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Pay Attention! It’s Supper Time! 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 |
August 6, 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum |
So, let me ask you a question. What’s the greatest distance you’ve ever driven without being able to remember how you got from point A to point B? It happens from time to time to everyone who drives. You’re driving down the road when, for some reason, your attention drifts from the primary task at hand, namely, driving.
It may be because you’ve driven this road a hundred times before; it may be because you’re bored or tired or any number of other reasons. But something causes your mind to drift and the result is that a 5000 pound vehicle traveling at 70 miles per hour and possessing the potential to kill and injure scores of people is now being driven by a person…namely, you…whose attention is far, far away.
--Somewhere in the back of your mind you know that driving is an awesome responsibility that deserves your complete and undivided attention.
--Somewhere in the back of your mind you know that people are killed by careless, inattentive drivers every day.
And yet, here you are piloting a lethal weapon at breakneck speeds while being totally focused on that quarter you suddenly notice on the floorboard in front of the passenger seat…and if there’s a quarter over there, you gotta wonder how much there could be in the backseat…and is that the pen I’ve been looking for all over creation, I always liked that pen…of course, it’s not as nice as the one that John has but then, again, John can afford pens like that with his income…
So, here you are flying down the road in the midst of this blissful daydream when out of the corner of your eye you just happen to notice a sign indicating that you are approaching the Kettleman City exit. But that’s impossible because you just passed a sign a minute ago saying that Kettleman City was 20 miles away. And suddenly you’re jolted out of your daydream by the realization that you have no memory whatsoever of the 20 miles you’ve just driven. You just sleepwalked your way through an experience that deserved your full attention.
This morning, we’re going to be gathering around this table to participate in The Lord’s Supper. It’s an experience that most of us have had scores, even hundreds of times before.
And that means that it’s the kind of experience in which most of us could participate while daydreaming. This is the kind of event through which most of us could very easily sleepwalk. And we will likely be tempted to do so. But, the truth is, that this is an experience that deserves our full attention. Before we come to the table this morning, I want us to spend some time remembering what it is that we are doing when we gather here and why our time around this table deserves our full attention.
And to point us in the right direction, we’re going to look at a number of Bible passages that speak about the Lord’s Supper, beginning with 1 Corinthians 10:16 which says,
“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?”
Now, the first thing to notice here is that the “cup” and the “bread” that are mentioned here refer to the two key elements in The Lord’s Supper. The “cup” is a symbol representing the “blood of Christ” and the “bread” is a symbol representing the “body of Christ.” So, before we ever even approach this Table; before we do anything with either the cup or the bread; before the Supper itself has even begun or the pastor has said even a single word about the Supper; the mere presence of this Table standing before us is a visual reminder of the actual death of Jesus and is already impacting those who are directing their full attention to this Table.
--Being reminded of the death of Jesus impacts the content and spirit of our prayers.
--Being reminded of the death of Jesus impacts the depth and the power of our praise.
--Being reminded of the death of Jesus lifts our eyes off of ourselves and onto the grand and eternal purposes of God.
And all of this has happened from a distance, before the Supper itself has even begun. But it doesn’t happen to everyone. It happens to those who give the Supper their full and undivided attention. So, let me ask—Did it happen for you, today? Did the presence of the Table influence your worship experience, today? Did you even consciously notice that it was here?
This Table is powerful even from a distance, but, folks, make no mistake about this—the fullness of this Supper can only be experienced up close and personal. And that’s made clear through another of the key words in this verse and that is, “participation.” Let’s read the verse again.
“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?”
The Greek word translated here as “participation” is a word with which many of you are familiar. It’s the word--“koinonia.” It’s a word we run across frequently in the New Testament and it’s oftentimes translated as “fellowship” or “communion.” It speaks of the kinds of relationships that grow between people who have shared experiences; people who share something significant in common.
And this verse reminds us that the common experience shared by everyone who comes to this Table is that we all participate in that which Jesus accomplished through His blood and body on the cross, namely, salvation. Jesus blood was shed and his body was broken to offer the gift of salvation to everyone who believes.
John 3:16 says it like this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Sadly, there are many who don’t believe and because of their unbelief they don’t participate in the effect of Jesus’ sacrifice. Their lives are unchanged in spite of Jesus’ sacrifice.
