Corpus Christi
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series IV
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
Moses reminds the Israelites of Yahweh's providence during the wilderness experience. Deuteronomy is the renewal of the Mosaic covenant during the reign of Josiah in the seventh century. The Sinai covenant is applied to a new age. The book consists of Moses' farewell address to people who are about to enter Canaan. They are warned of coming temptation, the possibility of forgetting their God and are urged to remain faithful to the covenant. Today's lection is taken from Moses' second address. The people are reminded of Yahweh's leadership during the 40 years of wandering, his protection from snakes and scorpions and his supplying food and drink. As a result, they are to remember God's goodness, be humble and to prove their loyalty by obeying the laws of the covenant.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Reception of the holy communion's bread and wine is participation in the body and blood of Christ and a oneness with fellow-Christians. This is the earliest written account of the Lord's supper, 15 or more years before Mark's account. In the context of this pericope, Paul is discussing idolatry and the worship of idols. Because of idolatry, thousands perished in the wilderness. Paul reminds us that if we receive the holy communion, we are one in Christ. Therefore, we cannot be one in Christ and at the same time be one with an idol. The bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ. Participation in the elements causes us to be one with Christ and with other Christians because we partake of one bread, Christ.
Gospel:
John 6:51-58
Whoever eats Jesus, the Bread of Life, lives forever. John 6 deals with bread. Jesus feeds 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. Jesus tells the people who come to him on the other side of the lake that they came not for spiritual but for more physical food. He identifies himself as the bread of life. If they will come to him, they will never hunger nor thirst. The religious leaders objected to his claim, for his statement implied that he was more than a human. Jesus defends his claim by saying that he is the living bread from heaven and whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life. By such eating he will be with them and they will be in him. This union deals with the Eucharist. It was probably added to the Bread of Life discourse in the final redaction of John. Probably the section was to take the place of the last supper narrative found in the Synoptics.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20 - "He has not dealt thus with any other nation (v. 20)."
Theme Of The Day: The Day Of The Lord
Lesson 1 Physical bread from the sky.
Gospel - Spiritual bread of Christ.
Lesson 2 - Reception of the Bread of Life in the Eucharist.
Corpus Christi Sunday focuses on the body of Christ who called himself the Bread of Life. When the eucharistic bread is administered, the liturgist may say, "The body of Christ given for you." The first Lesson reminds us of the manna, the bread which Yahweh sent from heaven to feed his people in the wilderness. Yet, the people are warned that they do not live by bread alone. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us of the living bread of heaven which has come to earth through the incarnation. To eat his flesh and drink his blood means eternal life for the recipient. The second Lesson makes the reception of this holy bread a personal experience by receiving the bread and wine of holy communion. By such eating and drinking we become one with Christ and with each other. The Lessons tell us that God provides both kinds of bread, physical and spiritual, but the greater is the spiritual. The physical bread enables us to have physical life: spiritual bread provides eternal life.
SERMONIC REFLECTIONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
1. Lessons in the Wilderness. 8:2-3
St. Paul urged his people to be thankful for everything. This would imply that we can be grateful for the bad times of life such as the 40 years in the wilderness that the Israelites under Moses experienced. In these verses the author of Deuteronomy indicates that the peopie had a learning experience in the wilderness. There are uses of adversity. Through difficulties we can get to the stars. In the wilderness the people learned to be humble. When they had nothing to eat or drink, they had to realize their finiteness and dependence on God who provided bread from the sky. Also, they were tested whether or not they were an obedient peopie. Their survival depended on their obedience to the covenant's conditions. Above all, in the wilderness they learned that though they needed bread to live, physical bread was insufficient for a good life. They needed to feed on the bread of God's Word.
