Note:  This blog post is a portion of the words that I said at our "Communion Sunday" on April 12, 2015

The meal Jesus hosted before his death was part of the Passover meal

During this meal as accounted by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and later Paul, Jesus takes two emblems and uses them to draw attention to a new Passover lamb, a new sacrifice, a new covenant.  He is that lamb, that sacrifice, that covenant.  Jesus is about to change the entire world.  And He begins with a meal

He speaks to them of the near future and holds these emblems to last forever and a day beyond that certain future he shares, bread and wine, body and blood. Luke gives one of these accounts in his gospel,

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  (Luke 22:19)

The Bread

            Luke who also wrote the book of Acts speaks in that account of the apostles regarding “breaking bread” together as a community of faith.  This first account in Acts 2 shows that through the other happenings at this time, that the people weren’t simply gathered to eat a feast, but this was a worship service.

"42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  (Acts 2:42-46)

            With all of the different ways of worshipping God taking place at one time, it is evident that they have come together for what we would call today a worship services.  The “breaking of bread” isn’t merely a meal, but a practice of the Lord’s Supper.  And this had become a part of their worship tradition.

            Later in Acts they enter into another service where they are taking the Lord’s supper and through this verse we can trace our tradition of taking the Lord’s Supper every week on the first day of the week.        “7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread…” (Acts 20:7)

            They are coming together for the purpose of unity and nothing can bring unity among believers like taking the Lord’s Supper and remembering how they all have new life through his body.

Many times when we speak of the Lord’s Supper we talk about Paul and his letter to the Corinthian church.  There is much going on in his letter to Corinth, but in chapter 11 he chooses to correct abuses against the Lord’s Supper.  They have created some errant hospitality behaviors and a selfish community.  He writes in his letter to remind them that “breaking bread” is for ALL people and should bring unity not division.

      “23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

But What About Body

How should we speak of the emblem? Is it bread or is it body? The answer is yes.  Jesus held up bread and said this is my body.  This wasn’t the first time Jesus had spoken of himself as bread.  John is the only one who captures this sermonette,

“32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:32-35)

“48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:48-51)

Bread gives sustenance and therefore life.  Jesus is to our spirit, what bread is to our body.

Consider these words from John Mark Hicks in his book Come To The Table:

““Breaking Bread” in Luke-Acts is a covenant meal where the Lord is present as host and we sit together as a community of his disciples in the hope of the resurrection.  We share our food with each other as an expression of the communion that exists among the disciples by virtue of God’s redemptive act in Jesus.  As we eat, we anticipate the eschatological kingdom in which all disciples will share. We will all sit at the Lord’s Table in his kingdom.  “Breaking bread,” then, was not a solemn funeral but a celebration by the new community in which God has revealed the eschaton (resurrection) on the basis of the expiatory sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ. The disciples ate with joy and generosity as they praised God for his redemptive work.  They ate with hope as they re-experienced the victory of Jesus over death through eating together.  Indeed, these celebratory meals were filled with joyous interaction and enthusiastic outbursts of praise.  The word which describes joy of breaking bread in Acts 2:46 may be literally translated “resounding jubilation” or “enthusiastic outbursts.”” (Come To The Table. John Mark Hicks, 97-98)

We don’t eat the humanity of the cross. We eat the divinity of the resurrection!

As we passed the trays with Matzah on them each person took a piece of the cracker and held it.  They then were instructed to turn to one another and say, “This is Christ’s body, given for you.”

This was never intended to be a tradition of individuality, but a meal of community. It was never intended to be a funeral for the dead, but a celebration for the living.  We cannot use the Lord's Supper to mourn Jesus' death, but rather use it to express abounding joy in His resurrection.

Note:  This blog post is a portion of the words that I said at our "Communion Sunday" on April 12, 2015


Welcome to the University Church of Christ.  We are so grateful that you have joined us this morning and we invite you to join us in worship to God.  If you are here for the first time, you are an honored guest and we hope that you would take some time following our services to stay and give us a chance to get to know you better.  If you are a returning guest we would hope that we can continue to get to know you better.  Welcome to all!

There are many things that I love about this church.  One of those things has much to do with our tradition as Churches of Christ.  Every week as a church we talk the Lord's Supper or Communion together to remember the life, death, burial, resurrection of Jesus.  There is a lot of power in this fellowship of the Table.

Typically we assemble for worship and have a shorter Welcome than this one. We sing together songs of worship to God and songs that encourage us as followers of Jesus.  We pray, read scripture, hear a message, take up a contribution, and we pass a cracker and juice so that we can take our version of The Lord's Supper in order to remember.

Today we are using our entire assembly time to focus completely on the Lord's Supper.  We will still have all of these other components:  Welcome, singing, prayer, scripture, message, and giving.  However, they will all focus on the The Lord's Supper; the table of fellowship.

The early church's gatherings revolved around the table.  They literally sat around a table and allowed their gathering to sustain them and gain fellowship with other believers.  It is our aim to continue to come around the table today as well.  

