People sometimes tell me after officiating a wedding ceremony, "That was a very nice ceremony." Ceremonies (a formal act or set of acts performed as prescribed by ritual or custom) such as weddings are meant to be nice, but they are not intended to be an end in themselves. You and I know, and hopefully the bride and groom, that once the ceremony is over, life begins as a married couple. The ceremony has an intended purpose that lies beyond itself. In other words there is life beyond the ceremony.
Last Sunday we participated in a ceremony that articulated and culminated the vision God has given us to reach people of Ormond Beach for Jesus Christ. This morning we have come to observe the Lord's Supper. It too can be a nice ceremony. But like the wedding and Vision Sunday these ceremonies are not intended to be an end in themselves. They too speak of life beyond the ceremony.
It would do little good, though some, for a married couple to watch the video of their wedding ceremony if they never grasped the emphasis that they are to have a life together as husband and wife after the ceremony. Similarly, it does us no good to read a resolution thinking that the only thing gained is land.
Jesus is not as concerned with the bit of cracker and juice we will consume this morning, as He is about you and I consuming the greater emphasis of the life He imparts to us. As the wedding video should remind the couple of their life together, so this meal is to remind us of our life together with Christ.
John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
In this text, the words, "flesh and blood", is not speaking so much of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper but more of the life He imparts. And that is what this meal is to remind us of ... the Life beyond the ceremony that comes through Christ's death, and resurrection.
Renewed in the Life of Christ 6:51-52
John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?"
I remember a lady asking me in a very concerned voice after observing the Lord's Supper ... "Doesn't it say in the Bible somewhere that a cloth is to be used to cover the Lord Supper dishes?" Have we made this sacrament an end in itself by worrying ourselves more about the elements than the life that is beyond the ceremony? Have we made the activity that we do in church and end in itself? We do not go to church so that we may say we have been to church. We go to church to be empowered by the community and then to go out into the community to reach people for Jesus Christ. If we do not understand the life of Christ imparts to us by the power of the Spirit, we will never understand this concept of renewal.
Renewal speaks of something being restored, regained, reaffirmed or revived in our lives. Today we need to be renewed by the life Christ imparts.
1a. Where Eternal Life Comes From ... Jesus Christ
1b. When Eternal Life is Imparted ... Eats of this Bread (believes)
1c. What Eternal Life Accomplishes ... Live Forever with Christ
Well, how are we renewed? Two ways: 1.) Through the life we receive from the community. 2.) Through the individual spiritual maturation process we implement. I have never worked at a church that provided more opportunities to receive life than this one. Those activities posted on the wall are those activates that allow the Spirit of God to grow us wide in the impact we have with people; and wide in the potential to reach others with saving love of Jesus.
As for the second one there is need for some instruction
Re-Centered in the Life of Christ 6:53-54
John 6:53-54 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;
Once we are renewed to the life imparted by Christ we are able to re-center our lives in the life of Christ. Without Christ as the center of our lives, life becomes a roller coaster ride of priorities and goals, none of which remain in view for any significant amount of time. Life is, at best, unstable.
This is the crux of what God has given me to say today. I have come to the conclusion this week that we cannot be renewed or re-centered without receiving spiritual sustenance from Christ, the Bread of Life which comes down out of heaven. This spiritual sustenance needs to be digested by our minds, our hearts, and our souls. In simple terms we could call it out thoughts. However, it involves much more than that. You see thoughts are embryonic actions and actions are what the world see. If the world sees Christ-like actions they will receive the Gospel through our lives. If they see only another example of fallen humanity, then they have yet another reason to reject Christ.
Steven Covey in his book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" suggests we live a principled centered life. Without a principled center he states, "There is no consistent sense of direction, no persistent wisdom, no steady power supply or sense of personal intrinsic worth and identity. The ideal, of course is to create one clear center . . ." (7 Habits, pg. 122)
How do we do this? By integrating our thoughts of God in to our days and nights.
Let your thoughts always be upward toward God, and direct your prayers continually to Christ. If you cannot because of your frailty, always occupy your mind in contemplation of the Godhead. (The Imitation of Christ, 76)
In other words, there should be some time during the day that our minds should cease from working on whatever we are working on and turn our minds toward Christ. If our minds are centered on Christ frequently then we are given the kinds of insights we need to grow in our relationship with him.
The starter kit we need for this activity is a varying routine that helps us remember to do this. For example in the same way we plan our day whether we are at work or at home we can give ourselves physical cues to direct our thoughts upward. It is just like communion. This ceremony is a physical cue to the life beyond the ceremony. The elements are not as important as the life that is imparted to you through the participation of the Holy Spirit and you.
Some suggestions:
If you work, place things in your office that can easily catch your eye.
If Jesus becomes that principled center of our lives, He will bring into our lives direction, wisdom, power, worth and identity, through His life.
We have developed a mission statement over the past year for us that I believe declares and shares Jesus Christ as the center of our lives. "We exist to be an authentic Christian community inviting and developing people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ."
The mission statement will only impact the corporate life of the church in as much as it impacts each of our lives individually. As individuals coming to this table today each of us need to re-center our lives in Christ.
2a. Life Evolves In Christ ... unless you eat.
2b. Life Revolves In Christ ... without Christ you have no life.
2c. Life Dissolves In Christ ... raised up.
Romans 6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The centered life in Christ is the Life beyond the ceremony.
Refreshed in the Life of Christ 6:55-57
John 6:55-56 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56 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."
Having been renewed and re-centered in the life of Christ we draw refreshment from His life. Though the words are hard to accept at times, Jesus is teaching us that without Him we cannot handle life. "We need to depend on Him utterly, moment by moment, in order to survive." - Dr. Andrew M Fountain "Eating Christ's Flesh and Drinking His Blood"
If we struggle to let Christ control our lives we must go back to the re-centering and let Christ be the center. Without Christ as the center of our lives we will not receive the refreshment from Him we so desperately need. It is through the life of Christ that we find refreshment for our souls.
3a. Sustenance Found In Christ ... food and drink indeed
3b. Abiding Presence of Christ ... abides in Me, and I in him.
3c. Living Because of Christ ... will live because of Me.
John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
To be refreshed in the Life of Christ enables us to be in the fullness of Christ. Paul captures the essence of the Life beyond the ceremony in his prayer for the Ephesians Christians.
Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Conclusion:
Today we need to be reminded often like that married couple that there is life beyond the ceremony. As nice as it is the observance of this meal for ceremony sake is not what Christ desires of us today.
1 Corinthians 11:24-25 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." 25 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."
Jesus says to "remember" the Life that is beyond the ceremony ... The renewed, re-centered, and refreshed life in Christ.
Amen!
