Christ Comes to Us in The Breaking of the Bread

 

“Christ Comes in the Breaking of Bread”  Matthew 26”:26-30 12/6/20 2^nd Advent at Lake Murray Presbyterian by Dr. J. Ben Sloan
“Take eat this is my body…Drink from it all of you. This my blood of the covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”  [Advent means “coming” and I have been talking about ways that Christ comes to us today.  Last week we mentioned through listening and praying.  Today, on communion Sunday I want to speak of how Christ comes in the sacrament of communion.]

My wife bought me a DNA test for Christmas- which I love.  I have been doing a lot of research all weekend.  I have seen pictures for the first time in my life of some ancestors going back to the American Revolution.  Of course, I never knew them, but seeing their portraits brought me closer to them.  Of course there are no pictures or portraits of Jesus but He used a symbol as a way to get closer to Him.  He said this is me.  When you see this bread and this cup, this is me- and remember what I have done for you.  Communion is a gift.  When we were planning for where worship was going to be during the pandemic, one of the questions several elders asked was when can we have communion and how can we do it?  It is not to be ignored- even in a pandemic.  So we have what we call online communion for those watching online and we have hygienic kits for those here.       There have always been different people with differing views on what communion means or is.  For some, it is simply a memorial- do this in remembrance of me- so that we would never forget that Jesus died on the cross for us to be forgiven.
In that sense it is called “an ordinance” like a command or law to be obeyed.  But the vast majority of the church sees communion as much more than something we have to do to remember.  Most see Holy Communion as  a sacrament- where the presence of Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit comes to those who are prepared for such a presence.  It is more than just a rationalistic law there is a mystery that occurs.  John Calvin, the founder of the Presbyterian Church, who is often accused of being overly rationalistic, said that in the eucharistic meal Christ is more vividly present than in any other rite or ceremony in the church.  In other words- look for His coming in communion. 
     The words of Jesus “This is my body” and “This is my blood of the covenant” are not talking about a magical change from bread to the actual body of Christ as much as the spiritual presence of God in the power of the Holy Spirit.  I will never forget Rahn McCrady’s sister- and Elinor Harris’s aunt, Tina Pitts, telling me years ago that she had a deeply moving conversion experience during communion at Eastminster.  Sometimes people say, “I can’t experience God.”  But communion is what our confessions call “a means of grace” or a tool or gift of God to experience His presence if you are open to it.  I know some in this congregation who believe communion is the most moving part of worship for them.
     Communion is also sometimes called in the church “eucharist.”  Eucharist comes from the Greek word to give thanks or praise.  The sacrifice of Christ is remembered in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.   We remember Christ’s death for our sake.  We remember He gave Himself for us.  He risked leaving the almighty throne in heaven to become a baby, and risked dying on the cross- trusting the Father would raise Him.   Sacrifice is an important part of finding peace.  We recognize we have peace by those who sacrifice- so we celebrate Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.  To get a vaccine, some had to be willing to risk their own health to try it out.  Jennifer Haller is a 43 year old mother of two from Seattle.  She was the first to try the Moderna-NIH vaccine on March 16 in their Phase 1 trials.  Now there were no animal trials on this vaccine.  Yet she took a risk to help others, and today she said she’d do it again.  Her risk and the development of a vaccine is important.  But as everyone knows.  If a vaccine works but no one is willing to try it, it means nothing.  Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross may be the way to get into heaven and escape death.  But if you are not willing to believe and trust in Him, it means nothing too.   We give thanks and praise in a visible way in communion- euchareo- that Christ risked, even more sacrificed, that we who trust and follow Him might have life now and in eternity.  When we give thanks to Christ, we find the living Christ comes to us in our hearts- giving us hope, comfort, strength, joy, and peace. 

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Remember you go nowhere by accident.  Where you are going, God is sending you.  Where you are He has placed you.  God has a purpose for your life- right where you are.  Christ Jesus, who indwells you has something that He wants to do in and through your life wherever you are.  Believe this and go in His love, grace, and power in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Amen.   (Richard Halverson Benediction)

In the Midst of the Storm

A prayer for the day: You, O God, are Lord of heaven and earth. We pray for the Bahamas, our nation, and our state in the face of Hurricane Dorian. We thank you for your Spirit at work even in the midst of this storm. We pray for those in the path of the storm that they would have your protection, your help, and your healing. We pray for first responders who put themselves in harm's way to help others: for police, firefighters, the coast guard, physicians, nurses, all those who help and volunteer. We pray that you would raise up volunteers and care among your people as a witness to you and instruments of your peace and healing.
Lord we bow before your mercy, and ask for your grace, protection and help.