Jack Reese in his book The Body Broken explains well why we come around the table to fellowship through the Lord’s Supper

 “Here the body broken and fragmented, sinful and needy, encounters the broken body of Christ, perfect and holy, slain and resurrected.  Here the church sings out its assent with the amen. Here strangers come together as family. Here the stories are told and the family connections are made. Here the death of Christ is remembered, the power of the cross fully experienced. Here we learned at last who we are.  At the table enemies are reconciled and a covenant is confirmed. At the table walls are torn down and arguments rested, hearts mended and wounds salved.  At the table the whole church comes to offer its sins and receive forgiveness, to eat the bread of hope, and drink the medicine of immortality.  At the table, the gathered church breaks the bread so that its own brokenness might be healed.  At the table Christians, bloodied by conflict within and hostilities without, drink the blood of Christ and receive his protection and care.
Relentlessly pursued by spiritual forces of darkness, we race to the head tent and pull aside its curtains.  There the host embraces us and invites us to sit with his family.  We join the meal.  Our enemies are rebuffed. We have not come to this sanctuary alone.  We have joined all nations and all races.  We come as poor, blind, imperfect and needy, as unholy, unworthy, and unclean.  But we are received as daughters and sons of the king.  The shroud that has covered us is removed.  Death is devoured and life is given, enmity is crushed and peace is granted, because here, at the table, we are welcomed by the exalted Son to eat and drink with our God.”  -(The Body Broken. Jack Reese, 154-155)

 So Welcome, Welcome to our worship, Welcome one and all to our table

This past Sunday our church held a "Communion Sunday" service.  It should probably be said that as part of our Church of Christ tradition and how we interpret the text regarding this sacrament we observe the Lord's Supper every Sunday.  However, I really wanted us to focus an entire service on just communion.  I have never been a part of this kind of service and certainly never led one, until now.  Yes, we still sang songs of worship.  We had prayer time.  Scripture was read.  And a message (actually several) was given.  We took our weekly contribution/offering as well.  However, our Welcome, every song, prayer, scripture, and message was completely focused on communion.  Normally we take about 10 minutes or less on the entire Lord's Supper.  We might have someone give a thought say a prayer for the bread, pass the bread, pray for cup, pass the cup, pray for offering, and pass the plate.  The longest part of this is usually the passing of the trays.

This past Sunday we probably spent 10-15 minutes on talking about the bread/body and the same for the cup/blood of the new covenant.  The Lord's Supper is extremely important to me.  It has been ever since I can remember.  I am always wanting us to spend more of ourselves on its significance.  I would rather it be a table communion with expressions of joy, like John Mark Hicks writes about in his book Come To The Table, than a solemn funeral service that resembles more of the altar.  And my feeling is that the more we take Sundays simply to focus on the Lord's Supper only the more we can find that joy in its meaning.  

What does your church do to recognize the Lord's Supper?  Has it become too routine or neglected?  What significance do you find in the Lord's Supper?  Do you prefer the table or the altar?  How has your church creatively brought meaning to the Lord's Supper?  

Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me"  And so we remember him.  Although we think about his death we remember a savior who rose from the dead!  Hallelujah!!

Yesterday was my 3rd year anniversary with the University Church of Christ in Conway, AR.  If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would move my family to Arkansas I would have said, "Absolutely, NO WAY!!"  There is nothing wrong with Arkansas, but having only lived in Texas and having all of our family in Texas I didn't think that it would be feasible for us to move out of state.  Never say never!  On April 1, 2012 I began my ministry as the Senior Minister for UCC.  We have had, it seems, every aspect of life hit us while we have been here. We have dealt with long-term illness, death of loved ones, moving, selling a house, renting a house, buying a house, selling cars, buying cars, bug infestation (at rent house), new jobs, kids starting new pre-school, starting public school, birth of a baby, traveling to see family, accepting family visiting, traveling for vacations, lots of activities for kiddos, a close encounter of a natural disaster (tornado), snow, rain (praise god for a place that has rain), drought (our first summer here and of course coming from Abilene we were blamed for bringing it here), death of a grandparent, 10 year wedding anniversary, hospitalization (every one of us has been through a surgery), church struggles, job struggles, church celebrations, job celebrations, wrote a small book, new co-workers (I'm working with my 3rd youth minister since coming here), relationship building with new friends, having new friends move away, and more coffee, ice cream, and homemade guacamole than I can count.

There is so much more to every item listed here.  There is good and bad in this list.  This list isn't just the life that the Mercers live, but that everyone lives.  Having a type of anniversary can make you look back and reflect.  Reflection sometimes scares me.  Looking back at all these things makes me smile, makes me smh (Mom, that means "shaking my head"), reminds me of sorrow, and gives me the George Bailey Syndrome.  George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" wonders if it even matters that he had lived and his guardian angel, Clarence, shows him some real truth.  That is why it scares me the most.  I truly wonder have I done anything that has furthered the kingdom, helped the people I preach to each week, strengthened my family, given enough of myself to the Lord.  My default mode is to be excited about what is on the horizon and keep going because of what is still to come.  I love anticipation, vision casting, and moving toward a goal.  And although I know the value of processing and evaluation, reflecting on what has happened can be a scary proposition.

Which is why reflection is a discipline for me and so many others who live life similarly to me.  Last night and today I am reflecting on 3 years.  It has been my first 3 years to preach.  This year is my 16th year in full-time ministry and my 20th year of year-round ministry.  I really cannot imagine doing anything else.  And as scary as it is to probe this list above and wonder have I done anything with my life?  I know that through the fires and through the celebrations I am still upheld by God.  He is still using me.  I have a wife that loves and supports me, kids that adore me, a job that I love waking up to each morning, a ministry that helps me see into myself and into God, and Kingdom purposes that are beyond my fears, inadequacies, and skills.  James Bryan Smith says that "We live in the unshakable Kingdom of God"  And he's right.  So whether I am casting a vision for tomorrow or reflecting and examining yesterday God is at work in mighty ways seen and unseen.  Hopefully by disciplining myself to reflect I will be able to see where God has worked in mighty ways which will thrust me into places he is at today and join God in that work and still give fire to the dreams of tomorrow.

Thank you to those who have walked with me and my family these past 3 years.  I need you and still need you.  We love you!  I am thankful for the Holy Spirit that draws us together and especially to the ONE, Jesus Christ.  To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen!