And as they were eating,
Jesus took bread,
blessed and broke it,
and gave it to the
disciples and said,
'Take, eat:
this is My body.'
Matthew 26:26
Jesus Christ gave to the Church two sacraments, not seven as so states the Roman Catholic Church. That remembrance that we are given so that always before us is a special event honoring our Savior, Jesus Christ. First, we are to break bread which represents His body, second we are to drink from a cup that represents His blood poured out on behalf of all those that the Father would give to Him. Furthermore, only one institution was given by God, that institution is marriage. One event of remembrance and one institution, given by God and is so often abused. Notice that I will not give any form of advice as to how often one should celebrate the Eucharist as some Churches hold to a specific time and make that the norm for all Christians. Jesus did not give a time, for all He said was to do this celebration "In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me' (1Corinthians 11:25). The thief on the cross who believed in the Son of God; did he celebrate the Lord's supper? No! It is not the eating and drinking that is the most important; it is a matter of the heart. Far too often Churches do not take the time to solemnly celebrate this most wonderful celebration and there is just an open invitation to come and drink and eat without taking time to pray and ask God to forgive them for any sins that they may have committed. Children go and get the Eucharist, even though they have not become Christians, people wander up and retrieve the bread, and the cup, and simply in a rote manner just eat and drink without much, if any, time to pray and celebrate this supper, as they dine unworthy: "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. for he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body' (1Corinthians 11:27-29). Do you take the time to celebrate and remember our Lord and Savior taking the time to ask God for forgiveness and take this celebration, the Eucharist seriously? Does your Church actually give these two sacraments the solemn approach, or is it just another event that the Church does just because it seems to the leaders that that is what is supposed to be done? If we do not hold sacred this most important celebration, then it seems reasonable to those who do not actually, solemnly, approach this dinner and dine with the Savior serious, that other things of God will not have the seriousness that God intended: such as the only institution, marriage, just look at the divorces in the Church and this will be confirmed. Many of us have not taken this celebration and remembrance seriously and we have not, then, taken the life and death of Jesus Christ serious.
Did not Jesus Christ, the Word of God, God Himself in the Second Person eat and drink, was born of a virgin, live as all men do? Yes! Did not then God take this incarnation serious? Yes! Then why do we not do the same? Jesus Christ was a real person. He took on a real body. He came to this world for us, then why do we act as though it is not all that important even though we may say that it is? Was not Jesus Christ sustained with proper food necessary for the human body? Yes! And this He did while He remained God the Word. As was previously written about: He was united with human flesh and at the same time ordered the universe. During His human life on earth He revealed Himself to be both human and God. Those miraculous acts are rightly assigned to Him, the fact that He ate, drank, slept, was tired, walked, spoke, all were signs that His body belonged to Him and that He, as God, was not just an appearance (Docetism). In heaven He is invisible and is known by the works of creation, and when His Godhead is veiled in human nature, then His bodily acts still declare Him to be not only man, but also the power and the Word of God. He spoke with authority to evil spirits, to drive them out; this is not human, but divine. He cured diseases, all types which deemed Him to be more than man, these acts demonstrated Him to be God. He who did those things must be Himself the One who formed His own body from the virgin. This is not some small proof of His Godhead since it was He who made all things.
At the your next opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist taking the bread and drinking the cup take time to pray, cleanse your heart, ask for forgiveness, and in all solemnity dine with the Lord. Don't in any way make light of these two sacraments for it is by these sacraments we remember our Savior who is God, who died for our sins, who gives to His children, eternal life. Paul admonishes the Corinthian Church who had allowed this important event to become common, a vulgar event that had lost it meaning by saying: "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world" (1Corinthians 11:30-32). If you hold and partake of these sacraments seriously, then you will hold the only institution seriously, for in both accounts we are showing our love to God, and not blaspheming Him in our laxness in our worship.
As you know how
we exhorted,
and comforted, and
charged every one
of you, as a father does
his own children,
that you would walk
worthy of God
how calls you into
His own kingdom
and glory.
1Thessalonians 2:11-12
Come Today To God With A Thankful Heart
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment