Lord's Supper Vol. 4: Discerning the Body
Two of the most familiar passages about the Lord's Supper are found in I Corinthians 10 and 11.
In I Cor. chapters 8-10, Paul was working through his discussion of how the freedoms of faith should never be used in a way to harm the body of Christ. Food sacrificed to idols was the common thing of the day, and Paul used the concept to open the subject of the Lord's Supper.
I Cor. 10:14-17--- Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 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.
Like the Israelites, we participate in the covenant so we can then participate in the promises. (Eternal life, no less...) But what else is happening here?
Paul apparently wrote the letter to the Corinthian church from Ephesus, some 200 miles away. He didn't say "You" become one, but "WE" become one. Somehow in the breaking of the bread, distance or different places of meeting did not matter. We are one body for we all participate in the eating of the one loaf, the Bread of Life. Does that mean something happens between you and me when we take the Lord's Supper?
Yes, I believe it does.
How do I get a handle on that, and what should it mean to become one body? Hmmm.
Part of it is involved with recognizing or "discerning" the body. Being part of a body means we are aware of the other parts, we are not alone. Anyone who has gone out barefoot and stumped their big toe so the nail breaks off down in the quick knows what this means. Did the rest of the body go on about its regular activities as if nothing happened? NO!! If we, as parts, share a common body, one part doesn't hurt without the others being aware and trying to help and protect. One part doesn't feel good without the rest enjoying it. We are intimately bonded with our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and those bonds affect our spirituality in many ways.
Look at this statement:
WE CAN NOT SEPARATE OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Is that true?
Look at Matt. 5:23-24. Why does my gift stay at the altar until I am reconciled with the person I have offended? Is it because those offenses limit the effectiveness of my gift? Or is it a heart issue, a failure on my part to recognize that I have stubbed a toe?
How do I become so connected to my brothers and sisters that this really works? It begins, at least in part, when God answers the prayer of Jesus in the Garden.
Jesus prayed what I believe is the true Lord's Prayer in John 17:20-26. He prayed for us to be ONE, as he and the Father are ONE. That's pretty close, that one-ness. Like being in the same body, like becoming ONE body when we all partake of the one bread.
Do I look at the communion service as an answer to the prayer of Jesus? Do I plan on becoming one with my partners in communion, do I expect that miracle to occur?
Or, more succinctly, should I?
My faith is defined by what I expect God to do in any given situation. If I approach the Lord's Supper expecting God to work in it to form bonds and break down barriers, what does God do?
In I Cor. chapters 8-10, Paul was working through his discussion of how the freedoms of faith should never be used in a way to harm the body of Christ. Food sacrificed to idols was the common thing of the day, and Paul used the concept to open the subject of the Lord's Supper.
I Cor. 10:14-17--- Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 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.
Like the Israelites, we participate in the covenant so we can then participate in the promises. (Eternal life, no less...) But what else is happening here?
Paul apparently wrote the letter to the Corinthian church from Ephesus, some 200 miles away. He didn't say "You" become one, but "WE" become one. Somehow in the breaking of the bread, distance or different places of meeting did not matter. We are one body for we all participate in the eating of the one loaf, the Bread of Life. Does that mean something happens between you and me when we take the Lord's Supper?
Yes, I believe it does.
How do I get a handle on that, and what should it mean to become one body? Hmmm.
Part of it is involved with recognizing or "discerning" the body. Being part of a body means we are aware of the other parts, we are not alone. Anyone who has gone out barefoot and stumped their big toe so the nail breaks off down in the quick knows what this means. Did the rest of the body go on about its regular activities as if nothing happened? NO!! If we, as parts, share a common body, one part doesn't hurt without the others being aware and trying to help and protect. One part doesn't feel good without the rest enjoying it. We are intimately bonded with our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ, and those bonds affect our spirituality in many ways.
Look at this statement:
WE CAN NOT SEPARATE OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER FROM OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
Is that true?
Look at Matt. 5:23-24. Why does my gift stay at the altar until I am reconciled with the person I have offended? Is it because those offenses limit the effectiveness of my gift? Or is it a heart issue, a failure on my part to recognize that I have stubbed a toe?
How do I become so connected to my brothers and sisters that this really works? It begins, at least in part, when God answers the prayer of Jesus in the Garden.
Jesus prayed what I believe is the true Lord's Prayer in John 17:20-26. He prayed for us to be ONE, as he and the Father are ONE. That's pretty close, that one-ness. Like being in the same body, like becoming ONE body when we all partake of the one bread.
Do I look at the communion service as an answer to the prayer of Jesus? Do I plan on becoming one with my partners in communion, do I expect that miracle to occur?
Or, more succinctly, should I?
My faith is defined by what I expect God to do in any given situation. If I approach the Lord's Supper expecting God to work in it to form bonds and break down barriers, what does God do?
posted by G'ampa C @ 9:13 PM
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