Audio Version
We all remember the manna in the desert, how the Israelites were in the desert without any food, how in their fear they complained to Moses, and how Moses prayed to God. God sent them manna, a form of mysterious bread that lay on the ground every morning. The manna kept them from dying of starvation in the wilderness.
2 Kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145:10-18; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21
In 2 Kings, chapter 4, there are several miracles in which Elisha is involved. (Don't confuse Elisha with Elijah. Elijah passed on his prophetic mantle to Elisha, and in many ways Elisha was much greater even though he isn't as well known.)
In 2 Kings, chapter 4, there are several miracles in which Elisha is involved. (Don't confuse Elisha with Elijah. Elijah passed on his prophetic mantle to Elisha, and in many ways Elisha was much greater even though he isn't as well known.)
In this case a man comes to Elisha with 20 barley loaves during a time of famine. There are many families that Elisha is leading at the time – the families of the sons of the prophets. Elisha tells his servant to feed the people with these 20 loaves of bread. There are a hundred men to feed, so Elisha’s servant is worried that there won’t be enough. He’s afraid. Elisha tells him that God has already said there will be enough, with food left over. Elisha said, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.’ And that is exactly what happened. God’s Word changed space and time and the bread, and there was enough for everyone with pieces left over. God’s Word can change space and time.
Have you ever wondered about how words can change space and time? Consider the effect that Winston Churchill had on the British when they stood alone against the Germans after France had fallen and before America joined the war. The men who had escaped Dunkirk had left everything behind except their rifles. The Germans had their tanks ready to invade. The British were afraid. So Churchill spoke: “We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight them in the hills, we shall never surrender!” No invasion ever came. Words can indeed change space and time.
And now, let’s zoom across the years to the time of Jesus.
Today’s Gospel reading is sandwiched between the two parts of last Sunday’s readings. You’ll remember that Jesus had tried to have a spiritual vacation and retreat with his disciples, but people ran around the lake and met them where they came ashore. And Jesus taught them many things...
A large crowd of people came toward Jesus. Here they were, out in the middle of nowhere, in the early spring before the Passover festival.
Now, in our modern days with supermarkets and freezers and canned goods and trains and airplanes that move fresh fruit and other food to us from all over the globe, we rarely recognize the changing of the seasons in our diet outside of some seasonal fruit changes – strawberries, then blueberries, then watermelons, then peaches, then apples, and finally pears and pumpkins.
But in Jesus’ day, March was a difficult time. The old harvest was almost gone and the spring harvest was just beginning, the time when barley grain, then winter wheat was ready for harvest before the green vegetables of spring were ready. You know how we eat ramps in March and April? It’s because someone was starving to death and decided to pull up those little wild onions because they were better than nothing.
It was March in Galilee. Food was in short supply.
And so, when Jesus sees these people coming, He knows they’ll be hungry. And so He asked Philip – where will we get food to feed these people, Phil? There’s no supermarket around, no McDonald’s, no Wal-Mart, not even a farmer’s market. It would be pretty bad press if a bunch of people went hungry listening to this rabbi’s teachings, wouldn’t it?
Philip takes a look at the crowd, gets afraid, and pulls out his calculator. There are 5000 men. Give each man a fish sandwich. 4 oz of fish for each person means 1250 pounds of fish. 2 slices of bread each means about 250 loaves of bread. Now lets quadruple those amounts to account for the women and children present. 5000 pounds of fish, a thousand loaves of bread. That’ll cost about $20,000 in 21st Century money, or about 200 days pay. A denarius was a silver coin worth a day’s pay. Which is what Philip declares – 200 denarii just of bread to feed everyone.
Philip puts away his calculator.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother wants to be helpful. “There’s a boy here trying to sell five loaves of bread and two fish – but that wouldn’t be nearly enough, right?”
Jesus has had enough fun testing His disciples. So Jesus tells the disciples to have everyone sit down. He takes the loaves and fish and thanked God for them. Then, he broke the bread and fish and distributed them around, “as much as they wanted."
When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
The people were so impressed they said Jesus was the predicted Prophet that would arrive. They were about to take Jesus and make him king by force, but he slipped off back up the mountain.
The people recognized the echo of the deed of Elisha that day – only Jesus had done much more. The fact the bread was barley loaves was critical to understanding the connection. But there was more to come. Much more to come.
Have you ever wondered about how words can change space and time? Consider the effect that Winston Churchill had on the British when they stood alone against the Germans after France had fallen and before America joined the war. The men who had escaped Dunkirk had left everything behind except their rifles. The Germans had their tanks ready to invade. The British were afraid. So Churchill spoke: “We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight them in the hills, we shall never surrender!” No invasion ever came. Words can indeed change space and time.
And now, let’s zoom across the years to the time of Jesus.
Today’s Gospel reading is sandwiched between the two parts of last Sunday’s readings. You’ll remember that Jesus had tried to have a spiritual vacation and retreat with his disciples, but people ran around the lake and met them where they came ashore. And Jesus taught them many things...
A large crowd of people came toward Jesus. Here they were, out in the middle of nowhere, in the early spring before the Passover festival.
Now, in our modern days with supermarkets and freezers and canned goods and trains and airplanes that move fresh fruit and other food to us from all over the globe, we rarely recognize the changing of the seasons in our diet outside of some seasonal fruit changes – strawberries, then blueberries, then watermelons, then peaches, then apples, and finally pears and pumpkins.
But in Jesus’ day, March was a difficult time. The old harvest was almost gone and the spring harvest was just beginning, the time when barley grain, then winter wheat was ready for harvest before the green vegetables of spring were ready. You know how we eat ramps in March and April? It’s because someone was starving to death and decided to pull up those little wild onions because they were better than nothing.
It was March in Galilee. Food was in short supply.
And so, when Jesus sees these people coming, He knows they’ll be hungry. And so He asked Philip – where will we get food to feed these people, Phil? There’s no supermarket around, no McDonald’s, no Wal-Mart, not even a farmer’s market. It would be pretty bad press if a bunch of people went hungry listening to this rabbi’s teachings, wouldn’t it?
Philip takes a look at the crowd, gets afraid, and pulls out his calculator. There are 5000 men. Give each man a fish sandwich. 4 oz of fish for each person means 1250 pounds of fish. 2 slices of bread each means about 250 loaves of bread. Now lets quadruple those amounts to account for the women and children present. 5000 pounds of fish, a thousand loaves of bread. That’ll cost about $20,000 in 21st Century money, or about 200 days pay. A denarius was a silver coin worth a day’s pay. Which is what Philip declares – 200 denarii just of bread to feed everyone.
Philip puts away his calculator.
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother wants to be helpful. “There’s a boy here trying to sell five loaves of bread and two fish – but that wouldn’t be nearly enough, right?”
Jesus has had enough fun testing His disciples. So Jesus tells the disciples to have everyone sit down. He takes the loaves and fish and thanked God for them. Then, he broke the bread and fish and distributed them around, “as much as they wanted."
When they were full, He told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” So they collected them and filled 12 baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.
The people were so impressed they said Jesus was the predicted Prophet that would arrive. They were about to take Jesus and make him king by force, but he slipped off back up the mountain.
The people recognized the echo of the deed of Elisha that day – only Jesus had done much more. The fact the bread was barley loaves was critical to understanding the connection. But there was more to come. Much more to come.
That evening, the disciples had hit the boat and were rowing against a strong wind across the lake. They had left Jesus behind - and then Jesus came walking across the lake to them and they were afraid. "It is I. Do not be afraid!" Jesus said.
Months later, on the night that Jesus was betrayed, Jesus once again took bread, gave thanks for that bread to God, and broke the bread, sharing it with his disciples. That evening, He took the bread of the Passover meal, the bread of affliction, and he shared it with his disciples, saying, “Take. Eat. This is my body which is given for you.”
