"Why Forgive?" 2 Corinthians 2: 5-11; Luke 6: 37-38

It is hard to believe that this is the last of the Grab Bag sermons!  One topic -- talk about being Presbyterian (in reference to a series of articles about being Presbyterian in the magazine "Presbyterians Today") -- will be addressed in a 5 week mini-series starting on Sept. 8th.  A few other topics did not get "grabbed," but I'm going to try and work them in at some point over the next year or so.

Forgiveness.   This sermon grows out of this question that was submitted:  “Do I have to forgive?”  Included with the question were these two quotes:

From C. S. Lewis

We believe that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us. There is no doubt about the sec­ond part of this statement. It is in the Lord's Prayer; it was emphatically stated by our Lord. If you don't forgive you will not be forgiven. No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it. He doesn't say that we are to forgive other people's sins provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are exten­uating circumstances, or anything of that sort. We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated. If we don't, we shall be forgiven none of our own.

From George MacDonald:

No man who will not forgive his neighbor, can believe that God is willing, yea wanting, to forgive him . . . .If God said, "I forgive you" to a man who hated his brother, and if (as impossible) that voice of forgiveness should reach the man, what would it mean to him?  How much would the man interpret it?  Would it not mean to him "You may go on hating.  I do not mind it."

I find myself struggling with Lewis' comment because it feels a lot like we have to do something to earn God's grace, rather than it merely being a gift.  I would be more comfortable speaking of our we are compelled to forgive because God has forgiven us. I suppose it depends on how you emphasize and interpret the Lord's Prayer.  "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."  Is the second part a natural outgrowth of the first part or does the first part depend on the second part happening?

I find McDonald's quote interesting.  does it mean that we have to forgive to understand/accept God's forgiveness? That's a different perspective than I have generally had in that regard.

I have often focused my thoughts on forgiveness on how it impacts us -- to not forgive hurts me more than it does the person who had hurt me.  They move on, but I am stuck in what has hurt me and in some sense it continues to live in me until I forgive. But ultimately I think we forgive not because it is good for us because God calls us to forgive and Jesus models if for us.

I have also been thinking about people who say, "I can forgive, but I will never forget."  The passage from Jeremiah (I did not choose it for this sermon) speaks of a God "who will remember their sins no more."  If we model our forgiveness after God's forgiveness, can we settle for the ":forgive, but not forget approach?" 

Do you have any stories of forgiveness to share?

Reflections on "Grab Bag: Three Persons" John 1: 1-14; Matthew 28: 16-20

When I realized that I was not going to achieve my goal of explaining the Trinity, I tried to provide some images that might be helpful.  Not sure I achieved being helpful.  

I used a diagram on the screens in the Sanctuary service, although I did not refer to it.  No one mentioned whether it was helpful to have the diagram or not.  It was a meager attempt to try and utilize the new technology in the Sanctuary.

The sermon went better in the Sanctuary service, in part because it was in the context of the baptism that was going to take place. Although I referenced the baptism in the Chapel sermon, having it live in the Sanctuary added to the sermon.

“Grab Bag:  Three Persons”  August 18, 2013; Grab bag series  John 1: 1-14; Matthew 28: 16-20

Introduction: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Later in the worship service (later this morning for chapel), I will say those words with an infant in my arms, as I douse him with water.

And the gathered congregation will take vows to teach the faith to Nolan and help him learn about God so that one day he might profess Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

We baptize using the Trinitarian formula for God – that  is, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Try explaining that to the infant as he or she grows up! 

One of you wanted more explanation about the Trinity as part of the Grab bag sermons.

Easier said than done.

Think about how we view the Trinity through the years – from baptism as an infant, to when we claim our faith, to when we are older and wiser about our faith!

Fluid – move back and forth.

Move 1: we come to the baptismal waters with an infant baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

a.  child hears it, but does not comprehend.

b. We baptize in that name because Jesus said to do it that way.

c. No explanation involved – Jesus said it, we do it. 

d. For a child, that is enough. 

             

Move 2:  Confirmation age, high school college – claiming our faith.  Want more of an explanation. We try to give images.

            a. Acknowledge that we can't really explain it.

            b. We might offer the description of the God as “one essence - three persons” to use the language of the early church.

