10-3-21 “The New Covenant in Christ”
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Luke 22:7-20
“The New Covenant in Christ”
I want to start with a funny story. I found this story in a biblical commentary book. One day in the fall, a man drove into apple country with his wife. In passing a beautiful orchard, they saw a man filling a bushel basket with apples. He stopped and asked to buy some. “Just help yourself,” he said. They climbed out of the car, got some paper bags, and filled them with the choicest apples. When leaving, they asked again, “Are you sure we can’t pay you?” “Oh, no,” he said. “I’m stealing them too.”
Today, I want to talk about “The New Covenant in Christ,” which Jesus gave us through “Communion.” As you know, today is “World Communion Sunday.” It is good to think about the meaning of Communion. We have Communion Sunday on the first Sunday of every month. I wonder how many of you have thought about the importance of Communion when you receive it. Especially since we are experiencing the COVID 19 pandemic because we now use the pre-packaged Communion elements, you might not feel they are sacred, or you might feel better with them because they are easy, safe, and simple. Rites or elements might differ depending on culture and circumstance, where we live, or what kind of situation we face. Here are a few examples. Korean Christians used rice cakes for Communion because we didn’t have bread long ago, but we had plenty of rice cakes. Now, Koreans have enough bread and use bread for Communion’s elements, but still, Korean Bible translates “bread” to “rice cake.” One of my friends, who is from Ethiopia, told me that for Communion, they used “Injerah,” which is the main Ethiopian meal, and their bible translates bread to “Injerah.” Well, who knows, much later, our descendants may translate bread to “waffle.” My point is that it doesn’t matter what kind of elements we use for Communion, but our faith is what really matters.
As I shared with you several weeks ago, when my father joined the Communion service the first time, he was excluded from the service because he was not baptized yet. I said to my father, “I’m sorry that you couldn’t receive Communion.” But he said, “it’s okay because I drank a lot before becoming a Christian.” If we don’t know the true meaning of Communion, we may misunderstand like my father did. Also, if you have questions about biblical issues, find the right person to ask. Otherwise, you might be a thief like the man in the story I shared. Let us think of the importance of Communion so that we are aware of why it is essential for Christians.
We name Communion “Holy Sacraments.” Protestant Churches such as Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, and more, believe in two sacraments Baptism and Communion, while the Catholic Church believes in seven sacraments. The reason Methodists believe two sacraments, Baptism and Communion, is that Jesus Christ ordained them in the Gospel. Especially for Holy Communion, as we see in today’s scripture, Jesus said, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19b). Holy Communion is a particular sign of grace, which is God’s goodwill toward us. In other words, it is a visible sign of God’s invisible work toward us.
You may hear several different names for Holy Communion, such as Eucharist and the Lord’s Supper. The word “Eucharist” in Greek means “thanksgiving.” Many churches, including the Catholic Church, still use the name “Eucharist.” Some churches use the word “the Lord’s Supper,” which is related to Jesus’ last supper, giving his disciples bread and wine during the Passover meal on the Jewish Holiday. As it is familiar to us, we use “Holy Communion.” The word “Communion” is from the words “Com” and “union,” which means “being together” or “united.” If you find a dictionary for “Communion,” you may see that “the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially sharing is on the mental or spiritual level” (Dictionary of Oxford University). That is, “Communion” means that as we receive and eat the bread (body of Christ) and drink the wine (blood of Christ), “we are united with Jesus Christ.” Also, “we are united with one another who shared one bread and one cup.” Therefore, we use the name “Holy Communion,” focusing on “united with one another in Christ.”
Holy Communion is not only a sign of the love that Christians should have among themselves one to another but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death. As the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ, and the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ, we are to confess that we believe in Jesus’ redemption of our sins through his death and resurrection. Also, we ask you to come and take them by yourself because it matters to your faith.
The significant role of Communion is that we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving, receiving the bread and cup and uniting with Christ and one another in a mission to all nations. In order to share bread (the body of Christ) with all nations and unite with all nations in Christ, we keep “World Communion Sunday.” “World Communion Sunday” began to be the universal, inclusive church in 1936 by Presbyterians first and Methodists in the 1940s. Last Sunday, I mentioned, even though people belong to the other denominations, if they work in the name of Jesus, all might be one family in Jesus Christ.
Please notice that the bread and the cup of Communion are symbols of the presence of Jesus Christ, not really his body and blood. In the first century, people misunderstood that Christians used to eat the real body and blood. Of course, some denominations still believe that when ministers bless the bread and wine, the elements will change to the real body and blood. However, United Methodists believe that it is a symbol of Christ’s presence in faith. Also, we believe that as often as we receive Communion, we grow and strengthen in faith. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodism, said that every Christian has to receive Communion as often as possible because it is a certain command of Christ and the benefit of the forgiveness of our past sins and the present strengthening and refreshing of our souls. Communion strengthens our bodies, leading us to perform our duty (John Wesley, The Sermon of John Wesley-Sermon 101, “The Duty of Constant Communion”).
Remember that we United Methodists have open minds and open hearts. The United Methodist Church invites all who love Christ to repent of their sins sincerely and seek to live in peace with one another regardless of age, gender, social background, church membership or having been baptized. Communion celebrates all that God has done and will do to save us and renew all creatures in Christ. The bread and cup are symbols that remind us of Christ, how much he loved and loves us.
Jesus had the last supper with his disciples, as we see in today’s scripture on the Jewish Holiday, Passover. Remember his words, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” His new covenant is for you regardless of who you are and what you did before. It only matters you are here with Him now. It is the new covenant in His blood, which poured out for you. Thanks be to God. Amen!