And a few minutes later, He took the third cup of wine of the Passover meal, traditionally called the Cup of Redemption, and they passed it around, all of them drinking from the same cup which was given to them by Jesus as He said, “Drink from this, all of you. This is my blood which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Jesus spoke of blood being shed. And the disciples were afraid.
And so began the ritual we call Holy Communion, or Eucharest, or the Lord’s Table. We have this once a month, but why? What’s it all about?
What is the meaning of Communion?
There are three common views.
Jean Calvin was one of the great leaders of the Protestant Reformation, and influenced many groups, including the Presbyterian Church, the Puritans, and much of the Baptist movement. His view is that Communion is simply a time for friends of Jesus to remember His sacrifice. To Calvin, Communion is an ordnance, something which is commanded, but it is not particularly sacred. Thus, in most of these churches, it is an optional occasional service, far lower in importance than the reading and preaching of Scripture.
In the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox view, there is nothing more important in our worship than the Lord’s Table. In their view, dominant in present form since about the third century, when the words of consecration are said, the bread and wine turn into the very body and blood of Christ. We may not be able to see, smell, or taste the difference, but it has happened. And thus, in a Catholic service, the offertory is when someone brings forward the bread and the wine – not money – and that bread and wine is then turned into Christ’s body and blood and then re-sacrificed for us once again on an altar.
But the Methodist view is something in between. We believe that Christ is present in and around the elements in a spiritual way, that when we receive the elements of bread and juice we are taking in not only physical food, but spiritual food. We believe that through the elements we receive grace from God once again – perhaps the eternal life of Christ is shared with us through those elements, and, over time, the eternal body and blood of Christ replaces our mortal body as we eat and drink in Christ.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, argued that Communion was not only an ordinance commanded by Christ, but also a sacrament, a special ceremony in which God's presence changes us.
Months later, on the night that Jesus was betrayed, Jesus once again took bread, gave thanks for that bread to God, and broke the bread, sharing it with his disciples. That evening, He took the bread of the Passover meal, the bread of affliction, and he shared it with his disciples, saying, “Take. Eat. This is my body which is given for you.”
And a few minutes later, He took the third cup of wine of the Passover meal, traditionally called the Cup of Redemption, and they passed it around, all of them drinking from the same cup which was given to them by Jesus as He said, “Drink from this, all of you. This is my blood which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Jesus spoke of blood being shed. And the disciples were afraid.
And so began the ritual we call Holy Communion, or Eucharest, or the Lord’s Table. We have this once a month, but why? What’s it all about?
What is the meaning of Communion?
There are three common views.
Jean Calvin was one of the great leaders of the Protestant Reformation, and influenced many groups, including the Presbyterian Church, the Puritans, and much of the Baptist movement. His view is that Communion is simply a time for friends of Jesus to remember His sacrifice. To Calvin, Communion is an ordnance, something which is commanded, but it is not particularly sacred. Thus, in most of these churches, it is an optional occasional service, far lower in importance than the reading and preaching of Scripture.
In the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox view, there is nothing more important in our worship than the Lord’s Table. In their view, dominant in present form since about the third century, when the words of consecration are said, the bread and wine turn into the very body and blood of Christ. We may not be able to see, smell, or taste the difference, but it has happened. And thus, in a Catholic service, the offertory is when someone brings forward the bread and the wine – not money – and that bread and wine is then turned into Christ’s body and blood and then re-sacrificed for us once again on an altar.
But the Methodist view is something in between. We believe that Christ is present in and around the elements in a spiritual way, that when we receive the elements of bread and juice we are taking in not only physical food, but spiritual food. We believe that through the elements we receive grace from God once again – perhaps the eternal life of Christ is shared with us through those elements, and, over time, the eternal body and blood of Christ replaces our mortal body as we eat and drink in Christ.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, argued that Communion was not only an ordinance commanded by Christ, but also a sacrament, a special ceremony in which God's presence changes us.
