What a wonderful and gracious thing it is to be here today and fellowship, is it not? We all know due to COVID-19, we seemed to be prisoners of our own homes and lives, not to feel free and do things we once done before.
But this brings to mind a very special subject of circumstances, just how free we are in the sense where God is at the helm of life. It is quite fitting to speak of Communion before a wonderful gather and meal that we will have today. As often as we do it, Holy Communion is a very special sacrament (sacrament meaning pledge or oath.) Its not a thing! Its not a item! Its something very special that we as United Methodist give priority to God’s gracious work in our lives, and thus to the sacramental character of Communion. Before our wonderful meal today, we will be partaking in this Holy Mystery called Communion. Different churches call the holy meal by various names: Eucharist(meaning give thanks), Lord’s Supper, Holy Meal & Holy Communion.
But for some, its not well described, but just actions with some words. I wanted to dive a little into it today in the sense of a joyous thing to do and witness.
Holy Communion is a profound act of remembrance that recalls the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. But it is more than just a ritual of remembering. It is primarily an act through which our connection with God, each other and our life of ministry in the world is nourished and strengthened. Holy Communion reflects the fact that as we gather around the Lord’s table, we commune with Christ and with one another.
This Holy Mystery describes what we believe and practice in the sacrament: “Holy Communion is remembrance, commemoration, and memorial, but this remembrance is much more than simply intellectual recalling. ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ as stated in the Gospel of Luke, and the first epistle of the Corinthians. This dynamic action becomes re-presentation of past gracious acts of God in the present, so powerfully as to make them truly present now. Christ is risen and is alive here and now, not just remembered for what was done in the past.”
In the ritual, the prayer of Great Thanksgiving intentionally rehearses the entirety of God’s saving acts in history from creation to God’s covenant with Israel, through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And the prayer during Communion, we seek the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon us and the gifts of bread and juice we bring.
When we receive the bread and juice so “we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood,” we are remembering. At the same time, we are also re-membered, put back together again. We pray that we may be “one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.” God’s work of making us one and uniting us with Christ and with each other is the ordinary way by which God feeds us, sustains us and empowers us to live as Christians in the world.
In communion, we do remember the saving work God has already done in the world and is doing today. And we anticipate God’s future for the world and all creation. We’re partners with God in creating this future. We are strengthened and transformed by the presence of Christ in the bread and juice to respond to God’s love by loving God and others.
Although it may be tempting to believe that this experience is something God imposes on us, John Wesley was always careful to remind the Methodist people that this experience of grace depended on God’s gift and our response in faith. In other words, as God continues to invite us to the feast, our participation in the feast depends on our willingness to accept the invitation.
You do not have to fully understand Holy Communion except to say this, that through Christ our sins have been forgiven, and through Christ we are strengthen to live the Christian life.
And finally, in the practice of Holy Communion, it is an understanding of Holy Communion as both a confirming and a converting ordinance that leads United Methodists today to practice an open Communion. All who desire to live and lead a Christian life, regardless of age, ability, or denomination, are invited to the Lord’s table for the holy meal. We also are reminded that the table to which we are invited does not belong to a particular congregation or denomination but to Jesus Christ. It is Christ who invites us to share the meal with him. Here at Memorial United Methodist Church, Holy Communion is open to all who respond to Christ’s love, regardless of age or church membership.
Friends, the table is set, the meal is ready, God is stretching forth his hand at this moment in asking you to partake in this very special sacrament. We are free friends, free from sin knowing we are forgiven, free to choose Gods best for us and free to partake in the Lords supper, regardless of who we are.
But just as we are free to choose, so are we to remember, just a Paul stated in his letter to the people of Corinth. “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. “
The Gospel of Matthew quotes the words of Christ, “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it with you, new, in My Father’s kingdom.”
In closing friends, I want you to think about just how important it is, when taking communion, it’s a LIVING BREATHING MOMENT that Christ did request we, the body of the church do. Being the body of Christ is defined as a company of people who have been drawn to him in faith and gratitude for his sacrificial redemption of Christ on the cross, and who are bound to him and to one another by his spirit, recognizing in one another brethren for whom the Lord died.
MOVE INTO COMMUNION