1.      Turn to biblical stories to see how we discover God.

2.      God the creator – breathed life into humanity; the one to whom the psalmists cry out; the one who speaks to the people through the prophets.

3.      Jesus Christ, the son of God – the one conceived of the Holy Spirit (don’t’ dwell on that too much); lived a perfect life; died and was resurrected; saves us.

4.      Holy Spirit – tongues of fire and Pentecost story; tie it to becoming new creations; Comforter language Jesus uses.

5.      Sovereignty of God; but also Christ and HS

            c. Images

            1. David Lose, Biblical Preaching Chair at Luther Seminary,  “Which is why we lean on metaphors and analogies, from the Desert Fathers (you remember, the two Gregorys and Basil) comparing the members of the Trinity to the source of light (Father), the light itself that illumines (Son), and the warmth when you feel the light (Spirit) to

      2.  Father/Creator; Son/Redeemer; Holy Spirit/Sustainer

      3.  Parent, spouse, child

4. Concrete images that speak to the different persons that make of the Trinity.

d.  Temptations to distort

      1.  Temptation to see God as one God who wears the masks of the Jesus and HS.

      2. In other words, Jesus Christ or Holy Spirit are not fully God.

      3. Temptation to emphasize one of the three, which leads to a distortion of the image of God.

      4. Angry God who is satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice.  Separate persons, but it denies the oneness of God.  Imagine how differently it speaks to God when Christ, the Savior.

      5. Or the tendency to think of the Holy Spirit as the spiritual part of God that is separate from Christ.  That separates the realm of the spiritual from the world of the flesh.  (Shirley Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, Revised Edition, 87-88).

      6. If we are not careful, we have an image of God that gets the three persons correct, but it feels more like three gods, than one.

Move 3:  Older, more life experience; can handle a bit of ambiguity

            a.  Read John 1 text

                        1.  Recognize this mysterious God who acts in concert even at creation.

                        2.  I sometimes speak of Father, Son and Holy Spirit talking about things before deciding to create. 

            b. David Lose, Biblical Preaching Chair at Luther Seminary, puts it bluntly:“Here's my rule-of-thumb regarding the Trinity: People who say they understand it aren't to be trusted. I mean, well, the Trinity is, quite frankly, more than just a little beyond our comprehension and understanding.”

            b. Recognize how this speaks to the temptations of the concrete images.

1. Instead of the angry God and the saving Christ, we recognize that they were in it together from the beginning.  Imagine what it means to say that God the Father who judges us joins with Christ in saving us.  

2.  Instead of separating spiritual realm from earthly realm, Christ and Holy Spirit work in concert with once another and with God the Creator.

3.  Offers nuances that broaden our understanding of God in helpful ways.

c.  The Trinity also speaks to what it means for God to be a relational God. Faith seeking Understanding, Daniel Migliore, 56-72 offers a good introduction to the Trinity, an analysis of historical interpretations of the Trinity, and an exploration of the communal aspects of a Trinitarian God).

       1.  If by definition, God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each person connected to the other, then by definition God is a relational God.

       2.  IF we want to live into the image of God, it means that we have to be connected to others.

       3. It is not about God creating Richard, Richard having a personal relationship with God, or Richard living out his call to discipleship in isolation from others.

4. It is about me and you living out our lives as followers of Christ in connection with others.  We cannot be separated from that context and be in the image of God.

Conclusion:  The Trinity – we sing it; we say it; we teach it; we pray it.  We may not fully understand it, but we know the God who lives it fully.

"Three Persons" John 1: 1-14; Matthew 28: 16-20

Through the years, I have usually preached on the doctrine at least once a year on Trinity Sunday.  Due to the Bicentennial Sundays, I did not preach on Trinity Sunday this year, but someone asked for a sermon on the Trinity as one of the Grab Bag sermons.

I have used different approaches to preaching on the Trinity over the past twenty years.  Sometimes, I have tried to rationally explain (as best I can) what God in three persons means.  Other times, I have seen that as a futile effort and focused on how we choose to categorize the way we experience God in three ways (Father/Creater; Son/Redeemer; Holy Spirit/Sustainer), which builds on the three persons, but does not try to explain it.  I have also focused on the relational aspects of the Trinity and how it reflects a relational God, which makes no effort at trying to explain what we mean by Trinity in a theoretical sense.