     Today, Hurricane Dorian is kind of hitting South Carolina.  At one point they were saying it would make landfall in our state, but we think not at this point.  In the midlands, we are getting just a little wind and a little rain, which is needed.
     There is an old song "God Moves in a Mysterious Way"  that says: "O fearful saints, fresh courage take.  The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head."
There is much truth to be taught in this, but it is often truth we cannot hear because we leave God out.  Even Christians act as if God has nothing to do with creation, with the weather, with answered prayers or anything else.
      More people care about trying to diagnose the storm than to pray to the One who calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee.  Some just will not believe God can do that, or that God even wants to do that.   Part of this is we value this life so much, that if we lose our things or our stuff is destroyed then we think our lives are over.  This is a spiritually unhealthy way to look at life.  Why?  Because at some point we will ALL lose everything in this life- our stuff, our family, our great knowledge, our health, our beauty, our strength and handsomeness.
     I can remember having a house fire ruin much of my house, and having to move out.  If I had earnestly believed that my life was about stuff, then my life would have been destroyed and depression would have taken over.  Instead, I was glad to live through a dangerous situation.  God is not just here to bless us with safety and health.  In order to reach heaven we will lose both of these.  If we think God only exists to help us add stuff upon stuff in this life, then we are merely using God- like a Genie in a lamp.  Life is not just about what I can get and accumulate here.
     I am not afraid to trust in God and proclaim Him as the ruler of the wind and waves. I am not afraid to ask God for protection, or even to change the weather pattern.  God is not less powerful than our computers who simply try to diagnose (many times poorly) what He is doing.  These storms show the crisis of our faith in our day and culture.  Jesus, in the story below was asleep in the boat during the storm while the disciples panicked.  His rebuke to his disciples was perhaps more powerful than his rebuke to the wind and waves: "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"  In our world, we would rather choose to have no help than to believe we can call on God for help.  In doing so, we deny the help of the Almighty, and leave ourselves to the mercies of the wind and waves of life.  But if we do not recognize God's hand of protection then we will not thank Him.  If we do not believe that God can save us or help us then we will not draw close to Him or be grateful to Him.
    So today, if you have no hurricane blowing away your belongings- give thanks to God our deliverer, our shield, our protector, our refuge and strength and ever-present help in trouble.

"Jesus was in the boat.  A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.   Jesus was in the stern sleeping on a cushion.  The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Peace! Be still!  Then the wind dies down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid?  Do you still have no faith? "  They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this?  Even the wind and the waves obey him!"  (Mark 4:37-41)

Sermon on God in the Storm

Thoughts on the Moonlanding Fiftieth anniversary,

The heavens are telling the glory of God; the earth proclaims the work of His hands.  (Psalm 19:1)

I watched in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the flight to the moon (July 20, 1969) a documentary "For All Mankind" with the astronaut's film footage and commentary.  I believe it was Neil Armstrong talking when the astronaut said, "In space I felt like an alien, but on the moon I felt at home even though the earth was a long ways away.  But I realized we were there by the grace of God.  I felt something other than what we could visually sense.  A spiritual presence was there.  Perhaps it was because so many people on the earth were focusing their attention on us- maybe sending signals to us somehow.  I sensed maybe like the first people on the earth- they were all alone but had a special communication.  We felt an unseen love.  We were not alone." 
    Buzz Aldrin was an elder at Webster Presbyterian church outside Houston.   He told his pastor that he wanted to convey that this event was more than electronics, computers, and rockets.  The pastor later told Guideposts magazine that "One of the principal symbols is that God reveals Himself in the common elements of everyday life." Aldrich poured grapejuice (with just enough gravity on the moon) into a chalice from his church.  He laid the elements out on a small table.  He asked the world listening in to take a few moments of silence and "to give thanks in his own individual way."  Then he read John 15:5 (one of my favorite verses): "I am the vine, you are the branches.  Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without me."  Aldrich partook after reading the verse and he said he felt a strong unity with his church back home and the church around the world. 
     Aldrich was a missionary of sorts.  He brought his faith with him to the moon.  Wherever we go, we need to do the same.  He did his work well and He was not embarrassed (despite pressure from Madeline Murray Ohaire) to speak a good word about the One who made the moon, the earth, and the heavens. 

