Rev. David Holwick I First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey March 7, 2016 1 Corinthians 11:20-22,28-34 CRUDENESS OR COMMUNION? I. We live in a rude age. A. Political campaigns seem to bring it out in spades. 1) The New York Times has been creating a database on insults communicated by Twitter. a) One candidate has so far insulted 202 candidates, journalists, institutions, nations, and a piece of furniture in the White House. b) Some of them have gotten multiple insults. [1] 2) Debates have been rude in a special way. A radio program interviewed a television transcriber - a person who does the captioning for the hearing impaired. She has to be very quick and very accurate. Her biggest challenge has been covering political debates. The program played a 30-second clip of a Republican debate where every candidate was trying to talk over all the others. They did it simultaneously, of course, and even the moderator was jumping in. The reporter asked, how do you transcribe something like that? She said sometimes the best she can do it type out "overlapping conversations." B. Does it spill over into the church? 1) Some of our business meetings have gotten a little testy. a) Even so, we make a big effort to let everyone have their say. 2) Our potluck suppers can have a little push and shove. a) At our dinner last night, I kept in mind a comment someone made to me this week, about someone in another church who kept track of the pastor. If the pastor got first in line at any supper, the person left that church. b) You will notice I was last in line, of course. C. The early church had issues with rudeness as well. 1) One of the interesting things about the New Testament is that it doesn't just describe life as it should be, but as it actually is. Even in the church. 2) Throughout much of 1 Corinthians, Paul is responding to issues that church has brought up to him. a) They were a lively bunch - lots of divisions, scandals, glory-seekers, and jerks. b) One of the lowest episodes in their fellowship occurred at communion services. c) It is very appropriate that we study it today. II. The rudeness came to a head at a sacred service. A. Communion in the early days was combined with a potluck dinner. 1) They got more than a thimble of juice and a cube of bread. a) There was a full meal and even alcohol. b) In the book of Jude, they were called love feasts. 2) Your social situation made a big difference. a) Rich people had plenty of time and resources. b) Slaves and servants were very limited in their time and resources. B. Selfishness had a heyday. 11:21 1) The rich ate all they wanted and even got drunk. 2) The poor arrived late and found the food was already scarfed up [gobbled up]. 3) By the time they got to the sacred part of the meal, some were satiated and the others were steamed. a) In verse 22, he says the poor believers have been despised and humiliated. b) No one had a spiritual attitude. 1> Paul has heard rumors about how bad it was and could hardly believe it. 11:18 2> Whatever they are doing, it is not communion. 11:20 III. Doing communion badly can be deadly. A. Apparently literally. 1) In verse 30, he notes that many of the Corinthians have been sick and some have even died ("fallen asleep"). a) This is pretty harsh, but the Bible contains many passages on physical punishment that can befall disobedient believers. b) Earthquakes swallow people up, plagues come. c) God is not to be trifled with. 2) Would God do such a thing today? a) Should we expect some of you to start keeling over? 1> I do think that many of the maladies people are afflicted with today are due to our drifting from God's principles for life. 2> Families break down, people break down. b) Like Paul says in verse 29, you can end up eating and drinking judgment on yourself. 11:29 B. The essence of what they have done wrong. 1) They have sinned against the body and blood of Jesus. 11:27 a) To a Lutheran or Catholic, their initial thought is that you have to recognize the communion bread as being the actual body of Christ that they are about to eat. b) To those in a liturgical tradition, one of the biggest sins is to disrespect the communion elements. 1> One website even gets in a lather because priests are not wearing a fancy vestment, or they are allowing a church member to do a prayer. [2] 2> In other words, exactly the way Baptists do it. 2) I believe "body of Christ" has a broader, symbolic meaning. a) In several other passages, Paul identifies the body of Christ with a church. 1> In 1 Cor. 10:17, another passage about communion, it says, "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body..." 2> In 1 Cor. 12 Paul makes an extended connection between Christ and his body the church. (He also stresses the body is not very nice to some of the parts....) Look at 12:12-13 -- "The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body...." b) In other words, the body of Christ is the congregation. 1> When you are rude to a Christian, you are being rude to Jesus. 2> This is the worst sin in doing communion. IV. The solution to God's judgment is to pre-judge yourself. 11:31 A. Paul tells us to examine ourselves. 11:28 1) We usually understand this as an inner assessment of how we are walking with God. 2) When we have that short period of meditation after reading the church covenant, you think about your sins and your need for forgiveness. 3) This is part of self-examination, but only a part. a) Self-examination also involves outer-examination. B. How have you been treating other believers? 1) Christians can be as rude and selfish as any politician. a) Butting in when others are speaking. b) Being insensitive when someone talks about their health problems, because you never get sick. c) Being impatient when an older member is shuffling toward the door because you want to beat the rush out of the parking lot. 2) It goes beyond the church, of course. a) Jesus says you might be encountering him when you run into anyone who is weak and needy. b) It the harshest and most demeaning environment you may find yourself, your attitude and actions are being watched by God. V. What can you do to recognize the body of Christ around you? A. Recognize that you have been molded by your culture. 1) And it is a culture that is consistently losing its manners. 2) This is not just your imagination - studies support it. Sharon Jayson in an article in USA Today noted that young people today are less concerned about society's standards than their peers of generations past. One study covered a 40-year period and interviewed over 40,000 young people at various points in their lives. It found that young people no longer heed social norms and accepted standards of behavior. It goes beyond etiquette. It's not just about manners. They just don't think about what other people think and how they feel. There is a huge shift from the 1960s to today. #30909 3) Each of us has been influenced by this shift, so be aware of what we are fighting against. B. Practice sharing your material blessings. 1) Some are very good at this. a) Goldy Weller brings fresh fruit to every Thursday afternoon Bible study. And she always shares her homemade applesauce at potluck dinners. b) The Bostedos host a full dinner in their house every Tuesday night for the young adult Bible study. c) Mark Noyes shares his intellectual blessings, by fixing broken stuff in the homes of many members. d) A great example in the Bible is Barnabas. Acts 4:36 1> It is actually his nickname, which means "Son of Encouragement." 2> He sold land and donated the proceeds to the church so needy people would be taken care of. 2) Church offer lots of opportunities to share. a) The Family Promise homeless ministry involved many of us. b) And if you are tempted to think "I would never end up like that," just listen to some of their stories and you might realize they were once just like you. c) I have had people volunteer to take our elderly to doctor visits, and run errands for others. C. Notice people you tend to overlook. 1) Most of us gravitate to the same select group of family and friends. 2) Some here have come to this church for years, and still don't know the names of those around you. a) Should I do a test? (No) D. Be gracious to everyone. 1) Use your words to build people up, not tear them down. Some of my favorite Bible verses: Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:4 "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." 2) A great test: if it was Jesus you were talking to, how would you speak? VI. Communion should bring us closer. A. We want it to bring you closer to God. 1) This is why Jesus died for us. 2) His blood brings us to a "new covenant" - the prophet Jeremiah says this puts God's laws in our warm hearts, not on cold stones. B. We want it to bring you closer to each other. 1) Recognize, appreciate and serve those who are around you. ========================================================================= SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON: The theme for this sermon was suggested by Fran Drymon. 1. “The 202 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List,” Jasmine C. Lee and Kevin Quealy, updated March 4, 2016; <link>. 2. “The Sin of Liturgical Abuse,” Michael Lofton, May 30, 2015; <link>. #30909 “Are Social Norms Steadily Unraveling?” Sharon Jayson, America Online & USA Today, April 13, 2006. These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html ========================================================================= |
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