The two texts I have chosen (probably without thinking through it thoroughly) offer a glimpse at the mystery of the Trinity (John 1: 1-14) and assume the Trinity without any explanation (Matthew 28: 16-20).  I'm thinking about not trying to explain the Trinity, and focus on the relational aspect of God and how we discover God in three ways.

Some thoughts that might make the sermon.

1.  David Lose, Biblical Preaching Chair at Luther Seminary, puts it bluntly:“Here's my rule-of-thumb regarding the Trinity: People who say they understand it aren't to be trusted. I mean, well, the Trinity is, quite frankly, more than just a little beyond our comprehension and understanding. Which is why we lean on metaphors and analogies, from the Desert Fathers (you remember, the two Gregorys and Basil) comparing the members of the Trinity to the source of light (Father), the light itself that illumines (Son), and the warmth when you feel the light (Spirit) to Augustine's Lover (Father), Beloved (Son), and the Love shared between the two (Spirit). That's the best we can do.”

2.  Christology at the Crossroads, Jon Sobrino, (xxiv): "Christology is possible only if the Father continues to be the ultimate horizon of reality, the son continues to be the definite example of how human beings can correspond to the Father, and life according to the Spirit of Jesus continues to be the authentic Christian way of acting that makes us sons and daughters in and through the Son."

3. Other faith traditions have some type of triune understandings of God.

how have you understood the Trinity? Does it matter?

Reflections on "Grab Bag: OT Tweets" Proverbs 1: 1-7; Proverbs 31: 10-12

To prepare for this sermon, I had to consult the textbook we used for my Old Testament class at seminary.  It reminded me of what a great professor Andy Dearman was and how much fun I had learning all this stuff.  I also flashed back to the take-home, closed book (honor system) exams Andy gave us.  I would get up on Saturday morning, study, study, study, then go get Chinese take-out and eat, watch college football, and take the exam.  That may explain why I didn't remember much of the backgrounds to Proverbs!

It was good to revisit Proverbs.  I made the connection (no scholar made this argument) between the Wisdom literature and its emphasis on righteous behavior and the letters to the early church and their emphasis on ethical behavior (particularly Peter's letters).  It was a fascinating connection to me.

The sermon probably had too much content -- an overview of 31 chapters and all the different styles of Proverbs is hard to do in 20 minutes or less, but I hope the gathered congregation got a good feel for Proverbs.

I had one person tell me they love reading Proverbs and another tell me they have a program that gives them a Proverb a day to read.  I was surprised that even two people read Proverbs that often.

The sermon came across very differently in the two services. Not sure why, exactly.  It felt very different in the preaching as well.

The text below is a loose approximation of the sermons preached at the two services.  I did quite a bit of freelancing yesterday.  I also botched the conclusion at the sanctuary service by using the comments earlier in the sermon.  The conclusion worked better at the Chapel service.  In fact, I think the written conclusion (now) is better than both of the conclusions that I used in the services yesterday (I could not remember the exact conclusion, so I wrote something in this morning).

Someone told me that yesterday's sermon was the best sermon I'd preached in all my time here.  From my perspective, that is certainly not the case, but I'm, grateful that it worked for someone!

“Grab Bag:  OT Tweets” August 11, 2013; Grab bag series  Proverbs 1: 1-7; Proverbs 31:10-12

Introduction In the last 20 years, I am not sure I ever preached on Proverbs, except for using portions of Proverbs 31 at a funeral for a mother/wife.

I bet most of you have not studied Proverbs.  Don’t make a catchy VBS theme.

In some ways, that made it surprising to me that someone actually wanted to hear a sermon on Proverbs as part of the grab-bag sermon series; or perhaps I should not have been surprised since we do not talk about Proverbs much.

I pulled out my Old Testament text book from seminary (in the written form of the sermon I’ve tried to note the references to it).

When I was trying to reflect on how to characterize Proverbs in our present context, it struck me that they are something like Twitter – quick hitting tweets that are somewhat cryptic, open to interpretation, and cover a wide variety of topic.  

Move 1:  Overview of Proverbs

            a. Proverbs joins with Ecclesiastes and Job as Wisdom literature in the Bible.

                        1. Job may seem an odd companion to Proverbs because we think of Job as the story of Job; but in fact Job is mostly a series of speeches and discourses hung on the framework of Job’s story.

2.  Wisdom genre is very different than the other books of the Old Testament.

                        2.  Wisdom literature lacks the “distinctive features of Israel’s faith.” (Anderson, 570).

                        3. that is, the stories of the patriarchs that we might read in Genesis and Exodus, or the stories of the kings or judges, are not present nor are they mentioned in Proverbs.

                        4. the one exception is the mention of King Solomon, who was considered the "fountainhead of all wisdom" (Anderson, 573). Many of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon. Remember that Solomon asked for the gift of wisdom from God.

5. likewise, the words of the prophets highlight Israel’s God and the uniqueness of Israel’s relationship with God are not found in Proverbs, nor are those themes mentioned.

            b. Wisdom is rooted in the “fear” of the Lord as we read in the opening chapter of Proverbs.

1.      Proverbs 9: 10  (Proverbs 9:10) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.  (NRSV)

2.       "Fear" is not used in the sense of "scared," but in the sense of recognizing the awesome nature of God and being overwhelmed by it.

3.  Reason is not an obstacle to faith; rather, faith is a precondition for understanding (Anderson, 578)

c.  The theology of Proverbs is grounded in creation (see Proverbs 8: 22-31).

1.      (Proverbs 8:22-36) The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth-- when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race. And now, my children, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death."  (NRSV)

2.      To figure out the right way to live our lives as part of the created order is to have wisdom and to be righteous (see opening notes to Proverbs from The New Interpreter's Study Bible to get good background material on Proverbs), all of which begins with a "fear of the Lord."

3.      Wisdom is seen not just as the "key to ethical behavior (Proverbs 4: 10-19); it seeks to grasp the secret of the divine plan behind the whole creation" (Understanding the Old Testament, Bernhard Anderson, 4th edition, 579).

4.      Of course, this suggests that if we had enough wisdom, we could know God's plan. I'm not sure I want to go there.

                       

d. Proverbs tackle the following topics:  family, relationships; nature; agriculture; social relationships; and work relationships.

e.      Proverbs also has the running image of Wisdom personified as a woman.

1.      gives life to the rational approach to God.

2.      Given the importance of women, it is interesting that in a patriarchal world wisdom would be female.

3.      We might also note that the last chapter has two stories of women.

Move 2:  look at a few of the Proverbs

a.      Short statements where the second statement runs a parallel to the first.

1.       Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise child makes a glad father, but a foolish child is a mother's grief.  (NRSV)

2.      A balanced pair of opposites

3.      The wise child is paired with the foolish child; the glad father with a mother’s grief.

4.      Universal truth – not explicitly grounded in faith in the God of Israel.

5.      Proverbs 22: 1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.  (NRSV

6. Synonymous parallels – two items mentioned that are similar

b.      parallelism between two paths a person can choose

1.        (Proverbs 4:18-19) But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

 (Proverbs 4:19) The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over. (NRSV)

1.      Two paths a person can follow.

2.  Wicked or righteous.

c.      Collection of poems with numerical component (Proverbs 30: 18-19)  (Proverbs 30:18-19)

1.       Three things are too wonderful for me; four I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a girl.  (NRSV

2.       (Proverbs 30:29-31) Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their gait: the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals and does not turn back before any; the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king striding before his people.  (NRSV)

3.      There’s a lot to contemplate.

4.      tying together of things that do not seem associated.

5.      In processing the connections, we might come to understand a truth that matters to us.

d.      Proverbs 6: 6-11 instruction

1.  (Proverbs 6:6-11) Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise. Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O lazybones? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior.  (NRSV)

e.      There are some extended sections where the verses tie together (Proverbs 31).

1.      Extended story about Lemuel, a son and his mother.

2. would read more like a parable.

Move 3:  Where is the gospel, that is good news, in these proverbs?

a.      Linking of rational thought to faith.

