Maundy Thursday: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. "The Unity in the Lord's Supper"

 In a reflection on Maundy Thursday, Tim discusses the unity expressed in the Lord's Supper as outlined in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. The juxtaposition of contemporary American Christian worship experience with that of the early Corinthian congregation, emphasizing the nature of gatherings and the integration of the Lord's Supper with fellowship meals.

The essence of Communion, representing Christ's sacrifice for forgiveness, remains unchanged. The act of partaking in Communion signifies unity in Christ, symbolized by the sharing of bread and wine. Paul's emphasizes unity within the church despite differences and warns against pride and division. The need to prioritize love over personal agendas and encourage humility in disagreements. Ultimately, the reflection concludes with a prayer for unity, peace, and love among believers.

Join us in 1 Corinthians 10 verses 16-17  as we discuss the savior that we have. 

This Sunday sermon, based on 1 Corinthians 10 verses 16-17, was preached at Grace of God Lutheran Church on March 28, 2024.  This sermon is preached by pastor Timothy J. Walsh, a member of WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). Scripture selections come from the New International Version.

Our services are at 9:30am every Sunday morning, at our campus in Dix Hills on Long Island. Visit our website for more information, at www.graceofgod.church 

Intro Music "On the Way" by Vlad Gluschenko https://soundcloud.com/vgl9
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Outro Music "Divenire" by Ludovico Einaudi
copyright (℗) by: Ludovico Einaudi (in 2006)  

Transcript

Grace and peace are ours through the Lord Jesus Christ, friends. Amen.

When the apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian congregation, it looked very different to be a Christian than it does for us now, in 2024 America. We gather for worship in a particular place, a building set aside specifically for that purpose. They would be gathering in private homes. The homes of a man named Stephanas, and of another man named Titius, for instance, seem to have been two of their regular meeting places.

Our services tend to follow a set pattern, and we think of “fellowship time” - coffee and snacks, maybe a potluck - as something separate from the worship service. Their gathering would have been more informal, and in particular, the Lord’s Supper seems to have been celebrated at the same time as a fellowship meal. Their Lord’s Supper would have looked more like the very first Lord’s Supper, when Jesus broke bread and shared a cup with his apostles during their Passover celebration.

What hasn’t changed is what the Lord’s Supper - Communion - is. Nor has what it expresses changed.

What it is is simply stated in our Gospel reading. Christ tells us that here we have his body and his blood, which he gave to death on his cross for our forgiveness. Here, he brings us the benefits of that sacrifice through his body and blood, which are brought to us with the bread and the wine. It’s not purely symbolic; nor is it a magical action. We are not told how Christ presents us with his body and blood, only that it happens here.

When we gather to receive this gift from the Savior, we express our unity in him. As Paul says: “We, who are many, are one body.” Again, in the early church, they would have broken loaves of bread and passed the pieces around. We use wafers, which are convenient, but which do lose some of the symbolic significance.

We should note: Jesus did not command, in his institution of the Supper, that we use a single loaf of bread. He simply commanded that we take bread and eat it. Paul taught his congregations to use a single loaf to remind them of the unity expressed in Communion. 

This unity is the unity we have through our faith in Jesus. We all look to him as our Savior. We all see ourselves as needing a Savior. We all trust in God’s faithfulness and love for us, and we all come together to encourage and build one another up. This is the unity which comes form the faith we share.

The Corinthians had trouble exhibiting that unity. They were divided by many things. Some of them wanted to follow one pastor or another. Some were arrogant because of the gifts they had for service in the church. Some were simply unkind to those with less money than them.

Again - some things are different for us today, but some things are the same. Pride still leads to division among Christians. Those who serve and attend regularly look down on those who are less faithful. Young and old become divided by their perspectives on the future. The unity of the church is always threatened, not by forces outside, but by the sin that still lives in the heart of believers.

Christians can disagree. Christians may even fairly disagree on what we’d think of as “important decisions.” But when disagreements become division, it’s pride we see surfacing. Pride loves to cloak itself as wisdom. “I know what’s best! I’m just standing for that.” Such an attitude is arrogance. The only one who truly knows what is best is Jesus Christ, who rules over the church and the world from heaven’s throne, directing all things for the good of the church.

When we commune, Christ gives to us the body and the blood he sacrificed for our salvation. He gives it to us, and to our brothers and sisters. And with such a sacrifice given to us, on our behalf, we are set free from needing to be right. We are able to sacrifice our pride, our wisdom, and to take up love in its place.

May the Spirit of Christ grant us unity of faith and peace through love now and always. Amen.