Sermon - 2018-08-26
What is your reaction when you hear something that sounds unbelievable? For most of it, we express our doubts. “You are joking. That doesn’t make sense. How can this be?” I am amazed sometimes when I talk to people about the reality and absurdness of this world. For example, I was talking to someone about the price of goods and the price of gas came up. They told me, “I remember when gas was a quarter. I could fill up my tank for $4.” Then I reminded them that just a few years ago, we were paying over $4 for a gallon of gas. Now both of us were amazed and astounded by the reality, but also the absurdness of this world. Something so simple as going and buying gas for a car also entered into the mindset of disbelief at the price.
Now I realize that some of you today may hear that conversation and you are thinking, “Well that sounds like a dream.” While others of you are sitting here thinking, “I remember growing up when gas was ten cents a gallon.”
I share with you this conversation because it draws into an understanding of our Gospel. Jesus shares with his disciples that “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.” For many of us, this sounds foolish and rather disgusting. We even hear of the disciples themselves stating, “this teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” They struggled with how was it Jesus was calling them to do this and teach this. For even the disciples who were struggling with this idea and teaching did not understand until they came to the Last Supper.
Yes until the Last Supper, when Jesus speaks these words and shares with the disciples what it is that it means for them. Yet still, they did not fully understand. For it was after the Last Supper, we hear of Jesus being taken to be on trial, beaten and ultimately crucified on the cross. Now let’s go back, it is these words that the bread we eat at communion is the body of Christ. The wine that we drink is the blood of Christ. Yet we say these words over and over again that we may not even realize what does it mean for you and God as you are hearing them.
To understand, we must go back to the closest account we have and that is the Gospels. We enter the account, year after year to remind ourselves of the meaning. The meaning of those words. The meaning of the actions and life of Jesus Christ. The meaning of our calling in this world.
Jesus shares in the meal and the events that are to come, that Jesus is dying, giving his body and blood, for YOUR SAKE. His life is given for you. When Jesus gives the bread and the wine, he is giving them and you something tangible that you can touch and feel and know that the body and blood of Jesus are close, that you can eat them and know Jesus is in you. Jesus is offering all that he is to those disciples. Jesus gives all of himself and becomes part of you.
Throughout the centuries, this has proven to be misunderstood for Christians. For many, following the time of Jesus, they would gather together to have communion together and they would be misunderstood. People who worshipped other gods heard that the Christians eat and drink blood and they thought that Christians became cannibals. However, when they witnessed and began to understand the meal, they saw the bread and the wine. They heard one thing and saw something else.
Now, this misunderstanding is also something that has separated Christians from one another, this idea of what does the words of body and blood of Christ actually mean. For some, when Jesus speaks these words, we hear the metaphor. This bread is like my body and this wine is like my blood.
However, while this message sounds absurd to us; this is the Word and promise of God to you and to me. It is because of this Word and Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, that we are restored, welcomed and loved as a Child of God, now and forever. Amen.
Now I realize that some of you today may hear that conversation and you are thinking, “Well that sounds like a dream.” While others of you are sitting here thinking, “I remember growing up when gas was ten cents a gallon.”
I share with you this conversation because it draws into an understanding of our Gospel. Jesus shares with his disciples that “those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them.” For many of us, this sounds foolish and rather disgusting. We even hear of the disciples themselves stating, “this teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” They struggled with how was it Jesus was calling them to do this and teach this. For even the disciples who were struggling with this idea and teaching did not understand until they came to the Last Supper.
Yes until the Last Supper, when Jesus speaks these words and shares with the disciples what it is that it means for them. Yet still, they did not fully understand. For it was after the Last Supper, we hear of Jesus being taken to be on trial, beaten and ultimately crucified on the cross. Now let’s go back, it is these words that the bread we eat at communion is the body of Christ. The wine that we drink is the blood of Christ. Yet we say these words over and over again that we may not even realize what does it mean for you and God as you are hearing them.
To understand, we must go back to the closest account we have and that is the Gospels. We enter the account, year after year to remind ourselves of the meaning. The meaning of those words. The meaning of the actions and life of Jesus Christ. The meaning of our calling in this world.
Jesus shares in the meal and the events that are to come, that Jesus is dying, giving his body and blood, for YOUR SAKE. His life is given for you. When Jesus gives the bread and the wine, he is giving them and you something tangible that you can touch and feel and know that the body and blood of Jesus are close, that you can eat them and know Jesus is in you. Jesus is offering all that he is to those disciples. Jesus gives all of himself and becomes part of you.
Throughout the centuries, this has proven to be misunderstood for Christians. For many, following the time of Jesus, they would gather together to have communion together and they would be misunderstood. People who worshipped other gods heard that the Christians eat and drink blood and they thought that Christians became cannibals. However, when they witnessed and began to understand the meal, they saw the bread and the wine. They heard one thing and saw something else.
Now, this misunderstanding is also something that has separated Christians from one another, this idea of what does the words of body and blood of Christ actually mean. For some, when Jesus speaks these words, we hear the metaphor. This bread is like my body and this wine is like my blood.
However, while this message sounds absurd to us; this is the Word and promise of God to you and to me. It is because of this Word and Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, that we are restored, welcomed and loved as a Child of God, now and forever. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment