Sermon Video - Jesus celebrates God's provision with his friends, Luke 22:14-15

What did Jesus seek out on the evening when his Passion was only hours away?   The company of his friends and devoted followers.  More specifically, their company while they celebrated together God's provision for his people in the past through the Passover, a reminder that God's power and purpose will not be thwarted.

Sermon Video: "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:4-6

As a Maundy Thursday (celebration of the Last Supper) text, Ephesians 4:4-6 offers much in keeping with Jesus' emphasis on that evening of unity and brotherhood among his followers.  It reminds us through the repetition of 'one' seven times followed by 'all' four times that God's will for his people is purposefully unified.  God intended the followers of Jesus Christ to form one unit, to be connected, and given that one Spirit empowers them, one hope animates them, and one destiny awaits them, unity in the here and now gains becomes not only possible but ideal.

Sermon Video: The Body and Blood of Christ - Mark 14:22-26

During the Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus adds to that yearly ritual of remembrance of the provision of God on behalf of his people by instituting a New Covenant. The first was solemnized with the blood of animals, the new will be built upon the blood of the Son of God. In addition, Jesus offers his body as life sustaining food (the Bread of Life), and his blood as sin atoning redemption.

Throughout Church history, questions have arisen and answers attempted regarding the questions of who can administer rites of remembrance of the Lord's Supper, who can receive it, and what exactly is happening when we do. Is it the real presence of Christ, is it a mystery, or symbolic. While the answers have varied, broad agreement remains on this: those who would claim to be followers of Jesus Christ must participate, as this ritual is foundational to the practices of his Church.

Is it my job to police the communion line?

 

The meme above has been bouncing around social media as a response to a recent vote (168 to 55, Abortion rights: US Catholic bishops face clash with Biden - BBC news) by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).  The USCCB is attempting to provoke a showdown with Catholic politicians with whom they disagree, in this case on the issue of the legality of abortion, by potentially denying them the Eucharist (i.e. Communion).  This move is opposed by the Vatican, and unlikely to ever be enacted and/or enforced, but it raises an important question that reverberates outside of the Catholic Church as well (as evidenced, in part, by the above response from a gay Anglican priest in Toronto, of course on social media everyone seems to have a 'dog in the fight').  As an ordained American Baptist pastor, is it my job to watch the communion line?  {prior to COVID we passed the elements down each aisle with ushers, since then we've been coming up front one family at a time to take them from the altar, a practice we will likely continue post-pandemic; so technically there is a 'line' now}

Some background for those of you unfamiliar with how communion works in your typical baptist church (whether or not they belong to a denomination).  For us, the ordinance (the fancy word we use when we need to use a fancy word) of communnion  is not a question of transubstantiation or consubstantiation.  In other words, it isn't a question of whether or not the bread and wine are tranformed into the body and blood of Christ, however one chooses to describe it (that was the heart of the argument that led to the Reformation, and eventually people killed and were killed over the issue during the Thirty Years War.  {See: What Every Christian Should Know About: Church History, part 3 at the bottom of the page}  For a quick primer on the various Christian views of communion: Transubstantiation, Consubstantiation, or Something Else? Roman Catholic vs. Protestant Views of the Lord’s Supper - Zondervan Academic blog.  

Most baptists would agree with Huldrych Zwingli that communion is a memorial, with some leaning toward the view of John Calvin that the ordinance does invoke the spiritual presence of Jesus, albiet in a way significantly short of that embraced by the Orthodox, Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans.  That being said, as an American Baptist minister, when I preside over communion (which we do once a month, typically on the 1st Sunday unless I'm not here, then it gets bumped to the 2nd) I normally say, "We here at 1st Baptist celebrate open communion, by that we mean that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are free to join us if you choose."  Those words don't come from a book, or denominational HQ (that's not how things work when you're a 'low liturgy' baptist, each church/pastor decides many such for him/herself), they simply reflect what we believe, and when I remember to say them, they're an invitation to any visitors or relatively new people.  Morever, after I say the prayer (again, extemporaneously given) it has been my habit (learned from the independent baptist pastor, James Frank, who led my family church for 40 years) to simply close my eyes, bow my head, and spend the time until everyone is ready receiving the element(s) to pray.  The end result?  I don't know who is participating in any given week.  I don't know if a particular individual in my church skips communion on occasion, or regularly.  My thoughts on this matter mirror my thoughts about the offering.  When the plate is being passed (in the COVID era we just left it in the back, and that seems likely to continue) I don't look to see if anyone is putting something in or not.  The point with both is that the decision to participate (or give) is between that person and God.

As baptists we believe in the doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers.  Long story short, my role as pastor doesn't set me apart from the congregation, we all partake of the same Holy Spirit, we all are held to the same standards of conduct and service.  Using Paul's analogy of the body of Christ, we are all a necessary part.  This has numerous implications, one of which is the elevation of one's own responsibility before God (not to the level that it negates collective church discipline when necessary), particularly in matters of conscience.

Which brings us back around to communion.  Paul, writing to the church at Corinth about the Lord's Supper said this, 

1 Corinthians 11:26-32 New International Version

26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

The key phrases here are: "in an unworthy manner" (vs. 27), and "Everyone ought to examine themselves" (vs. 28).  Given these instructions, it seems to us (as baptists) that it isn't up to a church officer (be he/she a deacon, pastor, bishop, or any other title) to decide who is, or is not, worthy of participating in the Lord's Supper.  Those who do so 'in an unworthy manner', perhaps by doing so with irreverance or with unconfessed sin between him/her and God, will be judged by God himself, not by me.

Lastly, Rev. Daniel and I probably disagree about a lot of things theologically speaking, but I certainly echo his final statement above, "What if somebody 'unworthy' receives it?"  "Uh, that would be everybody."  Our approach to the table is always an act of grace for known but Christ is worthy, our acceptance of the bread (body) and cup (blood) is always an act of grace for our sins doom us otherwise, no matter what we undertand the bread and wine to be.  At any given church service, at any kind of church, there are those who ought to abstain from participation until they confess their sins and repent, and there are those who are just going through the motions due to either unbelief or complacency.  In the end, seperating the 'sheep from goats' isn't my job, thanks be to God for that.

Sermon Video: Self-Examination - 1 Corinthians 11:27-34

At the end of his instructions for the church at Corinth regarding the Lord's Supper, Paul warns them of the danger of participating in an "unworthy manner" which would result in a believer committing a sin "against the body and blood of the Lord."  Paul's warning remains for us today, we need to approach God (specifically regarding communion, but in all areas of worship as well) in a way which respects the holiness of God.  As such, it is incumbent upon as, as those redeemed by the Lamb, that we practice self-examination, seeking to eliminate sin in our hearts and minds.  What is the alternative to self-judgment?  God's judgment.  As our Heavenly Father, God will correct his children, disciplining them to prevent their own self-destruction, therefore it is both wise and respectful of God's grace toward us when we practice self-examination, admit our faults before God, and repent of our sins.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: In Remembrance of Jesus - 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

In his effort to reform the way in which the church at Corinth was participating in the Lord's Supper, the Apostle Paul reminds them that his instructions were received, "from the Lord" and then passed directly onto them.  The Early Church greatly valued Apostolic Authority, the teachings that were received directly from Jesus and then passed on to the Church during its first generation.  It was this teaching that was then incorporated into the Scriptures, nearly all of which had an apostolic author or someone closely associated with an apostle (i.e. like Mark with Peter).  For the Church this connection to Jesus is crucial, providing confidence in what we believe and teach.
What Paul received from Jesus regarding Communion was simple enough: (1) Jesus gave thanks, (2) acknowledged that his body would be broken and blood shed, (3) and then distributed it to his disciples to partake.  Our task, as the Church, while not spelled out in great detail by Paul, is still simple: do likewise.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: When Church does more harm than good - 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

I spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince people of their need to be a part of a church.  I know the absolute necessity of participation in the body of Christ, both for Christians and potential converts.  And yet, we all know that there are times when a particular church is doing more harm than good when it meets on Sunday.  Our first thought would revolve around places where heresy is being preached, where the Truth is absent, and thus people are being led astray from the Gospel.  The Apostle Paul certainly has harsh words for such people/places, but in this particular passage it is not theology but behavior that concerns Paul, and not that during the church service itself but rather at the meal which proceeded it at the church of Corinth.  That's right, it was the church potluck which threatened to tear asunder a church.  How can a communal meal be the source of such divisions?  At Corinth the rich were treating the meal as a private affair, bringing fine food for themselves and not sharing, while the poor went hungry.  In other words, they were acting as if the people whom they were outside of the Church had anything to do with who they were in Christ (as if wealth/class matter before God).  In doing so, the worship service that followed this travesty was in effect null and void; the gathering together of God's people for worship was doing more harm than good.
Are we, as a church (or Church) in any way guilty of such sacrilege?

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Participating in the body and blood of Christ - 1 Corinthians 10:14-17

In his encouragement to the people of the church of Corinth that they should "flee from idolatry", the Apostle Paul appeals to the unity of the Church caused by the participation of its people in the body and blood of Christ.  But what does this "participation" mean, and what does it accomplish?  Through the past two thousand years of Church history, the interpretation of Jesus' words, "this is my blood", "this is my body", has broadened from the literal belief of the Catholic Church (transubstantiation) requiring a ordained priesthood to bring it about (sacredotalism), to the tweaking of this concept by the Lutherans (consubstantiation without sacredotalism), to the spiritual emphasis and rejection of the physical transformation of the Reformed, and finally the symbolic commemoration of the Baptists.  With such a continuum of belief/practice regarding communion (and baptism), is there hope for unity in a world where portions of the Church have been willing to kill and/or die regarding these differences?  Paul ends his mention of communion (in its anti-idolatry context) with a reminder that "there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf."  There can be only one Body of Christ, the divisions of Church History (and current reality) cannot alter that reality.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: A Chosen People once more - Joshua 5:1-12

Having successfully crossed the Jordan River, and having memorialized God's display of power, the people of Israel are now commanded by God, through Joshua, to re-institute the rite of circumcision before proceeding on toward Jericho.  As the text unfolds, we then discover that circumcision was not the only thing neglected by the generation that wandered in the wilderness, the people had also not celebrated Passover since Mt. Sinai.  The people obey, observing both the rite of initiation into the covenant, and the feast of commemoration of God's power in keeping the covenant by leading his people from bondage in Egypt. 
Why did God command these things, here and now?  The timing in the book of Joshua is repeatedly emphasized, as God's command to Joshua came on the west side of the Jordan, already in the Promised Land, and vulnerable to their enemies.  Because the battles ahead belong to the Lord, not to Joshua's strategic thinking, the need to be spiritually prepared for the task ahead is emphasized by God when he chooses this moment to insist that the people keep their covenant obligations.
The passage in Joshua reminds us of the need we have as a Church to emphasize both baptism and communion, for they are our rites of initiation and remembrance, and of the need we have as a Church to begin with obedience to the commands that we have already been given.  If we hope to do great things for the Kingdom of God, step one is to obey what we've already been commanded in the Word of God.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: "The blood of the covenant" Matthew 26:26-30

At the Last Supper, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, and utilized that commemoration of God's fulfillment of the covenant with Abraham to declare a new covenant.  The old covenant had been sealed with the blood of animals, but this new covenant would be sealed with a far more precious blood; that of Jesus himself.  Why the change?  The shed blood of Jesus would be "poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."  As the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice, Jesus would pay the penalty for the sins of those who both had trusted in his future arrival (i.e. Old Testament saints) and those who would in the future put their hope in him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Eat this Bread, Drink this Cup - Mark 14:22-25

In this Maundy Thursday message, the text of the Last Supper from the Gospel of Mark is examined from a Baptist perspective, contrasting what we believe Jesus was saying here with that of the majority of Christians who view these words far less metaphorically.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Passover before the Passion - Luke 22:15

