WELCOME TO THE TABLE OF THE LORD

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Review: We worship God because he created us to worship him. He equips us to worship him. In the everyday realities of time and matter, God gives us ways to worship him. The rituals and rhythms of worship have been passed on to us, but each generation must claim them and make them their own.
Throughout the ages God’s people have gathered together to praise him in song and petition him in prayer. Why? Because he made us to worship him.
They have gathered by the waters to be baptized. Why? Because he made us to worship him.
And so also, God’s people have gathered around a table. Just because God made us to worship him. There has always been some sort of Lord’s Table. Eating and drinking in the presence of God has roots that extend back through all the festivals of Israel to that simple meal of bread and wine between Abraham and Melchizedek. We shouldn’t dismiss these festivals as mere ceremony of symbolism. As I hope we can understand today, ceremony and symbolism are critical to being human and being God’s people. Worshipping God is more than a mental exercise. It is a living activity. And the symbols and practices of our worship are alive. Done rightly, they are part of our worship to God – and after all God created us to worship him.

I Corinthians 11:23-26
²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ 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." ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Paul was passing on a living participation in a real event that held significance for the past, present and future. At the time he writes this to the Corinthians, the Lord’s Supper communion was already quite established in the practice of the Christian community. In fact, Paul is writing this because the Corinthians participation in the Lord’s Supper had become something of a disgrace. They weren’t paying proper attention to the symbols ...

When it comes to the table of the Lord and the Lord’s supper there is much historical debate about the meaning of the elements: bread and wine. It won’t do us much good to get into all of that now. Besides, it really misses the point to try and dissect how symbols work. Why can’t we just understand how we engage and respond to symbols and the realities in which they (and we) participate ...

• The flag – The fabric and dye and that makes up this flag isn’t sacred, but we show reverence. We stand when it is presented. We salute and sing our anthems. And what about flag burning? The ire of multitudes is raised when the U.S. flag is burned. But when an old tattered flag is taken out of service it is burned. What’s the difference? Attitude, reverence, the way in which people regard this banner. The flag becomes an embodiment of concepts and beliefs that are particularly real and meaningful.
• Wedding rings/ceremony – A lot of energy and investment goes into the wedding rings. There is a good amount of ceremony and special words that go along with the exchange of rings at a wedding ceremony. There’s nothing necessarily biblical about it, but we regard these rings as special. We even regard the ceremony as meaningful. Why? Because the ceremony and the rings embody something that we deem meaningful and important. The very fact that we show up is a witness to and participation in something we regard as more than real. At every wedding, done rightly, we are saying to everyone that marriage is a reality much larger than just this couple, but we invite them to participate in this special covenant. And the way we communicate and experience this is through ceremony and rings.
• Can you see how the tangible symbols of our faith engage us in a reality much greater than us? The water of baptism becomes an embodied participation in the gospel. Songs and hymns become embodied experience of the spirit of God.
• Think of the Cross. This is one of the most incredible symbols of our faith. What is it? What does it mean? The people of God did not invent this symbol. We co-opted it and changed it through and through – thanks to the work of God. It belonged to the Roman Empire. For them it was a symbol of fear and domination. But when Christ surrendered himself to the cross he exposed the corruption and depravity of human ambition and our need to be in power and in control. His sacrifice exposed our illusions and deceptions about ourselves. One of those illusions was the illusion of the cross – that it equaled punishment and power. God transformed it into a symbol of atonement. It became God’s embodied participation in reconciliation (Col. 1:20). Through Christ’s sacrifice there is peace between us and God.

Which brings us to the Table of the Lord: In the worship festivals that God’s people have participated in throughout the ages there is often a rhythm of sacrifice and thanksgiving. Through sacrificial love God provides reconciliation and redemption. A new hope is made real and the opportunity of new relationship between Creator God and his creation is established. And that relationship is important to worship.

When we come to the Table of the Lord and eat the Lord’s Supper of bread and wine we need to understand that this is a thanksgiving meal. This is a supper of peace and reconciliation. The war has been fought. This is the table of peace. (Just as it was with Abraham and Melchizedek). God has defeated the enemy at the cross. Sin has been atoned for. Because of that, we are welcomed to God’s dinner table.

Consider what this means as we participate in these symbols that embody this very great and life-transforming reality:

• The Lord’s Supper is not a funeral. It was never intended to make us suffer for our sins. The brutality of sin and shame was left at the cross. This supper is God’s way of embodying the reconciliation he so dearly desires.
• So, when we exclude ourselves from the Lord’s Supper, we are rejecting God’s invitation to come and eat with him. “But doesn’t 1 Corinthians 11 say we ought to examine ourselves and not partake if are unworthy?” No, it doesn’t. It cautions us not to eat and drink in a way that is unworthy of this very special supper. [Recall that the Corinthians were turning the Supper into a drunken glut-fest]. None of us are ever worthy of coming to the table! That’s why the cross precedes the table. But to eat the bread and wine in a worthy manner is to eat with thanksgiving and gladness and in loving fellowship with one another. The cross accomplishes that – the Lord’s Supper celebrates it!

Read Luke 24:28-36.

So, welcome to the table of the Lord ...

Focus on the Bread:
When those disciples at Emmaus sat down for a humble meal of bread, they recognized Christ when he broke the bread and gave it to them. God is located very near us. He is as close as the food we need to survive. The bread is the body of Christ broken for us. It embodies a reality that we hold dear and sacred. Receive this spiritual food with thanksgiving and in response to God’s desires that you share this meal with him and with one another. He is here in the breaking of the bread.

Focus on the Cup:
When those disciples at Emmaus knew that they had been in the presence of the Lord, they were moved from being downcast to being excited. This cup is a cup of thanksgiving. It is a festive celebration that our brokenness cannot keep us apart from God’s love. Receive this spiritual drink with thanksgiving and in response to God’s desire to share in this festive drink and look forward to the day that we will drink a new cup with him in the kingdom to come.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 25 February 2007

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