2. The Poverty of Abundance. 8:14-16
Can God be too good to us? Like children, can we be spoiled? Do we have the fortitude to endure affluence and success? As the Israelites are about to enter the promised land of milk and honey, Moses is worried about the future of his people. He forsees for them abundance and success. That may be their downfall. They can take the discipline and hardships of the wilderness but will they be able to handle affluence and leisure? Moses sees two dangers ahead for them: (1) Their success will cause them to be proud. They will be prone to give themselves credit for what they have and what success they had. (2) They may forget God and what he did for them: his leadership through the wilderness, his provision of food and drink, and his protetion against natural enemies. If a people forget the God who brought them out of bondage, they will fall back into the bondage of their own pride and wordliness.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
1. A person in Christ. 10:16
"In Christ" is a phrase Paul uses 164 times to describe a Christian. Christ lives in the believer and the believer is in Christ. When does this become a reality? In today's pericope Paul speaks of the sacred meal of holy communion in which the believer receives bread and wine. In this act a mystical union with Christ takes place. This is made possible because Christ is really present in the bread and wine. Therefore, Paul explains that by such eating and drinking we participate in the whole person of Christ. We become one with Christ in a very real, concrete and personal way so that we are one. On the other hand, this oneness in Christ is not a mechanical or magical transaction so that the mere reception of the elements produces the union. As Christ must be truly present, so there must be faith on the part of the recipient to receive and accept Christ into one's life. Because of this the Eucharist is the apex of Christian worship. It is the Christian's highest privilege, for at no other time or place does Christ become so real and personal.
2. No More Than One. 10:17
In this verse the word "one" occurs twice. There is a oneness to Christianity. Christ is one and there is only one Christ. Jesus described himself as the Bread of Life. Then Paul reminds us that "there is one loaf." Christ is the loaf. He alone is the sustenance of our souls. At the same time there is only one church, for the church is the body of Christ. Though we are many in terms of various churches and members of an individual congregation, we "are one body." We are one church in spite of our diversity because we partake of the one loaf, the Bread of Life, which is Christ. This makes us one with each other as fellow Christians. This is the basis of our unity in Christ and in the church.
Gospel:
John 6:51-58
Wholesome Bread. 6:51-58
In Georgia there is a commercial baking company which sells its bread under the trade name, "Holsum." The word assures the public that this bread is wholesome, a nutritious body-building food. Moreso, Jesus as the Bread of Life is wholesome for the soul. He is nutritious food which builds up the soul of humankind. This is based upon the view that the soul as well as the body needs food and nurture. We can grow and mature spiritually as the soul feeds on the Bread of Life.
Why this Bread of Life is wholesome for the soul is explained in the Gospel Lesson. Here are the characteristics of this eucharistic bread:
a. Living Bread - V. 51. Physical bread is inert and a physical substance. Christ is the bread that lives. The Bread is a person. He is a bread that does not get old, hard or stale. He is ever-fresh, ever-appetizing.
b. Real Bread - v. 55. The bread and wine of Holy Communion are the true body and blood of Christ. When we receive the elements of the Eucharist, we are not dealing with symbols. We have the real thing - the real Christ.
c. Heavenly Bread - vv. 51, 58. The bread of communion is not an earthly bread. Like manna it has come from above. Indeed, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are material elements but the Christ they carry is divine. Christ came from God to us on earth through the incarnation. He is a living bread from heaven to earth come down. It is Christ who comes to us, descends to us and condescends to be human. We do not seek, nor aspire, nor climb up to God in Christ.
d. Uniting Bread - v. 56. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." The holy communion unites the believer with Christ. By eating and drinking Christ enters the heart and soul just as food and drink enter the body and becomes assimilated in the body. In the Eucharist there is a mystical union of Christ and the believer. They become one. Thus, a Christian is a person in Christ is in the believer. At no other time does a true Christian feel closer to Christ or to be one with him.
e. Life-giving Bread - vv. 51, 53, 54. Christ identifies himself as the Bread of Life. The Bread is a living bread. At the same time and because he is living Bread, he is lifegiving bread. He is life, and to receive him and become one with him results in life. He called himself not only the way and truth but also the life. He came, he said, to give life to humanity. This life is one both of quality and quantity, for he is truly life and his life is everlasting.