In this abbreviated Maundy Thursday message, the words of Jesus before he institutes Communion with his disciples remind us that Jesus was relying upon outside support as he prepared himself to endure the passion that would begin in only a few hours.  The Passover meal itself was a reminder to Jesus of the faithfulness and power of his Heavenly Father, something Jesus would need as he placed his walked toward Calvary to willingly sacrifice his life.  Jesus chose to eat that last meal, with all of its symbolic reassurances for him, with his friends.  These eleven men had traveled the dusty roads with Jesus, had learned from his teaching and aided his ministry, but more than that they were his friends.  Trusting in God, and leaning on your friends, a wise choice from Jesus as his time of trial began, and a wise reminder to us about the value of the family of God in our own lives.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: Taking the bread and cup in a worthy manner - I Corinthians 11:27-32

The Church in Corinth had a unity problem.  In Paul’s first letter to this church, he writes disapprovingly about their approach to the communal meal that included their celebration of Communion.  As part of that discussion Paul warns against anyone who “eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner.” (I Corinthians 11:27)  What does it mean to take Communion in an “unworthy” manner?  Paul goes on to describe the judgment that will come from God against those who do this, so figuring out what he means is important to us.

            For the Church in Corinth the primary issue was unity, that lesson will apply to some churches and some Christians who struggle with the issue of placing the bond of Christ above all other distinctions.  But for others, the issue of not being “unworthy” reflects the larger principle of maintaining a proper relationship with God.  We know that anyone who approaches Communion in an irreverent or flippant way would be mocking the table of the Lord, but what of those whose fault is that they approach Communion while still walking in darkness?  Because God desires a relationship with his people, a relationship defined by his character and Law, it is unacceptable for the people of God to try to serve two masters by keeping one foot in the world of sin and one foot in the kingdom of God.  Such hypocrisy is self-destructive; it will lead to our own physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual demise.  We cannot come to the Communion table with an unrepentant heart beholden to wickedness.

            What is Paul’s solution to the danger of being “unworthy”?  Judge yourself.  Take the time to examine your own heart and mind to see if there is anything there that is causing, or could cause, damage to your relationship with your heavenly Father.  We know that it is necessary to be proactive in our marriages, necessary to put in the time and effort to keep the passion alive.  Our spouse doesn’t deserve to be ignored, neglected, and certainly not cheated upon.  Why would our relationship with God deserve any less?

            In a nation where the majority of people self-identify as Christians, there should not  be such high rates of abortion, divorce, infidelity, gambling, drug addiction, fraud, and whatever other vice you want to consider.  These problems are not simply problem outside our churches; these sins infect the body of Christ.  When the Church of Jesus Christ stars choosing righteousness over wickedness, when the Church takes its marriage vow as the bride of Christ seriously, our society will change.  It is no wonder when the Lost act according to their sin nature, but the people of God are supposed to be different.  We have been washed clean by the precious blood of the Lamb; we cannot walk in darkness and have fellowship with our Savior. 

            Why do we take Communion, why do we go to Church, why do we volunteer to serve?  All these and more are ways in which we can fill up our lives with righteousness and holiness.  The key to avoiding sin is not simply avoiding temptation.  Success against temptation will be found when we leave no room in our lives for sin to take root.  Let us them examine ourselves, confess our sins, and approach the table of the Lord with humility as we do what is necessary to build up our relationship with God and indeed be “worthy” of that union.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video 

Sermon Video: "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover" Luke 22:14-20

In his last opportunity to celebrate Passover before his time of trial, Jesus expresses how important this act of faith in God is for him. Just as the people of Israel have done for thousands of years, Jesus celebrates the Passover with his disciples. On this night, the simple fellowship of this shared faith allows Jesus to draw strength that he will need during those long dark hours on the cross.

To watch the video, click on the link below
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Do this in remembrance of Me

This is the altar at Palo that we use for our monthly communion. Of all the things that a pastor does, two stand out to me. The first is performing a wedding, it always feels special as I remember my own wedding and help two new people begin that journey. The second is communion. I remember the first time I led a communion service; I was filling in at Galilee years ago before I had my own church. The memorable thing about it was that I got the chance to hand the bread and the "wine" to my own dad (a deacon at Galilee); that was a moment that stuck with me, we all want to make our parents proud of us, and I really felt like I was taking a step in the right direction in that department. My wife partakes of communion every week (at the Cathedral of St. Andrew), but most of us Baptists only have the service one a month; either way, it'll always be significant to me.