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Thursday, March 24, 2016 at Advent Lutheran Church in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Maundy Thursday worship service. Meditations 1 and 2.
John 13:1-17; Luke 22:7-18; Luke 22:17-20. Psalm 23. Meditation 1.
The three-year history of Jesus’ teaching and history changing drama is about to end. The die has been cast. The religious establishment has figured out a way to be rid of this radical trouble maker whose popularity is spinning out of control. Caiaphas, the Chief Priest has spoken, no declared that it is better for one man, innocent or not, to die rather than for the nation to be destroyed.
Hyperbole? Without question. Fear based? Indeed. Something that will backfire? Absolutely. And as history records, it did. When Caiaphas predicted that Rome would destroy the Temple and Jerusalem as well, just 70 years after the trial of Jesus, he was right.
But he was dead wrong as to why. In fact, it remains a huge irony when you consider that if Jesus had been allowed to transform the Temple culture and the religion of the day the Romans would have been delighted. The Jewish zealots whom Jesus rejected would not have revolted which resulted in the destruction of the Jewish Temple and ended with the diaspora and eventually the mass suicide of 960 people on Masada.
With that said, this evening’s service pulls our thoughts to something else entirely. Jesus institutes the central meal that is celebrated in all Christian denominations in one way or another. The early church following the death and resurrection of Jesus celebrated what we call the Eucharist, Holy Supper or Holy Communion every Sunday.
A reading of history would tell us that those early meals were more like a pot-luck where everyone contributed to the common good. Also, every Sunday was celebrated as Easter Sunday, not just one day in the year. The whole passion story of Christ was a weekly celebration of what had happened in that passion story and how it changed people’s lives forever.
This early church truly was a community of faith as recorded in the Book of Acts where all things were held in common. We have such an aversion to the words socialism and communism in our culture that it is hard to appreciate how well that did work in the early Christian church. As recorded in Acts:
“42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Life among the Believers
43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds* to all, as any had need. 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home* and ate their food with glad and generous* hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”
What were they saved from? From a social system and structure that excluded the very people who were most vulnerable. The old, the sick, the blind, the poor, anyone who was suffering with anything that was not accepted by the majority that represents the religious and economic political power structure.
To compare this early social structuring to communism is ludicrous, as most ironically it was done by the Communist party which by its very definition is atheistic in political and doctrinal pronouncement. What they didn’t bother to mention and for good reason is that the community was completely voluntary and formed by people who felt compelled by their faith in God to practice compassion and kindness.
It was not by any means the creation of political and legal means of distribution of goods and services. As simple as it may sound it was and still is a call to practice compassion, or as we are fond of saying here at Advent, more kindness than is necessary.
Jesus emphatically said;
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
I understand those words to mean it is a question of spiritual awakening, or as he says being born from above. Understanding that we are all woven together by our very humanity. Al of us inter-dependent, caring, loving, respecting and serving!
Meditation 2.
And as to the meal itself. A few years ago, mostly because a dear sister in Christ, a member of Advent requested communion be served to her in Gluten free form that I first became aware of what processed food has done to our health here in America.
Although I have always been interested in the foods we eat, and most especially with my interest in vegetarianism, I had never really considered that certain foods can actually make us sick. Since that time, and unfortunately for me I have apparently developed an intolerance or allergy to some of the foods I so enjoy.
Our family has also cut back on foods containing Gluten but recently I bought a beautiful big loaf of homemade white bread, delicious with melted butter on the thick slice. Almost immediately I felt the telltale heartburn and discomfort from the Gluten. The old adage,
“You are what you eat,” appears to be absolutely true. And a second revelation from Jesus, you are not only what you eat, you are also what you believe.
And that brings me to significance of this sacred evening. Jesus washes the feet of the disciples as a sign of how we are to serve one another if we claim to believe in him. You heard it in his own words moments ago, in fact you read it as part of our worship:
“So if your Lord and Teacher washes your feet, then you should wash one an other’s feet. I am your example; keep doing what I do.”
Afterwards he sits at table and shares a meal with them consisting of bread, wine and water. I have been in Jerusalem and have seen that even in the poorest of neighborhoods virtually everyone has bread, even simple unleavened bread baking daily in outdoor stone ovens.
And also, jugs of wine in homes as a substitute for water which in some places is brackish and not safe to drink, especially during the time of Jesus. Bread and wine, two of the most common foods that also signify the presence of Jesus.
As you no doubt know, from a theological or religious perspective the host or bread, and the actual liquid can be virtually anything because the power of the healing effect of the meal comes from your faith in the living God that promised at that first meal to be with you whenever you break bread with your sisters and brothers in Christ. The wine, grape juice or water are merely the outward signs of you inward spiritual faith.
On Monday of this week, when I met with Delores Sandoval’s children Chris and Steve they talked about the good memories and stories that make up their family after 45 years in the family house that was recently sold. And Steve made the point of saying,
“It’s time for another family to enjoy that home that is so filled with memories. But the memories are not in the house, they are here in our hearts and minds and always will be.”
That’s exactly how Jesus is present to us in a living way. Not as something that you merely remember, but something that is a living presence and is as real as this moment and every other moment of your life.
Because it is absolutely true that we are not only what we physically eat, which is clear enough from medical science, we are also what we spiritually consume through our faith in Christ.
And Christ is indeed present in the bread and the wine.
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