by. Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
John 6:51-58
Jesus said, “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.”
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 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.”
Food is an important part of human interaction. We get much more than physical sustenance from eating. In many ways it helps us move life down the road in our families, our businesses, and in every part of our lives. It’s certainly important in the life of a church. So, here’s a little story to start off a discussion about the importance of food.
A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor's office.
After his checkup, the doctor called the wife into his office alone. He said, “Your husband is suffering from a very severe stress disorder. If you don't follow my instructions carefully, your husband may not live out the year.
“Each morning, fix him a healthy breakfast. Be pleasant at all times. For lunch make him a nutritious meal. For dinner prepare an especially nice meal for him. Don’t worry about the calories for now. Remember that men derive great satisfaction from food.
“Don't burden him with chores. Don't discuss your problems with him; it will only make his stress worse. Do not nag him.”
“If you can do this for the next 10 months or so, I think your husband will regain his health completely.”
On the way home, the husband asked his wife, “What did the doctor say?”
Her response: “He said, I need to help you get your affairs in order, and to do so fairly quickly, in the next ten months or so in fact.”
We are talking about special food and its importance in our lives this morning. Jesus recognized the importance of food and gave us the gift of Eucharist, the worship service centered in bread and wine, to remember him. It reminds us of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. The symbolic representation of his body and blood are the centerpiece of our weekly worship service.
In the gospel read a moment ago we are well aware of the fact that Jesus is talking about Eucharist, communion if you like. He makes direct reference to his body and blood in this gospel. He makes concrete statements about the meaning of the bread and the wine. For the audience of the moment, they probably didn’t fully understand what he was talking about since he was still alive and in their presence. But we do.
Eucharist goes back to our Lord. For me that means the year 33 CE. Eucharist will soon be 2000 years old and has been celebrated ever since he instituted it on the night before he was crucified. Let’s look at some important history we can find in the New Testament.
First let’s examine the source of the information. The Apostle Paul wrote letters to congregations he had founded. Seven of those letters are in the New Testament. Paul never meant for us, or anyone other than the recipients, to read them. He had no special agenda other than to help the congregations to whom they were written. They are valuable historical documents. It’s like a special window into the first century.
Today we are going to look through that window, specifically the First letter to the Corinthians and the letter to the Galatians. Now let’s hear a small portion of the letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 23-26. Paul quotes Jesus and explains how Eucharist is done.
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, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”.
Now you ask, how did Paul get this information? The answer is twofold. First, he says Jesus told him in some special and mysterious way, but if you don’t necessarily buy that there is another almost irrefutable way to be certain. Paul was with Peter, who was with Jesus that night on that last night, and Peter confirmed what Paul believed to be true. In fact, I am sure the two of them celebrated Eucharist together, probably several times.
Now let’s take a look at Galatians, chapter 1, verses 18 and 19. Paul is speaking. “Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother.” In case you are unaware, Cephas was Peter’s nickname. Paul was with Peter, and James the brother of Jesus, for fifteen days. We just found a window through time to that event.
We have learned the history of the creation of Eucharist. Pretty cool huh? Later in Galatians chapter two Paul talks about going back to Jerusalem fourteen years later and confirming everything he had been doing with Peter and the Pillars of the growing church. They confirmed that he was right on track. I invite you to look it up yourselves if you are willing. It’s well worth the effort.
The church has a history surrounding Eucharist since our Lord initiated it. For the most part the debate has raged between the bread and wine literally becoming the body and blood of Christ on one end, and being completely symbolic on the other. For my money think what you want. Something is happening when we take communion. This much we know. And for me that is enough.
So why did I go through this? I wanted to underline the importance of Eucharist. It’s not just some ritual made up by priests to make everyone feel good or holy. It is a creation by the Son of God for our benefit. It is a way to be in touch with him, that we may not fully comprehend, but we feel it deeply within ourselves. When we participate, we know we have been fed with the food of eternity.
This reason above all others is why we need to be in church. Eucharist is the sustenance we need for living. If anything has taught us that, think about the last year and a half. Many of us have starved for the body and blood of Christ. Getting to finally partake again returns out strength. If you haven’t been here in a bit, please accept the invitation from your savior to return, to eat, to gain your strength for the road ahead. This gift of Christ awaits all of us.
No matter where you are on your journey with God, know that all people, without exception, are welcome here at God’s table. Won’t you please come?