Wesley gave the Methodists three General Rules. The first was “do no harm”. The second was “do all the good you can do.” The third was to "attend upon all the ordinances of God; such are:
The public worship of God.
The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
The Supper of the Lord.
Family and private prayer.
Searching the Scriptures.
Fasting or abstinence. "
The Supper of the Lord to Wesley was a critical way of receiving God’s grace. What more grace can you receive than being fed by God’s Son Himself? As you approach the Table, can you imagine a great waterfall of grace pouring down from Heaven, washing over and around you, removing your sin once more, pouring love and hope into you, knowing once more that the Creator of the Universe loved you enough to die for you and give up His spirit to feed you and clear your sin debt? Can you understand that Christ did not die for all of us, He died for each of us, if everyone else in the world were right with God except you, He would still have died, going to the cross just to put you back in good communion with God the Father? Can you imagine that waterfall of Grace? Nothing to be afraid of. Christ is here.
And so that is why we come forward. Unlike some groups who remain in their seats, if we are physically able, we must leave the comfort of our ordinary life, our comfortable pew-seats, and approach the Table for the family meal that our Father has provided. We come forward to signify that this is something important to us. We come forward to demonstrate we aren’t afraid of God – or each other.
Unlike in some groups, we believe that all of us are welcome at the Table – everyone who walks or rolls or is carried through that door is welcome. It is not up to us to be part of a particular group, or to be particularly good – for everyone of us has already sinned today and many times in the past, none of us are good enough. There is no need to be afraid.
As Wesley wrote: “You are unworthy to receive any mercy from God. But is that a reason for refusing all mercy? . . . Why do you not obey God’s command? . . . What! unworthy to obey God?” That’s the point – Jesus died for us while we were each still sinners, and that proves God’s love for us.
A few years ago, Saundra and I were ministering to a group of international students at a college. Several came to church with us. One young lady, listening, understood that the Table was open to all who are trying to get closer to God, and realized that she was indeed trying to get closer to God. After taking the elements, she said to us that she wanted to become a Christian. A couple of weeks later, she was baptized. It is possible for people to come to Christ in the Communion line.
That tells us the what of Communion. Let’s spend some time on the how.
As we approach the Table, there are certain things which we have found help us have the best experience.
First, the servers may be anyone in the congregation. The servers will wash their hands with hand cleaner. Do you need special training? No. Simply repeat the words as said to you. “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” Or if you are holding the cup, “This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.” There is something about repeating these words over and over that sends God’s grace deep into the soul of the server.
The Methodist Church prefers we use a single large loaf unless we need multiple large loaves. This loaf reminds us that we are one body in fellowship, and that body of Christ is broken in front of us. We aren’t individuals getting our little bit of sanitized bread. The single cup that we dip the bread into once again signifies that we are in fellowship and unity with one another, and that we trust in each other and in God’s protection. We use unfermented grape juice instead of alcoholic wine because of the historic Methodist connection to the temperance movements of the nineteenth century, believing that our communion should not be a case of testing or temptation to those who suffer from the illness of alcoholism.
The server is to break a decent-sized piece off the loaf and lay it in the hands of the recipient, who approaches with hands together, palms up. As the server does this, he or she says, “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” This approach, receiving communion rather than taking communion, reminds us that God gives us grace at God’s choice – not because of our grasping at God. The one receiving may say, “Amen”, to signify that you remember and agree that this symbolizes the body of Christ.
With the bread in hand, we dip the piece into the juice. The one holding the cup says, “This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.” Notice that no one’s hands touch the common cup – the hygiene is preserved. Don’t be afraid. Once again, the one dipping may say, “Amen” to signify agreement with the symbol.
After all have been served, those who cannot make their way to the Table because of health reasons are served. And after the service, anyone may also take Communion home to someone who is unable to attend because of health reasons. See me for more details on how to do this. I may hold a brief one-hour teaching about this if several people would like to do this on a regular basis.
The elements are returned to the Table and covered up, as respectfully we should the body and blood of Christ.