Moses reminds the Israelites of Yahweh's providence during the wilderness experience. Deuteronomy is the renewal of the Mosaic covenant during the reign of Josiah in the seventh century. The Sinai covenant is applied to a new age. The book consists of Moses' farewell address to people who are about to enter Canaan. They are warned of coming temptation, the possibility of forgetting their God and are urged to remain faithful to the covenant. Today's lection is taken from Moses' second address. The people are reminded of Yahweh's leadership during the 40 years of wandering, his protection from snakes and scorpions and his supplying food and drink. As a result, they are to remember God's goodness, be humble and to prove their loyalty by obeying the laws of the covenant.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Reception of the holy communion's bread and wine is participation in the body and blood of Christ and a oneness with fellow-Christians. This is the earliest written account of the Lord's supper, 15 or more years before Mark's account. In the context of this pericope, Paul is discussing idolatry and the worship of idols. Because of idolatry, thousands perished in the wilderness. Paul reminds us that if we receive the holy communion, we are one in Christ. Therefore, we cannot be one in Christ and at the same time be one with an idol. The bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ. Participation in the elements causes us to be one with Christ and with other Christians because we partake of one bread, Christ.
Gospel:
John 6:51-58
Whoever eats Jesus, the Bread of Life, lives forever. John 6 deals with bread. Jesus feeds 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes. Jesus tells the people who come to him on the other side of the lake that they came not for spiritual but for more physical food. He identifies himself as the bread of life. If they will come to him, they will never hunger nor thirst. The religious leaders objected to his claim, for his statement implied that he was more than a human. Jesus defends his claim by saying that he is the living bread from heaven and whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood has eternal life. By such eating he will be with them and they will be in him. This union deals with the Eucharist. It was probably added to the Bread of Life discourse in the final redaction of John. Probably the section was to take the place of the last supper narrative found in the Synoptics.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20 - "He has not dealt thus with any other nation (v. 20)."
Theme Of The Day: The Day Of The Lord
Lesson 1 Physical bread from the sky.
Gospel - Spiritual bread of Christ.
Lesson 2 - Reception of the Bread of Life in the Eucharist.
Corpus Christi Sunday focuses on the body of Christ who called himself the Bread of Life. When the eucharistic bread is administered, the liturgist may say, "The body of Christ given for you." The first Lesson reminds us of the manna, the bread which Yahweh sent from heaven to feed his people in the wilderness. Yet, the people are warned that they do not live by bread alone. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us of the living bread of heaven which has come to earth through the incarnation. To eat his flesh and drink his blood means eternal life for the recipient. The second Lesson makes the reception of this holy bread a personal experience by receiving the bread and wine of holy communion. By such eating and drinking we become one with Christ and with each other. The Lessons tell us that God provides both kinds of bread, physical and spiritual, but the greater is the spiritual. The physical bread enables us to have physical life: spiritual bread provides eternal life.
SERMONIC REFLECTIONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
1. Lessons in the Wilderness. 8:2-3
St. Paul urged his people to be thankful for everything. This would imply that we can be grateful for the bad times of life such as the 40 years in the wilderness that the Israelites under Moses experienced. In these verses the author of Deuteronomy indicates that the peopie had a learning experience in the wilderness. There are uses of adversity. Through difficulties we can get to the stars. In the wilderness the people learned to be humble. When they had nothing to eat or drink, they had to realize their finiteness and dependence on God who provided bread from the sky. Also, they were tested whether or not they were an obedient peopie. Their survival depended on their obedience to the covenant's conditions. Above all, in the wilderness they learned that though they needed bread to live, physical bread was insufficient for a good life. They needed to feed on the bread of God's Word.
