responses, we tell God that we are still and again wholly committed to His plan.

You don’t change the bread. The bread changes you.

Or rather, Jesus changes you.

I am the bread of life. (John 6: 48)

The physical elements, though holy via consecration, are not little physical pieces of Jesus. The elements are not little Jesus-es to be adored or worshipped or treated as talismans to ward off bad luck.

Physically they are still just baked flour and aged grape juice.

Spiritually though, they are literally something so special that treating the sacrament lightly was the reason many Corinthians Christians were sick, weak, or dead (1 Corinthians 11: 30).

The brea and wine are not transubstantiated, but by faith they are transformative.

Not physical but spiritual.

Not material but absolutely literal.

Not to be worshipped but to be taken seriously.

That may be a hard saying, but it is what Jesus literally said.

---Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

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Monday, May 25, 2015

NOW, I REMEMBER

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this IN REMEMBRANCE OF Me.” (Mark 14: 19)

Polls reveal that many, if not most, Americans don’t know the purpose of Memorial Day. For most of us who do know, our celebrations make it look like we don’t.

We grill. We drink. We hang out. We play. We sleep in. And we do it in the name of fallen soldiers. The one thing most of us don’t do on Memorial Day is anything that actually honors fallen soldiers.

Like I did this morning, most American wake up on Memorial Day thankful for the day off but not thoughtful of the blood, and death, and sacrifice that purchased the liberty that we enjoy.

With the best of intentions, we set aside a time for celebration and remembrance; but over time we emphasize the memorial less and the celebration more.

We celebrate, but we don't remember.

What Americans have done with Memorial Day is what New Testament Christians did with Communion.

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is a re-enactment, a celebration, and a remembrance of Jesus’ blood, death, and sacrifice by which he purchased our spiritual liberty.

As citizens of the Kingdom of God it is our duty to remember and, as the consecrating liturgy of my church says, “to continue a perpetual memory of that His precious death until His coming again.”

But over time---

Over a very short time, the the New Testament church focused more on the celebration than the memorial.

So the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:

Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. ( 1 Corinthians 11:20-21)

They used Communion Holiday weekend as an excuse to eat, to drink, to hang out, and to generally, “turn up” ---- in the name of Jesus. And let’s remember that these communion parties were held at the site, often a private home, that served as their church.

Paul sarcastically, but seriously, asked:

I can’t believe it! Don’t you have your own homes to eat and drink in? Why would you stoop to desecrating God’s church? Why would you actually shame God’s poor? I never would have believed you would stoop to this. And I’m not going to stand by and say nothing. ( 1 Corinthians 11: 22, The Message)

Paul’s solution was to recount the origin of the Lord’s Supper, to bring to their remembrance what they were supposed to be commemorating.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11: 23-26)

History----yes, history---- is the key to regaining the sanctity of our commemorations.

Paul got the Corinthians to stop chewing and lounging and really think about what Jesus endured for them. He made them replay in their minds the Hell that Jesus went through so they wouldn’t have to go to Hell.

And he said, “Now, each of you, examine yourself as you participate in this commemoration.” (verse 28)

“You don’t want others telling you how to honor this day? Fine. Judge yourself for yourself.” (verses 31, 32)

The chapter concludes:

Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment. And the rest I will set in order when I come. (verses 33, 34)

The best way to remember sacrifice is to make sacrifices for others. To inconvenience yourself so that someone with less can have more. Everything else we can figure out later.

So, when I come to our next Communion at church, I’m going to remember what we’re remembering, and I’m not going to be satisfied with the ritual and a quick dinner for myself afterwards.

I don’t know what it’ll be yet, but I realize now that I have to do something, something more, something sacrificial for others.

Now I remember. I remember what past soldiers, past saints, and my eternal Savior have done for me.

I pray that I will never forget again.

And that neither will you.