Life Together: Confession and Communion Devo

June 3rd, 2018

Devotional

“Life Together: Confession and Communion” - 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26

Keep the sermon topic and Biblical text preaching all week by following Pastor Michelle on twitter @tinypastor and reading her sermon blog www.revmichelle.blogspot.com

Monday: “Received a Tradition” - 1 Corinthians 11:23

There is something beautiful and powerful about memory. I was recently sitting with one of our parish shut ins, and she was sharing with me a book full of photographs. But for her they weren’t just pictures - for behind each picture was a story. A memory to be shared. 

For the people of Israel, they were called by God to remember constantly. To remember from where they had come - enslavement in Egypt. To remember where God had brought them - to the promised land. To remember that God had never left them. To remember the commandments. To remember the words of the prophets. To remember. 

But memory can sometimes be a funny thing. Sometimes we insert our own story into what we “remember”, which actually is a form of forgetting. Think of the Israelites as they were wondering around in the wilderness - claiming that they had it better in Egypt. Or think about the family story where we start to forget details like who was there and how they enriched our lives. Memory always lives in danger of forgetting, if not carefully tended after, just like the Corinthians were starting to forget the tradition that Paul received from Christ. 

How do you help yourself to remember big things?

How are memory and story interconnected? 

Prayer: God, we want to be a people who remember. Who remember not just our story, but Precious Lord, how our story connects with your larger story. Lead us to be part of the ongoing story of your grace and your Kingdom, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “Handed On” - 1 Corinthians 11:23

As I have visited with folks, they often spend time remembering how things used to be - telling me about times when you simply opened the church doors and people would come flocking in. They will often go on to tell me if we would only change this or that in society then the church could be back as it used to be. 

But that’s not the world we live in.

Memory isn’t just about looking to the past, for if it is used wisely it helps propel us into the future. For example, if we remember how the gospel changed our lives, we will be willing to do just about anything to offer that experience to someone else, even if the times and context and method are different. 

Paul is telling the church in Corinth that the tradition that was passed on to him, changed him, and he passed that tradition on to them to change them as well. If only they would let the gospel take root. 

How does remembering the past help you live into the present and the future?

How can we share the tradition of the faith with those who come after us? 

Prayer: Lord, sometimes we miss the point. Sometimes we so badly want to go back to better times that we remember, that we fail to live into the present, thus failing to share your gospel with this present generation. Help our memories transform us for the present and the future, we pray, God of all space and all time. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Given For You” - 1 Corinthians 11: 24

English is a funny language. Tenses sometimes confuse us. I remember that I learned a lot more about the English language as I studied other languages in high school in college. For example, you can actually mean two different things. It can mean you singular, as in one person, or it can mean you collectively (like you all). 

The church in Corinth were treating the breaking of the body of Christ, as something singular. And in a certain sense that was true. Christ would give up his life if there was even one of us sinking in sin. However, in the celebration of communion it goes beyond that. It isn’t just about us. It is about all of us together - Christ giving up his life for us not just as individuals, but for his bride, the Church, which is all of us together. 

Paul is getting upset with the upper-class believers in Corinth, because they were starting to act as if some people were more worthy of hearing the gospel than others. Their selfish behavior, seen around the agape table as well as other places, was not a testament to what Christ had given his body for, but instead was becoming a select club where only some were truly welcomed - missing out on the communal nature of being the body of Christ. 

What does it mean that Christ gave his body for you as an individual?

What does it mean that Christ gave himself for us collectively as the Church? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you today for your sacrifice on the cross. A sacrifice that we remember every time we gather at the communion table. Help us  O Lord, to embrace the gift that was given for us as individuals, but also the gift that you gave for us collectively, as well look to you as our Savior, and head of your Church, the body of Christ. Amen. 

Thursday: “New Covenant” - 1 Corinthians 11:25

When we take the cup and celebrate together, we often say something to the effect of “Take and drink, the cup of salvation given for you and for many”. But it can also be called the cup of new life. And the cup of the new covenant. 

In Christ’s giving of himself for us, we were given all of those things, salvation, new life, a new covenant. It was a covenant that was signed and sealed by his blood shed for us. But it is also the blood that ushers us into a new way of being. 

Sometimes when new folks show up in worship we fail to show them much grace in the rituals and traditions we have, from when we sit and when we stand, to what we mean when we are describing the cup of life. We need to remember that when we were new Christians, we didn’t automatically know all of these things either. Just as Paul had to teach the Corinthians about the new covenant, so do we need to continue to be patient in teaching new Christians today, as they grow in Christ. 

How can we walk alongside those who are new to the faith in order to encourage them? 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you that the body of Christ does not being and end with us. We thank you that we are part of a legacy of faith being passed on and that you entrust us with passing that faith on to others. Help us to encourage new Christians, coming alongside them, as they grow closer to you. Amen. 

Friday: “Until He Comes” - 1 Corinthians 11: 26

We are eagerly awaiting the coming again of our Lord and Savior. But until he comes, we have beautiful reminders of his love for us and his love for others. Whenever we celebrate Holy Communion together, we look forward to feasting together at his Heavenly banquet. 

Bur for here and now, we are still creatures prone to sin. We won’t always get it right, just like the church in Corinth didn’t always get everything right either. But when we draw together around this table and confess our sin, the ways we have failed, we remember the gift of God’s grace given to us in the cross, and we have an opportunity to offer our hearts unto God anew. 

What does it mean for you to offer your heart to God?

Prayer: Lord, you are our beginning and our end. Help us when we gather to celebrate your Holy Meal to remember both what you have given for us and who you call us to be. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. 

Scripture: To prepare for next weeks sermon you are invited to read Luke 8: 22-25.

Family Activity: Talk to your family about what communion means to you. What does it make you remember? How is your life changed because of what Christ has given for you?