But everyone who participates in this Supper has been changed. Why? Because we believe. And because of our belief we participate in His blood. And because of our belief we participate in His body. The effect of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross will reverberate for all of eternity through the life of everyone that dines at this Table. We have been saved!
Which is why this symbol of Jesus’ death is rightly called here in verse 16, “the cup of thanksgiving.” “Father, thank you for all that you accomplished in me through this sacrifice. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Folks, is it even possible to adequately express our gratitude to God for the blessing of being welcome at this Table? I don’t know. But I do know that that’s a question that deserves our full attention.
Now, as we move ahead in the text we’re introduced to another significant element within The Lord’s Supper experience. Beginning, once again, in verse 16 and continuing on to verse 17 we read, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”
Key phrase—“we who are many, are one body…” The new element that is being emphasized, here, in our Lord’s Supper experience is unity. Christ has accomplished for us something that we could not possibly have accomplished on our own. In addition to getting us saved, He has also made us one. In spite of the fact that we are many in number and diverse in every imaginable way, through our shared participation in the body and blood of Christ, “we, who are many, are one body…” And every time we gather around this Table to dine on this meal we celebrate the unity that is ours in and through Christ.
Paul elaborates on this idea in Ephesians 4:4-6 where he writes, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
In other words, through our union with Christ, “we who are many” have been joined together in such an intimate and fundamental way that we have become one body. And what better way to celebrate our unity than by sharing a meal together?
--Sharing a meal is one of the most relationally significant things that we can do together.
--Gathering around the table immediately implies relationship.
--Gathering around the table provides an ideal opportunity for deepening our relationships.
And gathering around the table also tends to reveal strained relationships. It’s hard to fake a happy, healthy relationship when you’re sitting this close, doing something this intimate for such a lengthy period of time. But sharing a meal together does more than just reveal strained relationships. It also provides a wonderful opportunity for healing those strained relationships. And that, too, is part of The Lord’s Supper experience.
Paul continues to develop his instructions about The Lord’s Supper in the next chapter where, in 1 Corinthians 11:28, he says that each time we come to this Table we should stop, before we eat anything, in order “examine” ourselves. Self-examination is an important part of the Supper experience.
--The first part of that self-examination is to make sure that we’re right with the Lord. Is there some sin that I need to confess? Is there some step of obedience that I need to take? Is their some area in which I need to yield my will so that I can walk in His will?
--The second part of that self-examination is to make sure that we’re right with those joining us at this Table; our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Is there someone I need to forgive? Is there some anger that I need to let go of? Is there someone to whom I need to confess some offense and seek their forgiveness?
“Father, I’m here at the Table but before I eat I want to pray as David prayed in Psalm 139, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
I don’t know what God might ask you to do before you eat this meal, but I do know that it’s a matter that deserves your full attention.
This past week I sent an email to some new friends that I’ve recently made here in the church, inviting them to our home for dinner. A short time later I received an email response from them saying, “Thank you so very much for the invitation. We would be honored to join you.”
That’s a powerful statement. We would be honored to join you. It would be an honor to be welcomed into your home. We would count it an honor to sit at your table. It’s an honor to accept your invitation.
As we studied our text a few moments ago we noted that, through our participation in the body and blood of Christ, we have been made one body. We are brothers and sisters united in the Lord. In short, we’re family. And the Lord is the head of this family. He is also the host of this meal.
This is not Pastor Tom’s supper.
This is not Petaluma Valley’s supper.
This is the Lord’s Supper. The Lord is the host of this meal. And if you have a place at this Table it is only because the Lord has invited you here. I was pleased that my new friends felt honored to receive my dinner invitation, but, folks, a dinner invitation from me pales in comparison to receiving a dinner invitation from the Lord. I can’t imagine a greater honor than receiving an invitation to a supper hosted by Jesus. That’s an invitation that deserves our full and undivided attention.
The Lord is the head of this family and today He has invited you to His Table.
This is the body of Christ, broken for you.
This is the blood of Christ poured out for you.
Through this body and this blood you have been saved.
Through this body and this blood you have been united with Christ.
Through this body and this blood you have been made one…brothers and sisters in the Lord.
As you eat this bread and drink this cup…remember.
© Copyright 2006 Pastor Tom Marcum