That’s a lot about the how of Communion, but now we need to spend time on why. Why did Jesus make Communion so central to Christianity?
God’s goal in sending Christ to earth was to draw all people to God. In order for us to come closer to God, God had to make the first move, because our natural inclination is to have things the way WE want them, to do things the way WE want to do them, to be little gods walking around the Universe with everyone else – including God and Christ - serving us because we are so superior to others – that is the natural human soul speaking.
And so, once again, God showed God’s superior wisdom by serving us – on God’s terms.
You see, in our culture, when one person serves another person in our natural state, we serve the other because we need something from that other person. A waitress serves a customer to get a wage and a good tip. The neurosurgeon serves a patient in return for both the wage and the satisfaction of knowing that their superior knowledge and ability was recognized. Our culture bases our exchanges on the principal that specialists can give superior service in their specialty, whether the specialty be neurosurgery – or automotive mechanics – or cooking – or cleaning. We inherently believe in our culture that everyone needs others – and others need us - because of our need to exchange services.
We offer our services in exchange for wages, with which we buy goods made by others and services provided by others. All is equal and democratic – and we believe in this principal so much we get upset when we find that someone is paid a huge amount of money for something we don’t value – like a Major League pitcher being paid thousands of dollars per pitch, a musician being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for writing a song, an inventor/entrepreneur being paid billions of dollars for creating a company with a new idea. Yes, our culture rebels against the idea that anyone’s services should be able to be of much greater value than another’s value. And we are often afraid we don’t measure up.
Yet, God showed us overwhelming service. God created us, God provided a Universe in which to live, God provided an environment around us, systems of food and water and air, God even went so far as to send God’s Son to earth to die to pay for all of the rebellion that we gave God – and continue to give God. And many of us still believe that it is simply enough to acknowledge God’s existence and all is well. “Believe in Jesus and ye are saved!” Don’t be afraid to believe!
Yet simple belief in the existence of God is not enough, for Jesus is God’s Son. As the Apostle John wrote, Jesus is the Word of God that has existed since the beginning. Through Him everything was made. But even belief that Jesus is God’s Son is not enough, for Jesus says twice “Believe in Me!” and some eighty times Jesus says “Follow Me!”
His leading disciple said, “Believe and be baptized!” And this is a start. And we may be afraid to start. But it is only a start, as the first step onto the sidewalk outside your home begins the journey across the continent. It is necessary to continue the journey every day, every week, every year, just as a journey to California does not continue unless you walk, you drive, you ride some more and some more each day. But that first step onto the sidewalk is necessary to begin the journey. This is baptism, the first step at the beginning of the journey. Don’t be afraid of that first step.
But we need food for the journey. In our spiritual journey, we need an ongoing connection to our spiritual food, an ongoing connection to the life energy that will sustain us eternally, an ongoing connection to Christ and the Holy Spirit. We needed something that was very regular which would energize us to follow Jesus down the road of holiness.
And so, the night before He voluntarily sacrificed Himself for us, the Word of God through which all things were made, made Himself into spiritual food for us by announcing, as He broke a single loaf of bread and drank from a single cup of wine that though this, His followers would be eating His body and drinking His blood – not in some cannibalistic orgy – but because He and the Father are One, therefore, with the power of God the Father behind Him, Jesus was reminding us that Jesus, the Word of God, was truly connected ever so closely to the Father who created the Universe, and we, we unhappy fearful mortals that we are, we could be connected to the Father for eternity, becoming immortal by sharing the bread and drink the Father and the Living Word of God had created just for us. In the Gospel of John chapter 6, Jesus said this was critical beginning in verse 48:
48 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
...
The public worship of God.
The ministry of the Word, either read or expounded.
The Supper of the Lord.
Family and private prayer.
Searching the Scriptures.