2. The Poverty of Abundance. 8:14-16
Can God be too good to us? Like children, can we be spoiled? Do we have the fortitude to endure affluence and success? As the Israelites are about to enter the promised land of milk and honey, Moses is worried about the future of his people. He forsees for them abundance and success. That may be their downfall. They can take the discipline and hardships of the wilderness but will they be able to handle affluence and leisure? Moses sees two dangers ahead for them: (1) Their success will cause them to be proud. They will be prone to give themselves credit for what they have and what success they had. (2) They may forget God and what he did for them: his leadership through the wilderness, his provision of food and drink, and his protetion against natural enemies. If a people forget the God who brought them out of bondage, they will fall back into the bondage of their own pride and wordliness.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
1. A person in Christ. 10:16
"In Christ" is a phrase Paul uses 164 times to describe a Christian. Christ lives in the believer and the believer is in Christ. When does this become a reality? In today's pericope Paul speaks of the sacred meal of holy communion in which the believer receives bread and wine. In this act a mystical union with Christ takes place. This is made possible because Christ is really present in the bread and wine. Therefore, Paul explains that by such eating and drinking we participate in the whole person of Christ. We become one with Christ in a very real, concrete and personal way so that we are one. On the other hand, this oneness in Christ is not a mechanical or magical transaction so that the mere reception of the elements produces the union. As Christ must be truly present, so there must be faith on the part of the recipient to receive and accept Christ into one's life. Because of this the Eucharist is the apex of Christian worship. It is the Christian's highest privilege, for at no other time or place does Christ become so real and personal.
2. No More Than One. 10:17
In this verse the word "one" occurs twice. There is a oneness to Christianity. Christ is one and there is only one Christ. Jesus described himself as the Bread of Life. Then Paul reminds us that "there is one loaf." Christ is the loaf. He alone is the sustenance of our souls. At the same time there is only one church, for the church is the body of Christ. Though we are many in terms of various churches and members of an individual congregation, we "are one body." We are one church in spite of our diversity because we partake of the one loaf, the Bread of Life, which is Christ. This makes us one with each other as fellow Christians. This is the basis of our unity in Christ and in the church.
Gospel:
John 6:51-58
Wholesome Bread. 6:51-58
In Georgia there is a commercial baking company which sells its bread under the trade name, "Holsum." The word assures the public that this bread is wholesome, a nutritious body-building food. Moreso, Jesus as the Bread of Life is wholesome for the soul. He is nutritious food which builds up the soul of humankind. This is based upon the view that the soul as well as the body needs food and nurture. We can grow and mature spiritually as the soul feeds on the Bread of Life.
Why this Bread of Life is wholesome for the soul is explained in the Gospel Lesson. Here are the characteristics of this eucharistic bread:
a. Living Bread - V. 51. Physical bread is inert and a physical substance. Christ is the bread that lives. The Bread is a person. He is a bread that does not get old, hard or stale. He is ever-fresh, ever-appetizing.
b. Real Bread - v. 55. The bread and wine of Holy Communion are the true body and blood of Christ. When we receive the elements of the Eucharist, we are not dealing with symbols. We have the real thing - the real Christ.
c. Heavenly Bread - vv. 51, 58. The bread of communion is not an earthly bread. Like manna it has come from above. Indeed, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are material elements but the Christ they carry is divine. Christ came from God to us on earth through the incarnation. He is a living bread from heaven to earth come down. It is Christ who comes to us, descends to us and condescends to be human. We do not seek, nor aspire, nor climb up to God in Christ.
d. Uniting Bread - v. 56. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him." The holy communion unites the believer with Christ. By eating and drinking Christ enters the heart and soul just as food and drink enter the body and becomes assimilated in the body. In the Eucharist there is a mystical union of Christ and the believer. They become one. Thus, a Christian is a person in Christ is in the believer. At no other time does a true Christian feel closer to Christ or to be one with him.
e. Life-giving Bread - vv. 51, 53, 54. Christ identifies himself as the Bread of Life. The Bread is a living bread. At the same time and because he is living Bread, he is lifegiving bread. He is life, and to receive him and become one with him results in life. He called himself not only the way and truth but also the life. He came, he said, to give life to humanity. This life is one both of quality and quantity, for he is truly life and his life is everlasting.
