Tag: Communion

Dead and gone. Dead and here.

‌📖 Read

‌Matthew 22:31-32; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

‌🔎 Focus

‌

“‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is God not of the dead but of the living.”
Matthew 22:32

‌“[Jesus] will come again to judge the living and the dead”
The Apostle’s Creed

‌”I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting”
The Apostle’s Creed

‌‌✟ Devotion

‌The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos in Spanish) has become a cross-cultural celebration/observation in the US, as the holidays south of the border gain prevalence due to population changes. There is a belief that the Conquistadors brought the Day of the Dead to the New World with them, and because the Black Plague was their backdrop, it became a more morbid observation of All Souls Day.

‌In many cultures, there is a belief that for a time period (from a day to a week), the “veil” between the dead and the living is “thinned”, so that the two “sides” of the veil can interact. It probably was over varying times, but as the Western Church (particularly the Roman Catholic Church) spread, it likely coalesced to today (and yesterday for some).

‌Is the thinning of the veil true? Perhaps. It could also be, because its a day set aside for that belief, that we become aware of the separation between the living and dead. Then there was an older Christian belief that the communion of saints was such that the thinning was irrelevant, because believers were already unified.

‌The spreading of the Day of the Dead across cultures might be something more that an excuse to party or to eat or display Calavera (edible or cast skull-shaped items). The modern culture, particularly in the US, does not do death well. The Dying with Dignity movement, hospice, and other things are a shadowing of this, too (not to disparage either).

‌We fear death. The Day of the Dead and even Halloween (with its macabre and scary themes) are signs of it. They are a play, so-to-speak, that we “cheated” death. Yet, death comes for us all.

‌All Souls Day is a day set aside to recognized, grieve, mourn, those who had died. We don’t mourn those we’ve lost very well. “They’ve gone to a better place,” is a common refrain. However, their death still impacts our being, and All Souls Day is a good day to recognize that.

‌🤔 Reflection

‌Have you lost anyone this year? If so, thank God (as you are able) for their life and their impact upon your life? If they harmed you, ask God to be released from the burden of the pain, and to heal the wounds.

‌Whose death do you forget (on purpose or accidently)? What can you do to remember them?

‌Why is it important to remember the dead in our lives as relationships, rather than historical fact?

‌🙏 Prayer

‌Thank you, God, for the reminder of those you have placed in our lives for good. May we recall the blessings of the people. Amen.

2024 11 02
Hallowed and Halos

‌📖 Read

‌Matthew 10:32–39; Matthew 28:16–20; Hebrews 11:33–12:2

‌🔎 Focus

“Everyone, therefore, who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven, but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.”
‌Matthew 10:32–33 NRSVue

‌

“I believe in…the communion of saints”
The Apostle’s Creed

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”
Hebrews 12:1

‌‌✟ Devotion

‌In my tradition, we may speak the Apostle’s Creed every so often, but we don’t really process the communion of saints. Part of that (if not almost all of that) is an ignorance and disregard for traditions because too much is tied (in our minds) to the Roman Catholic Church.

‌Another significant part is the way that life after death is considered. Many traditions and thinking have a clear divide between life on earth and life beyond this one.

‌Both of these lead us to conclude a more philosophical understanding of the communion of saints than the writers of the Apostle’s Creed understood. Many (if not most) don’t really see, understand, or even believe that the saints are among us. There is no question that some traditions invoke the saints as if they are gods, but the general disregard of the saints is throwing away everything because of a flaw.

‌Some traditions hold that when we (especially as a church body) worship in the power of the Holy Spirit that we are indeed worshiping with the saints who have died before, because they are with and in Christ. There are some traditions that believe that we are worshiping with the saints to come, as well, for the same reason.

‌This is not some call to fully transform or change your thinking in regard to saints, but to understand how often saints are not part of our thinking. I’m sure there are one or two churches in my tradition that have a name such as Saint Matthew’s, but generally that is left to the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and the Anglicans.

‌Rather than think of a church (for example) named after a saint as something weird, perhaps think of it as a statue of a person. We all know that the statue is not the actual person, but that the statue represents a particular life of impact. So, too, are the saints. Lives of impact.

‌We often do not see the impact our lives have, from the smile at a stranger, to a laugh with a friend. Yet, there is no person on earth who does not have impact upon the life of another.

‌When we read some of the stories of saints, we can become overwhelmed by their story, thinking we could never be that way. Yet, saints never called themselves saints and were also overwhelmed by the lives of the saints before them.

‌Some of the stories seem mystical or magical or even miraculous. Yet, none of these people saw themselves as great, they saw themselves living in the grace of Jesus Christ.