1.      Response to black and white – one of two paths.

2.      Speaks to the complexity of the world.

3.      Steer clear of thinking you can figure God out if you are smart enough.

b.      Wide variety of Images  

1.       lots of different aspects of life.

2.      Speaks to God’s all-encompassing presence in our world.

c.      Ethical behavior matters.

1.      Our belief in God does manifest itself in the behaviors we choose.

2.      The proverbs that offer insights into how we act highlight the importance of how we act.

3.      Not works righteousness – not earning God’s grace.

4.      But connecting our faith with our actions.

5.      Links Proverbs to the letters of the early church.

Conclusion: The Book of Proverbs provides ample resources for Twitter and FB people -- you have ample resources for things to tweet and post that will undoubtedly draw lots of attention and comment.

As you tweet your favorite Proverb, do not forget that the answer to the riddle lies in how you live your life as a follower of Christ.

"OT Tweets" Proverbs 1: 1-7; 31: 1-7

In the last 20 years, I am not sure I ever preached on Proverbs, except for using portions of Proverbs 31 at a funeral for a mother/wife.  When I was trying to reflect on how to characterize Proverbs in our present context, it struck me that they are something like tweets that go out from people.  Most of the Proverbs are stand alone comments on a variety of issues.

Some things to think about when reading Proverbs:

1.  The theology of Proverbs is grounded in creation (see Proverbs 8: 22-31).  To figure out the right way to live our lvies as part of the created order is to have wisdom and to be righteous (see opening notes to Proverbs from The New Interpreter's Study Bible to get good background material on Proverbs), all of which begins with a "fear of the Lord."

2.  "Fear" is not used in the sense of "scared," but in the sense of recognizing the awesome nature of God and being overwhelmed by it.

3. proverbs joins with Ecclesiastes and Job as Wisdom literature in the Bible.

4.  Proverbs tackle the following topics:  family, relationships; nature; agriculuter; social relationships; and work relationships.

5. There are some extended sections wehre the verses tie together (Proverbs 31), but much of Proverbs is two-line wise sayings (Proverbs 10 would be a good example).

6. Wisdom is seen not just as the "key to ethical behavior (Proverbs 4: 10-19); it seeks to grasp the secret of the divine plan behind the whole creation" (Understanding the Old Testament, Bernhard Anderson, 4th edition, 579). Of course, this suggests that if we had enough wisdom, we could know God's plan.  I'm not sure I want to go there.

7.  Proverbs also has the running image of Wisdom personified as a woman.  Given the importance of women, it is interesting that in a patriarchal world wisdom would be female.

8.  King Solomon was considered the "fountainhead of all wisdom" (Anderson, 573).    Many of the Proverbs are attributed to Solomon.

I am not sure how to take this information about Proverbs and turn them into a sermon.  Where is the gospel, that is good news, in these proverbs?

Reflections on "Setting the Table" Exodus 12: 43-51; Luke 22: 7-13

I enjoyed this sermon, although I seemed to stumble a bit more often than normal.  Not sure why.  I have been listening to my sermons lately, which may make me more aware of those stumbles than I would normally.

The topic of the Lord's Table has so much to preach. I am now thinking about taking the year 2014 and preaching an ongoing series on communion Sundays with sermons those weeks about different aspects of celebrating the Lord's Supper.  

I probably could have skipped the first point and spent more time on the behind-the-scenes preparation at this church (which was the grab bag request), but I really thought it was important to have the point about the exclusivity of the Israelite celebration of Passover.  In fact, I could spend  a sermon on inclusive/exclusive approaches to the Lord's Supper.  

I also have some great stories about kids in the church who have helped to set up communion. In fact, one of our worship co-chair's very young son helped set up communion yesterday.  

It also made me think that we ought to not settle for the lack of spiritual connection for the elders who serve.  Maybe we ought to have a prayer together each Sunday we have communion.  Or,  I could send out a meditation and prayer for the elders who are serving to read each week before communion.

Sermon went a bit long again. These grab bag sermons seem to be longer than my regular sermons!

“Grab Bag:  Setting the Table”  August 4, 2013; Grab bag series  Luke 22: 7-13; Exodus 12: 43-51

Introduction: Growing up, my siblings and I had a chore list. With four of us, that meant that the chores were divided up into four groups, and every four weeks your chores alternated.

Among the least favorite chores was setting the Table.  For one thing, it took place at a set time.  Most of the other chores had a ranges of hours in which we could choose to do them, but not setting the table.

Also, setting the table didn’t leave much room for fun or imagination.  Set six  plates (yes, we put the food on the table and served ourselves there); set six forks; six knives facing the correct direction; six spoons; six napkins (this did offer the creative moment of choosing to fold the cheap paper napkins into a triangle or rectangle; then take orders for drinks and put the drinks on the table.

Not much joy in that task.

I was thinking about how we prepared the Table as I reflected on this week’s grab bag request to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of preparing the Lord’s Table.

Move 1: Historic preparation, particularly as it speaks the practice of fencing the Table.

a.  Connection to the Passover.

1.   The Passover has the obvious connection because that was what Jesus and his followers were gathering to celebrate the night of the Last Supper.

2.  Historically critical moment from Israelite history when the final plague in Egypt was the visiting of the angel of death on all households, except those Israelite houses that had the blood of the lamb over their door.

3.  But I also want to point out how the Israelites understood the Passover to be their celebration exclusively. 

4. No one else was invited.

5. There were a few ways a non-Israelite could participate, but basically it meant becoming like the Israelites.

6. We call that fencing the Table.

            b.  Paul fences the Lord’s Table for pastoral reasons.

                        1. He tells the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11: 29) that they eat and drink judgment against themselves if they celebrate the Lord’s Supper unworthily.

                        2.  Set off a long tradition in the Christian church of putting up fences.

      3. Catholic church practices closed communion – only practicing Catholics are invited to the Lord’s Table.

d. In the Presbyterian Church, we practice what we call “open” communion.

1.  Anyone who has been baptized and trusts in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Grew out of desire to be inclusive, particularly to include young children.

2.  When I took the confirmands to Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary  one year we had worship.  I instructed the confirmands that if they took communion at home, they could take it here; if they did not, they should respect their parents and not take communion.  I got all sorts of dirty looks when the confirmands did not go down for communion.  A lady even said to me, “You know in the Presbyterian Church kids can take communion!”  “I know,” I replied and didn’t bother to tell her that in the course of my ministry, I have introduced two churches to the “new” tradition of kids taking communion.

e. But are we really open?

1.       Each time we celebrate I say something to the effect that “everyone who has been baptized and trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior," is invited.

2.      A fence.  Maybe a small one.  But still a fence.

3.      No longer mention it.

Move 2: Let’s move from historic preparation to preparation in the local congregation.

            a.  Every church has its own idiosyncrasies related to communion.

1. The church I grew up in has a very formal approach with each elder getting a two-page, front and back letter complete with diagrams about how to do communion.  As you sit there, you notice their structure and order.

2. the minister I worked with on internship had a rule that the organist could not play music people would recognize during the meditative time of communion. He thought it would distract people from reflecting if they were humming along.

3.  Jan Childress, in column in Presbyterian Outlook, 4/5/2010:  “Canadian theologian Stephen Farris tells the story of a young pastor celebrating the Lord's Supper at a new charge for the first time.  The new pastor was an earnest young guy, intent on making good.  He arrived early that morning to prepare the elements. The bread was located easily enough, but the grape juice was nowhere in sight. Finally, with a sigh of relief, he came upon a box of purple powder.  Ah, he thought as he mixed it up with water and poured it out into the little cups , this is the way they do it here.  He set the trays in the fridge and went back to the sanctuary to practice. Ninety minutes later when the deacons arrived to set the table, the young pastor trailed them into the kitchen chatting, getting acquainted, making friends.  As it was that he was standing right there when the trays were pulled out of the fridge – glistening and jiggling in the kitchen light – full of grape Jell-O.

b. Our own church’s communion bread.

                        1. Recipe traces back to Jerry Saffell’s great, great grandparents, who came to the United States in 1778 from Scotland.

                        2.  Jerry’s grandmother modified the recipe to what it is now.

                        3.  Jerry’s mother made the Presbyterian Church in New Athens, OH

                        4. Inez passed on the task of making the communion bread to Cassa Johnson; Lucy Sanders now makes the communion bread.

                        5.  Even as we celebrate the Bicentennial, we use bread that goes back longer than the beginning of this church. And has traveled from Scotland to Eastern OH to Troy.