Prayer: Lord, wherever I am may I remember you and your love for me.

[Part taken from "Nine things you should know About the Communion Service on the Moon" by Joe Carter on the GospelCoalition.com website. ]


     

The Temple is Built

7The priests  then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 8The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 9These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 10There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt.

11The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 12All the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives—stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 13The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:

“He is good;

his love endures forever.”

Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud, 14and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God. (2 Chronicles 5)

Thoughts: One of the most amazing things Solomon did was build the Temple.  It was magnificent- one of the wonders of the world.  The shekinah glory filled the Temple to confirm that God had accepted the sacrifice of their labor.  This was the same cloud that was with the Israelites when they left Egypt. It was the same glory on Sinai when Moses received the Ten Commandments.  It was the same glory that filled the Tabernacle, and the same glory around Jesus at the transfiguration, and when he ascended to heaven.   God came in response to their gift, their praises, and their worship.  So God still comes when we give ourselves to Him.  

Prayer: Lord, may your presence be with me as I give myself to you.   

Thoughts on The Use of Chemical Weapons

Both Russia and Syria signed the Geneva Protocol that prohibited the use of chemical weapons.  This protocol began after the terror of chemical weapon use in World War I.   My grandfather was sprayed with mustard gas in France by the Germans in that war.  Syria was caught using Sarin gas 8/21/13 and four other attacks.  The UN confirmed the use.  The UN pointed to the government that had the weapons stockpiled, and that these were used against the rebels fighting the government.   The United States congress authorized the use of force in response to the use of chemical weapons in response.  The government drew a famous "red line in the sand" to stop the use, but did not follow through.  The Syrian government used weapons again December 2016 and precipitated a tomahawk missile attack in response by the US (a single site attack).  This morning the United States fired about 100 missiles into Syria in response to chemical weapons again, risking tensions with Russia who has troops in Syria and is allied with Syria.  The United States has 2,000 troops in the eastern half of Syria.

"They must turn from evil and do good.  They must seek peace and pursue it."  (1 Peter 3:11; Ps. 34:14).

Thoughts: It is sad that a nation feels they can use chemical weapons on their own people.  Saddam Hussein did this in Iraq and this fueled the second Iraq War by the US.  The United States cannot be the policeman of the world.  Yet, if the Syrian government were to use chemical weapons and go unpunished then they could use the weapons against Israel or US troops and feel no one will blink an eye.  Or Iran or Russia could be empowered to use chemical weapons too.
     There are those who think Christians should not care about the world.  But that is not what the Bible says.  The Jews cared only for their nation.  But both before and after his resurrection Jesus encouraged the disciples to care for the people in all nations.  Chemical weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction (in the class as nuclear weapons).  We should be in prayer for our leaders and also pray that the use of chemical and nuclear weapons to not be used again.

Prayer: Lord, we need your mercy.  Protect our world from evil, and evil we would bring on ourselves.  Give wisdom to our leaders.  Lord, there is not much we can do, but you can do all things.  We pray for the people of Syria as they face regular terror and hardships.

https://www.pcusa.org/news/2017/4/11/pcusa-co-moderator-requests-prayer-syria-urges-con/

How to Pray in a Prayer Vigil

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45A4A829ABF85-prayer

So how do we pray in our Prayer Vigil?

1) Plan on an extended time- have a Bible beside you, a prayer list/journal- or computer beside you (you can access our church web page and church prayer list that way).  You may want to make sure you have access to a cup of water or coffee.  Tell your family/friends you will be unavailable for about 15 minutes. 

2) Posture and Place- Change your posture.  You may want to stand, kneel, sit, open or close your eyes- fold or raise your hands for variety.  Pick a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. 

3) Prayer- think about ACTS- Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. 
Adoration- consider praying over the names of God- or the attributes of God.
Confession- use the Ten Commandments and confess each one. Read Psalm 51
Thanksgiving- Make a list of things you want to thank God for in your prayer journal .
Supplication- use the prayer requests in the prayer page- and add your own.
    Pray for family, friends, neighbors, church needs (like stewardship campaign and building new building).  Pray for yourself- how you might grow physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially. 

If you work your way through this- you may find that 15 minutes is not enough. 

Here is a link on why have prayer vigils.

11/2/13- Keep Praying!

KEEP PRAYING!

 

Prayer Vigil 11/2- link:

 

Note: We are postponing the prayer walk until the ground breaking of the new building.

 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ 

 

 

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?

 

 (Luke 18:1-7)