‌‌🤔 Reflection

‌Do you believe that you are living in the grace of Jesus Christ? Why or why not? If so, how? If not, how might your thinking change?

‌What makes a person a saint to you? How might you develop one or more of those traits in your life?

‌‌⏏️ Act

‌Take some time and search for info on the life of a saint. As many saints have “feast days”, look up the saint for your birthday, or the day you gave your heart to Jesus.

‌🙏 Prayer

‌Jesus, through your example and life, you inspired saints to follow you. Holy Spirit, thank you for emboldening the saints of the past, today, and the future. Father God, thank you for your loving embrace of all who are broken in this world, including ourselves. Amen.

2024 11 01
Beautiful Words and Songs
²⁰“Now as for you, Son of Man, your nation‘s children keep gathering together to talk about you beside the walls and at the doorway to their houses. Everyone tells one another, ‘Please come! Let’s go hear what the Lord has to say.’ ³¹Then they come to you as a group, sit down right in front of you as if they were my people, hear your words—and then they don’t do what you say—because they’re seeking only their own desires, they pursue ill-gotten profits, and they keep following their own self-interests. ³²As far as they are concerned, you sing romantic songs with a beautiful voice and play a musical instrument well. They’ll listen to what you have to say, but they won’t put it into practice! ³³When all of this comes about—and you can be sure that it will!—they’ll learn that a prophet has been in their midst.”
Ezekiel 33:30-33 (ISV)

If you’ve been a Christian for a length of time, you’ve probably experienced heated discussions (or just overheard) on the appropriateness of certain worship songs or instruments (or for some any instruments or songs). There has been an ongoing focus on paid performance worthy worship, which isn’t the reality for most churches.

Most churches do not have recording artists (or recording artist worthy) musicians or singers. Some do, and are blessed.

It’s not just the music and songs. In the Protestant circles—even in the Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, and Methodist traditions—there has been a sometimes pathological (hyperbole) hatred of anything even vaguely resembling stereotypical Roman Catholic services; whether it is incense, garments, candles, colors, keeling (or kneelers), crossing oneself, and so on.

Read the words from Ezekiel again. What is your perception of what worship is? Is “seeking only (your) own desires”? Are they romantic (like much of Christian music, these days) with great voices and well played instruments?

I have nothing against good playing and singing. I am my own worst critic in regard to that. Partially, I think, because I am my own worst critic, I have to ask myself, what is the purpose of our gatherings (in particular, on Sundays)?

Is it romance? I can be caught up in it, too. Yet, we aren’t called to only enjoy well played and sung songs. We aren’t only called to have a few songs, a prayer (or even ten!), a sermon, a remembrance meal (i.e., Communion/Eucharist), and a benediction.

We are called…perhaps, better said, commanded to put it into practice. If you go to a weekly (Sunday or whenever) gathering, a Bible study or discussion group, sing a dozen Christians songs a day…and don’t put it into practice…then Ezekiel’s words are for you. If think Ezekiel’s words don’t apply to you, then you still need them as a warning, to make sure that the words continue to not apply to you.

※Reflection※
- What is an essential for you (This is your personal answer, not a test.) to experience proper worship? Why do you think that is? How does that fit (or not) into Ezekiel’s words?
- Do you think that there is a disconnect between what you hear and participate in for your weekly (e.g., Sunday) gathering, and what you do the remaining 167 hours (approximately) of the week?
※Prayer※

God, as we ponder what it means to rightly worship and honor you, please guide our thoughts and heart that we might be better today than yesterday at putting our actions at the center of worship. Amen.
2023 08 09
How to Come Back

1 Corinthians 11:17–33

It’s almost over it seems. The time of being masked and constrained nears its end. On the other hand, already another strain of COVID is showing up, but the reality is that we, as an entire world, are at our limits.

It seems great that we’re almost there, except that we really have a lot of things that we need to work through, and many of them may be far harder than COVID, masks, inoculations, and social distancing. The wounds that have opened over the last 2 years are far deeper, far more scarred, and far more gangrenous than many of us were prepared for.

As we come back, it is far too easy and tempting to attempt to go back to old habits and practices and forget what has just happened and the mirror that we saw ourselves in. We, as Christians…we, as the church…cannot just come back.

Many of us will “come back” to church and be unwilling to be uncomfortable. The world has trained us to be exactly like the Corinthians…divided. And, even worse, we may be more divided than the culture at large, which should terrify and condemn us.

Paul was speaking on how the rich self-segregated from the poor. Instead of common Communion, it was a separate one. Instead of a “love feast” celebrating unity, Communion (the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection!) shined the light on the division, and it was then unworthy of the grace that Jesus had bestowed upon them.