            6. When we talk about coming to the Table with all the saints who have come before us, we come with their recipe for bread!

            c.  Getting elders.

                        1.  Email now.

                        2.  Whoever is going to be here.

                        3. Not really very spiritual or theological.

            4. except we have elders – not priests.  That separates our practice from other churches.  We do not have to have a priest (or minister) do something to make the elements holy; we do not need a priest (or minister) to act as mediator with the elements; we do not need a priest (or minister) to connect us to God.

            5.  Everything about the Lord’s Supper is prepared by members and served by elders.

d.  How often?

1.  Growing up we only had communion quarterly and on Maundy Thursday.

2.  Catholics can have communion every day. In seminary, we celebrated it once a week.

3. We do it almost once a month and Maundy Thursday here.  You may have noticed that we now have one communion for June/July that does not fall on the first Sunday of either month.  We do this for the liturgical reason that we have trouble getting elders on the Sunday of Strawberry Festival and 4^th of July.

3.  Does frequency make it less meaningful?  Someone reading my blog noted that he or she only liked to take it on Maundy Thursday – less rushed and doing it once a year made it more special.

e.      we have to "advertise" that we are celebrating communion so that people can prepare themselves.

1.        how do you prepare yourself?

2.       Do you know that we are celebrating the Lord’s Supper on the Sunday before you arrive and see the Table set at the front of the sanctuary?

3.      Making of bread. Lucy prays over it. 

4.      The bread is prepared as a spiritual discipline.  How do you prepare spiritually for celebrating the Lord’s supper?

Move 3:  Jesus sets the Table

a.      Lord’s Table not because Jesus invites us to do this and remember him.

b.     Lord’s Table because his death sets the Table.

c.      Lord’s Table because his resurrection means that he meets us at this Table.

Conclusion:  Growing up, on special occasions, the chore of setting the table took on a different meaning – when it was setting the table for a special meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

There with the aroma of the dinner cooking, we would all want to get chosen to place the china plates on the table; get the silver out of the chest with the padded inside; carefully fold the cloth napkins; joyfully move among the gathered family to take drink orders.

It has now become the special task of grandchildren who get the same sense of specialness.

There was something wonderful about being involved in preparing for a special meal.

Jesus Christ has set our Lord’s Table.  Come  be a part of this special meal.

"Setting the Table"Luke 22: 7-13; Exodus 12: 43-51

Grab bagging about the behind-the-scenes preparation for the Lord's Table.

1. I have a story about the history of the recipe for the communion bread we use each month.

2.  I included the story of the Passover, both because of its connection to the Lord's Supper, but also because of its gate keeping element.  You had to be considered one of the Israelites to participate in the Passover.  Other traditions through the years have put fences around the Lord's Table.  We act as if we are open, but our polity and words before we come to the Table include the provision that people "be baptized and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior," which is a fence.   What fences to you see that churches put around the Lord's Table?  I would love a couple of illustrations of them to use in the sermon

3.  I have reflected on how setting the Table on a daily basis was on the chore list growing up.  Not much joy in that task.  But, when we had (now have for my family) a big dinner at Thanksgiving or Christmas, setting the Table is often a favorite task.  Any stories you have of setting the Table would be appreciated.
What is the difference?

4. Growing up we only had communion quarterly and on Maundy Thursday.  Something about not wanting to take the specialness (I may have just made up this word) away by having it occur to often.  Catholics can have communion every day.  In seminary, we celebrated it once a week.  Does frequency make it less meaningful?

5.  Presbyterians practice the passing of the elements in the trays to model that we share the elements with each other, rather than having to come to the priest (minister) to receive the elements.  I wonder how many feel the passing of the trays works to connect us, as opposed to making the serving of communion more formal, cold, and businesslike.

6.  Generally when elders talk about powerful moments that took place during their work, they mention serving the elements on the Sundays people come forward to receive them.

7.  Tell me the most powerful communion service you have ever experienced.

8.  we have to "advertise" that we are celebrating communion so that people can prepare themselves; share with me if you do anything different in preparing for worship if you know we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper.