From bread and wine to faith and giving: Holy Communion

 2023 10 01 Sermon

Matthew 26:26-29

Today we begin a series of messages under the general heading of stewardship. The focus begins with Holy Communion. Coincidentally, today is World Communion Sunday, when congregations around the world share this meal together, even when it is seldom offered in some places. We will explore how the bread and wine we receive each week is a gift from God that we pass on to others.

Today, we read again the story of the last supper Jesus shared with the disciples. It’s the story we remember each week as we partake of the gifts of bread and wine. As Matthew tells the story, Jesus is present both in the past in the original moment of this meal, and he is present with the early disciples in their remembering. In the same way, Jesus is present with us as we share and remember.

In our remembering, we can imagine Jesus with us at our own tables; we can imagine him instead of me saying the words, “This is my body, this is my blood.” I always remember that I represent Jesus when I tell this story and share the meal with you.

Liturgical churches believe that Jesus is truly present in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. It is a way to remember, but it is also the real Jesus in the taste of bread and sip of wine we receive.

Jesus offers this meal as a gift to the first disciples, a way to remember him among themselves always. We partake of this meal as a gift, too. It reminds us that Jesus is always present with us, in worship and in daily life.

… This bread and wine/ body and blood is also a gift to the Church. Collectively nourished at the table, we as the Church offer Jesus to the world. We are disciples, Jesus’ hands, feet, and voice in the world, in our places, in our gatherings. Jesus gave his life freely to us, for us, for our benefit.

Through this gift, we know we are forgiven. We know we are loved unconditionally. We are loved first, before we love in response.

Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that they must buy Jesus’ love with good behavior. Nourished by Jesus each week, we take him with us to share with those who don’t know him to be loving and forgiving. This is the mission of the church, to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus, to help hurting know the presence of God in their lives.

… Many of the ministries we do at UELC are free, with time, talent and treasure donated by members of the congregation. But the truth is that most of the ministries cost money. It costs money to have buildings to gather in. It costs money to have heat and air conditioning. It costs money to print bulletins. It costs money to have insurance. It costs money to have staff. It takes money to make donations to the Synod for their ministries, because we can do so much more together. It costs money to share the love and forgiveness of Jesus, to help hurting people know the presence of Jesus.

 Some people think of giving to the congregation as a bill, as something we have to do, an obligation. We want to keep what we have for ourselves, instead of giving it away. Instead, Jesus encourages us to share what we have because God will bless us for our generosity. The more we share, the better we feel. Some even say we should give until we feel good. The recipients of our generosity also know the love and presence of Jesus through us.

… On Wednesday we remember St Francis of Assisi. Francis wanted to follow Jesus as closely as possible. He tried to be humble. He strove to make following Jesus simple enough for people who were not living in a monastery. He accepted outcasts and lepers and women as all God’s children, a major difference of attitude in Italy in the 1200s.

And he refused to own anything. Among the stories about him there are several occasions when he saw a poor person and gave his own tunic to them. Since he only had the one tunic, his companions had to find him another one. As men, and later, women, joined him, he insisted that they, too, own nothing.

Francis believed that when we own something, it takes our attention away from God.  Our focus is on caring for the things we own, maintaining them, keeping them safe, keeping them close to us. The alternative is to remember that everything we have is a gift from God, who desires that we have an abundance of whatever we need.

When we own nothing, or in our world when we own very little, we are free to share what we have. We know it is only a thing and that the most important “thing” we can have is the love and forgiveness of Jesus. And when we know we have Jesus present with us, it’s easy to share him with everyone else.

… When you think about money and the stuff you own, how easy is it to give it away? How attached are you to your stuff? How does taking care of your stuff keep you from being with Jesus? When you come to the table for Holy Communion, what do you think about? As you leave this place, do you take Jesus with you? How do you notice Jesus’ presence? Do you ever intentionally give Jesus to someone else? I hope you do. Amen