While we may not take Communion separately in the church, there is no question that the church is divided. Whether it is by culture, country, skin color, language, socio-economic class, or even denomination, the church is divided.

The community that Jesus granted the world the right to judge regarding love (John 13:35), desperately needs to love one another. As we learn to love each other, looking beyond politics, borders, skin color, language, power, weakness, honor, shame, wealth, it will be hard.

Learning to love beyond ourselves isn’t optional. For those that follow Jesus, it is an act of loving obedience.

※Reflection※

As you prepare to go/come back to normal, is the “old” normal really what Jesus wants from you?

What is one thing that you will do different as the situation settles into the new way of things?

※Prayer※

Jesus, the craziness of these last 2 years may feel like forever, and, yet, in your eyes, it was only a breath. Grant us the grace and peace and love to come together as your disciples to show that your love can truly transform the human heart, and from the human heart transform the world. Amen.

2022 02 22
Be Our Guest

Psalm 111; Exodus 24:1–11; Romans 15:22–33

If you were invited to a US presidential affair, you might be surprised. Unless you roam such circles or are connected to them, usually you won’t have any expectation of being invited to sit at the table with the president, unless, of course, you decide to contribute to their presidential campaign and pay a lot of money to eat mediocre food. It just isn’t going to happen.

? ┤If you were invited and accepted that invitation, how would you react to those seated with you? Would you be on “good” behavior? Would you be yourself? Would you be absolutely frozen? What if, the president came to your table and spoke with you? ├ ?

Most of us think that we would react just fine. Depending on which president or former president, we might even believe that we would correct them and “tell them the way it is.” We might.

The 70 elders ate with God. They saw the floor of God’s abode. We could just write it off as some religious experience, but that sounds pretty significant to just “write off”. In fact, writing it off is just like writing off Communion because Jesus isn’t right there. Yes, people do belittle Communion when they don’t recognize the presence of God. However, based upon how this verse is often overlooked, perhaps we’re writing off the presence of God altogether.

Yeah, I said “ouch” to myself, too.

One doesn’t “just” have a meal with God. Culturally, a meal is a safe place; it can even be a place of transparency. Eating with God. What an amazing experience!

? ┤Can you imagine eating with God? ├ ?

If you can’t, then think back to Communion. While our theology doesn’t have us literally eating the body and blood of Jesus, we are still eating with God. You eat a meal with God! Those 70 elders, and even Moses (!), will never experience what you—as a follower of Jesus—get to do regularly.

? ┤ Have you ever thought of Communion as eating a meal with God? ├ ?

At Communion, we will hear phrases as, “you are welcome” or “a guest at the table” or “God’s feast”, but do we really recognize that means that the master of ceremonies, the Creator of the Universe, the Word through whom all things were made, and for who all things were made, and the Spirit of God that gives us a life unlike any other…is eating with us?

※Prayer※

Gracious Father, we give You praise and thanks for Holy Communion of the body and blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, the means of our redemption. We pray that the mercies of God may produce in us a grateful heart that finds expression through holy living and perfect love to God and to people. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [The Eucharistic ending prayer for the Eucharist Under Special Circumstances, The Church Rituals Handbook, 2nd Edition, Jesse Middendorf]

2021 07 27
Worship Even Here
Psalm 20; Numbers 9:15–23; Revelation 4:1–8

Trusting God is hard. Trusting that all things work for good is hard. How can COVID be good? How can a bad economy be good? How can not being able to be with our loved ones be good? A lot of this hasn’t been good.

For the psalmist, that isn’t the question. For the psalmist, it is that God hears, answers, and remembers. This doesn’t mean that everything will be easy going forward. It means that God is with you.

Assuming that this written by or about David, note that there really isn’t a mention of rescue. Not really. David had experienced many hard times (some as a consequence of his own actions). God didn’t spare him hard times. God was with David and responded to David in the hard times. Much of this would seem to come from David’s rhythm of worship and communion with God. From what we can gather (which is, granted, limited), David had a regular practice of seeking God.

The pattern that the Israelites had wandering in the wilderness was different. Most of us cannot imagine being wanderers, whether the Bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula or the homeless around the corner. The Israelites had a wandering pattern for 40 years.

The pattern wasn’t fully predictable. For those of you have traveled with children, or been in the military, the ability to gather everyone and their stuff in a short amount of time is trying. Imagine trying to do that every day. Most nomadic cultures move about seasonally, but the Scriptures imply that more than once they got settled down for the night, and had to pack the next day.

During pauses between travel time, the Tabernacle (or The Tent of Meeting) would be assembled, and worship would begin. While we can read the takedown and set up, what we miss is the worship that goes along with it. The cloud was the presence of God. We can assume that on the Sabbath that they would not travel (it’s a safe assumption, at least).

While this seems strange to us—especially for those that worship at the same building week after week—we can read in Revelation worship that is beyond our comprehension. 24 people praising God day and night, and saying the same thing. While this is really a vision, thus not necessarily exactly how it will work, the difference between the Israelites wandering and the people praising would seem to be stark.

It is. It is, that is, only if you focus on the how. Worship of God is not limited to a building one day a week. Communion with God is not necessarily in that perfect time. Both can happen at any time. We just need to be looking for it.

※Reflection※
- What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about God?
- What do you think these different visions of worship and life rhythms tell us about ourselves?
- Do any of these cause to reflect on any changes that are possible for you worship rhythms?
※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide the worship rhythm’s of our hearts. Help us to find ways and places to worship God in the face of all circumstances. Amen.
2021 05 31
Together Time
Exodus 12:1–4, 5–10, 11–14; Psalm 116:1–2, 12–19; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; John 13:1–17, 31b–35

The tie between Passover and the Last Supper is obvious just based on the fact that the Last Supper was in the context of Passover. Part of the first Passover was the blood of the Lamb that was placed upon doorjambs in obedience to God so that the plague of the death of the firstborn male would Passover the Jewish people. The sacrifice for the firstborn remained part of the Law, insofar as a blood sacrifice being needed to atone for the firstborn son.

The road that ends on the cross tomorrow is the sacrifice of the firstborn of God, God’s only Son.

Just as it appears that the nation of Egypt was in the place of the sacrifice of the firstborn (many outweighing the few), so too was God (the infinite) in the place of his Creation (us).

Maundy Thursday (as this day is called) is, for me, the second hardest day of the Christian Year. Meals are special. Especially as my kids are at the point of being so busy working and with activities and at school, meals together are even more special. For Jesus, this special meal may well have been the most important of his life. I cannot imagine having this high holy day overshadowed by betrayal, torture, and death. Then knowing that all but one would run away.

Jesus still embraced the pain of that meal. Oddly, I think there was joy, too. Despite the human failings of the 11 that would remain, there is something comforting being with people that you care for deeply, especially when confronting the darkness head-on. The 11 would carry-on the mission that you and I have inherited.

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they were inheritors, too. The Last Supper was really the first supper. Just as I treasure the time around the table with my family, we should all treasure our time around the table of Communion (the Eucharist). This is the place where the boundaries of time and space are thinned that all of the people of the Body of Christ can be joined together in this fateful and binding meal of love.

※Reflection※
- What does Communion (the Eucharist) mean to you? If you missed it, would it bother you? Would you go without it? Why?
- What is your favorite meal experience? A restaurant? Thanksgiving? New Year’s? St. Patrick’s Day? Are any of these traditions for you and/or your family? Why?
※Prayer※

Almighty Father, whose most dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it in thankful remembrance of Jesus Christ our Savior, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. [Maundy Thursday Collect, Book of Common Prayer 2019]
2021 04 01
Love Surrendered
Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29; Deuteronomy 16:1–8; Philippians 2:1–11

Passover begins very shortly. In fact, there is a great symmetry in this. Passover starts with Israel’s rescue from Egypt (sin), passing through the Red Sea (baptism), and in more modern understandings of Passover, the last day (or the last 2, depending on nation), is the “future looking” meal with the Messiah as the center (the Eucharist/Communion).

Confused, yet? Amazed? The Jewish aspects of Christian theology and symbolism are there in plain sight.

One of the interesting pieces is that there remains an expectation that the Messiah will come in power, glory, and might. This was the expectation of any person claiming to be the Messiah in Jesus’ day. Thus, when Jesus didn’t fulfill that, most Jews disregarded Jesus as Messiah.

It is this quest for earthly presence which continues to haunt all of humanity. The constant pursuit of power, glory, wealth, gain continually seems to be against following God. It isn’t that power, glory, wealth, and gain are against God, but that the means and hearts of people are. Much of this is the desire to be above others, so that others look up to you, and you have those you can look down upon.

Paul‘s observation that Jesus set aside total divinity and became man is one of the linchpins of Christian theology and faith. That Jesus did this shows two things, that God loves those Created, and this love is so profound that God became not just identified with humanity, but actually became human. That is not a quest for power, glory, wealth, or gain, at least in the normal sense.

Only God could turn becoming nothing into something beyond understanding.

※Reflection※
- What else does this tell you about God?
- What does this make you reflect on when comparing your actions to God’s?
- Who has the harder comparison, a person of Christ or a person of the world?
※Prayer※

God, you have called us to follow your example, and it’s hard. Help us, in our pride, to yield our will to yours. Amen.
2021 03 25