April 8, Lenten Worship, Chili Supper and Candlelight Communion, 6:00 pm.

Lessons: Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; Exodus 12:1-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Sermon Title: Hand to Hand, Life to Life (1 Corinthians 10.14-22)

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  1. For many years, as a child, I wore hand-me-downs.
    1. hand-me-down (hand'm doun') (1)
      1. noun: Informal something, esp. an article of clothing, which is used and then passed along to someone else
      2. adjective: (a) used; secondhand; (b) ready-made and cheap.
    2. The pants I hated most were a pair of knickers.
    3. I was playing marbles in the playground and bent over to take a shot the pants ripped right down the rear seam. I was never so glad to get rid of anything more in my life.
    4. Now I recognize that they are back in fashion, made popular by the golfer Payne Stewart.
    5. Now I wear a lot of used clothing some from the St. Vinnie's, Good Will and the Hospice Care Thrift Store on Junction Rd.
  2. When you contemplate Communion, you probably do not think of a hand-me-down, but that is exactly what it is.
    1. Read the opening line of the text in 1 Corinthians 11.23.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 1 Corinthians 11:23 (NRSVA)

    1. Communion is a tradition
      1. Traditions may be harmful

Barbara Lemmel in "Makeshift communities," tells a wonderful story: (2)

A young rabbi found a serious problem in his new congregation. During the Friday service, half the congregation stood for the prayers and half remained seated, and each side shouted at the other, insisting that theirs was the true tradition. Nothing the rabbi said or did moved toward solving the impasse.

Finally, in desperation, the young rabbi sought out the synagogue's 99-year-old founder. He met the old rabbi in the nursing home and poured out his troubles. "So tell me," he pleaded, "was it the tradition for the congregation to stand during the prayers?"

"No," answered the old rabbi.

"Ah," responded the younger man, "then it was the tradition to sit during the prayers?"

"No," answered the old rabbi.

"Well," the young rabbi responded, "what we have is complete chaos! Half the people stand and shout, and the other half sit and scream."

"Ah," said the old man, "THAT was the tradition."

      1. Traditions may be helpful.
        1. Communion is a tradition that has been handed down from hand to hand.
        2. It is a tradition that has contributed life to life.

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  1. We know the meaning of Communion.
    1. Does the meaning get lost in the transmission?
    2. Someone has written that there are three common errors of the church.
      1. Confusing tradition with truth.
        1. The tradition is not the truth.
        2. Traditions contain truth.
        3. You filter out the truth through the tradition.
      2. Confusing rhetoric with reality.
        1. Rhetoric is a type of speech.
        2. The speech may have nothing to do with the tradition.
        3. You ultimately use speech to convey the meaning of the tradition.
      3. Confusing practice with presence.
        1. We sometimes confuse practice with God's presence.
        2. We also can get so busy that we miss what's truly important--"not what we do, but Who we belong to."
  2. This is the true meaning that is sometimes lost in the handing on.
    1. In Corinthians 10:14-22 (NRSVA) Paul is illustrating an important point from the History of Israel.
      1. They had been guilty of worshiping idols.
      2. The question had been raised about food offered to idols, and what to do about it.
      3. Paul answers with this logical analysis.

14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

        1. It is obvious that God is the strongest.
        2. This is why we have this supper to begin with.
  1. Let it not be true of us that we do not know to whom we belong.
    1. We have had out own supper.
    2. Let us share in the true meaning of the Lord's Supper.
    3. Let us pray.

      1. "hand-me-down." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009, Your Dictionary. 6 April 2009. <www.yourdictionary.com/hand-me-down>

      2. Barbara Lemmel, "Makeshift communities," Christian Century, January 6-13, 1999, 15.

1. "hand-me-down." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009, Your Dictionary. 6 April 2009. <www.yourdictionary.com/hand-me-down>

2. Barbara Lemmel, "Makeshift communities," Christian Century, January 6-13, 1999, 15.

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