Fasting or abstinence. "
The Supper of the Lord to Wesley was a critical way of receiving God’s grace. What more grace can you receive than being fed by God’s Son Himself? As you approach the Table, can you imagine a great waterfall of grace pouring down from Heaven, washing over and around you, removing your sin once more, pouring love and hope into you, knowing once more that the Creator of the Universe loved you enough to die for you and give up His spirit to feed you and clear your sin debt? Can you understand that Christ did not die for all of us, He died for each of us, if everyone else in the world were right with God except you, He would still have died, going to the cross just to put you back in good communion with God the Father? Can you imagine that waterfall of Grace? Nothing to be afraid of. Christ is here.
And so that is why we come forward. Unlike some groups who remain in their seats, if we are physically able, we must leave the comfort of our ordinary life, our comfortable pew-seats, and approach the Table for the family meal that our Father has provided. We come forward to signify that this is something important to us. We come forward to demonstrate we aren’t afraid of God – or each other.
Unlike in some groups, we believe that all of us are welcome at the Table – everyone who walks or rolls or is carried through that door is welcome. It is not up to us to be part of a particular group, or to be particularly good – for everyone of us has already sinned today and many times in the past, none of us are good enough. There is no need to be afraid.
As Wesley wrote: “You are unworthy to receive any mercy from God. But is that a reason for refusing all mercy? . . . Why do you not obey God’s command? . . . What! unworthy to obey God?” That’s the point – Jesus died for us while we were each still sinners, and that proves God’s love for us.
A few years ago, Saundra and I were ministering to a group of international students at a college. Several came to church with us. One young lady, listening, understood that the Table was open to all who are trying to get closer to God, and realized that she was indeed trying to get closer to God. After taking the elements, she said to us that she wanted to become a Christian. A couple of weeks later, she was baptized. It is possible for people to come to Christ in the Communion line.
That tells us the what of Communion. Let’s spend some time on the how.
As we approach the Table, there are certain things which we have found help us have the best experience.
First, the servers may be anyone in the congregation. The servers will wash their hands with hand cleaner. Do you need special training? No. Simply repeat the words as said to you. “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” Or if you are holding the cup, “This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.” There is something about repeating these words over and over that sends God’s grace deep into the soul of the server.
The Methodist Church prefers we use a single large loaf unless we need multiple large loaves. This loaf reminds us that we are one body in fellowship, and that body of Christ is broken in front of us. We aren’t individuals getting our little bit of sanitized bread. The single cup that we dip the bread into once again signifies that we are in fellowship and unity with one another, and that we trust in each other and in God’s protection. We use unfermented grape juice instead of alcoholic wine because of the historic Methodist connection to the temperance movements of the nineteenth century, believing that our communion should not be a case of testing or temptation to those who suffer from the illness of alcoholism.
The server is to break a decent-sized piece off the loaf and lay it in the hands of the recipient, who approaches with hands together, palms up. As the server does this, he or she says, “This is the body of Christ, broken for you.” This approach, receiving communion rather than taking communion, reminds us that God gives us grace at God’s choice – not because of our grasping at God. The one receiving may say, “Amen”, to signify that you remember and agree that this symbolizes the body of Christ.
With the bread in hand, we dip the piece into the juice. The one holding the cup says, “This is the blood of Christ, shed for you.” Notice that no one’s hands touch the common cup – the hygiene is preserved. Don’t be afraid. Once again, the one dipping may say, “Amen” to signify agreement with the symbol.
After all have been served, those who cannot make their way to the Table because of health reasons are served. And after the service, anyone may also take Communion home to someone who is unable to attend because of health reasons. See me for more details on how to do this. I may hold a brief one-hour teaching about this if several people would like to do this on a regular basis.
The elements are returned to the Table and covered up, as respectfully we should the body and blood of Christ.
That’s a lot about the how of Communion, but now we need to spend time on why. Why did Jesus make Communion so central to Christianity?
God’s goal in sending Christ to earth was to draw all people to God. In order for us to come closer to God, God had to make the first move, because our natural inclination is to have things the way WE want them, to do things the way WE want to do them, to be little gods walking around the Universe with everyone else – including God and Christ - serving us because we are so superior to others – that is the natural human soul speaking.
And so, once again, God showed God’s superior wisdom by serving us – on God’s terms.
You see, in our culture, when one person serves another person in our natural state, we serve the other because we need something from that other person. A waitress serves a customer to get a wage and a good tip. The neurosurgeon serves a patient in return for both the wage and the satisfaction of knowing that their superior knowledge and ability was recognized. Our culture bases our exchanges on the principal that specialists can give superior service in their specialty, whether the specialty be neurosurgery – or automotive mechanics – or cooking – or cleaning. We inherently believe in our culture that everyone needs others – and others need us - because of our need to exchange services.
We offer our services in exchange for wages, with which we buy goods made by others and services provided by others. All is equal and democratic – and we believe in this principal so much we get upset when we find that someone is paid a huge amount of money for something we don’t value – like a Major League pitcher being paid thousands of dollars per pitch, a musician being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for writing a song, an inventor/entrepreneur being paid billions of dollars for creating a company with a new idea. Yes, our culture rebels against the idea that anyone’s services should be able to be of much greater value than another’s value. And we are often afraid we don’t measure up.
Yet, God showed us overwhelming service. God created us, God provided a Universe in which to live, God provided an environment around us, systems of food and water and air, God even went so far as to send God’s Son to earth to die to pay for all of the rebellion that we gave God – and continue to give God. And many of us still believe that it is simply enough to acknowledge God’s existence and all is well. “Believe in Jesus and ye are saved!” Don’t be afraid to believe!
Yet simple belief in the existence of God is not enough, for Jesus is God’s Son. As the Apostle John wrote, Jesus is the Word of God that has existed since the beginning. Through Him everything was made. But even belief that Jesus is God’s Son is not enough, for Jesus says twice “Believe in Me!” and some eighty times Jesus says “Follow Me!”
His leading disciple said, “Believe and be baptized!” And this is a start. And we may be afraid to start. But it is only a start, as the first step onto the sidewalk outside your home begins the journey across the continent. It is necessary to continue the journey every day, every week, every year, just as a journey to California does not continue unless you walk, you drive, you ride some more and some more each day. But that first step onto the sidewalk is necessary to begin the journey. This is baptism, the first step at the beginning of the journey. Don’t be afraid of that first step.
But we need food for the journey. In our spiritual journey, we need an ongoing connection to our spiritual food, an ongoing connection to the life energy that will sustain us eternally, an ongoing connection to Christ and the Holy Spirit. We needed something that was very regular which would energize us to follow Jesus down the road of holiness.
And so, the night before He voluntarily sacrificed Himself for us, the Word of God through which all things were made, made Himself into spiritual food for us by announcing, as He broke a single loaf of bread and drank from a single cup of wine that though this, His followers would be eating His body and drinking His blood – not in some cannibalistic orgy – but because He and the Father are One, therefore, with the power of God the Father behind Him, Jesus was reminding us that Jesus, the Word of God, was truly connected ever so closely to the Father who created the Universe, and we, we unhappy fearful mortals that we are, we could be connected to the Father for eternity, becoming immortal by sharing the bread and drink the Father and the Living Word of God had created just for us. In the Gospel of John chapter 6, Jesus said this was critical beginning in verse 48:
48 I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
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53 So Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves. Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate—and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”
The Word of God spoke these words – and the laws of space and time were changed forever. There is now nothing to be afraid of.
And so, as often as you break the bread and drink the fruit of the vine – remember the overwhelming service of the One who died so we could live, the One who did more than simply die on the cross for our sins, but also created and provided His body and blood as an ongoing sacrament to bring us all together – You. Me. Jesus. Holy Spirit, and our Almighty Father. Don’t be afraid, for God loves us.
Next week, we will share the bread and the fruit of the vine. Next week, when you see the elements in front of you, remember that you would not be receiving this bread and this drink unless Jesus and God the Father had not loved us enough that Jesus not only sacrificed Himself for us – but the Word of God changed the laws of the Universe that we might eat and drink – and be with God forever.
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