Lift Up Your Hearts!
Sermon
THE POWER OF DARKNESS
SERMONS FOR LENT AND EASTER (SUNDAYS IN ORDINARY TIME)
Deep within the heart of the Christian faith there are two simple, yet profound and mysterious acts that demonstrate God's activity in our lives. Although there is no universal agreement among the various Christian denominations as how these acts are to be understood, there is general agreement that they are distinguishing marks of the Christian Church. One of them normally happens near the beginning of one's life and is usually never repeated. The other generally occurs after the infant years and is often repeated. The first of these gracious acts is Baptism; the second is the Lord's Supper.
According to Church definition, these acts are called Sacraments. A Sacrament is a sacred act whereby we believe that God comes to us. We also believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God communicates his presence to us through the spoken word. In many respects words remain the clearest symbols which we can use to share the good news of God. But they are not the only means, methods or vehicles of grace that God has given us. There are numerous times in life when actions speak louder than words. Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, a leading theologian and preacher during the middle years of this century, did not have a low estimate of the ability of words to communicate. Yet, after suffering a stroke, he preferred to receive the gospel of God's great love through the Holy Supper, rather than hear someone preach about it. He liked the directness and the reality of the sacrament. In the sacrament of the Supper we are talking about a different kind of experience than that which just comes through our ears. The Sacraments "make the good news of God's love visible, tasteable, feelable." It touches and influences our heart and soul
in ways that are unavailable to the spoken word.
Somewhere I read this story: In 1945, just after World War II, there was a meeting of church people in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the people invited were Bishop Berggrav of Norway and the German pastor, Martin Niemoller. Berggrav was a Norwegian who had just spent a long time in a Nazi prison in Norway. Pastor Niemoller was much worried how he would be able to meet this person who suffered so much from the Nazis. How would he react to a German? As soon as Niemoeller came into the room, old Bishop Berggrav went up to him and embraced him. The powerful visible word was in that instance more meaningful than the spoken word.
It seems appropriate in this Maundy Thursday service to share this kind of brief catechetical review of our understanding of the sacraments of the Church, for once again the great Jewish religious festival is at hand. The faithful people of God are coming together to remember and to celebrate God's Almighty act - the Exodus from Egypt.
The underhanded plotting has been accomplished to deliver Christ into the hands of his enemies. But while all of this was going on, Christ was making preparations to celebrate the feast of love and fellowship. Early in Luke's gospel we were told that "Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him." (9:51) Now the final hour was at hand and once again messengers were sent on ahead. Peter and John, who were with him for that mysterious Transfiguration experience, were chosen to make ready for the climactic event that is at hand.
When the hour had come and Jesus sat down to the prepared meal, he said, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." (v. 17) It is not clear why, in Luke's account of the Lord's Supper, the Supper begins with the wine and not the bread. Some believe that we have recorded here two "distributions" - the first commemorating the Passover and the second (v. 20) instituting the "new" supper. There is much to commend this interpretation, but a sermon is not the place for this kind of study. This much is clear: this is a solemn moment. Jesus will celebrate no more Passovers with his friends. It is with desire that he wants to eat this final meal together. It is also clear that the final supper is specifically linked to the Passover festival. The purpose of this connection seems obvious. The time has come when Jesus will depart this life. It will be his "Exodus" happening in that time when people are remembering their first Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
The drama is unfolding which will reveal another great action on the part of God. The first recorded act was the Exodus from Egypt and God's people living in the "promised land" of Palestine. It was the time of the "law and the prophets;" the time of the promised new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34); the time which culminated in the preaching of John the Baptist and the coming of the promised Messiah. "In the fullness of time", God sent his Son. This is the second phase in the history of our salvation. With Christ's coming, the Kingdom of God has been ushered and begins to take shape and grow. The third stage or phase in our human understanding of this "plan" of salvation is that of Pentecost, when the Christian Church was born with the Spirit of the Risen Christ in her midst, in and through the Word and Sacraments. This is the age in which we are living. It is the living in the Kingdom "in-between-the-times," looking forward to that final phase when God's kingdom will come in all of its fullness and completeness. In this solemn moment when God's people come together to remember the first Exodus, and just hours away from Jesus' Exodus, we have a moment which is connected with what God has done, what he is doing and what he will do. The meal belongs to this climactic moment.
These are some of the reasons this Maundy Thursday Holy Communion Service holds a special place in our lives. It is why the time-honored words, "In the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread" usher in for us a solemn and emotional moment. Here in this solemn moment we experience something of that "cloud of witnesses" which surround us, those who participated in this meal before our generation. We go back to that "moment when he was betrayed" and the Passover Celebration and what we Christians owe to our Jewish roots. We go back and, with death near at hand, hear once again the time-honored words, "it is with desire that I want to eat this supper with you."
In one sense this desire is surprising. Jesus' friends were not the most faithful followers. They never did understand his ministry and they certainly don't understand what is now happening. They are still proud. They are still bickering among themselves as to who is the greatest. They have no great degree of confidence in Christ. Later on they deny him and leave him. They are not exactly the kind of people with whom you would want to spend your last hours - yet Christ has a burning desire to eat and drink with his spiritually-poor friends.
But of course, we shouldn't be surprised. God didn't send his Son to strike terror in our hearts. He sent his Son because he loves us and desires our salvation. This last hour and Last Supper is a time of encouragement and assurance, not a time of scolding and condemnation. Holy Communion is a time when "hearts are to be lifted up."
So we too are welcomed to this sacred feast. No matter what our spiritual condition, Christ, who longed for communion with sinners and outcasts, with a dying thief on the cross, also earnestly desires communion with you and me. "Lift up your hearts!" There is a love here that we can never understand or fully explain. There is a love here that never wearies of giving, that is in fact always seeking ways to give. If it is with any sort of desire that we want to be here, it is because of Christ's deeper desire. In this gracious supper, to which we come as invited guests, our Host is saying to you and me, "Come, no matter what your condition, no matter what your feelings. Come, I still believe in you. Come, you can become whole, holy, free from slavery to things and events that make life hell. Come, I will deliver you." This is his gracious invitation. He is the host, we are the guests and the main message of all of this is one of assurance. Se we can "lift up our hearts."
But in this quiet supper with his friends, Jesus' words of farewell promise even more. He pledged to them, "For I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." (v. 18) Here the Holy Supper stretches forward into the future. As we come to the Supper this evening, may we remember this forward looking view. For many of us, partipation in the Lord's Supper is a family affair. When husband and wife commune together for the first time, that is a memorable occasion. When children join us at the table for the first time, this too becomes one of those treasured moments. But the time eventually comes when, instead, of additions, there will be subtractions. Some now commune alone, who but a short time ago did so in the company of loved ones. For such ones the future aspect of the Supper takes on an even more significant and gracious meaning. Here is our living hope. Christ and his people will be gathered into one home. We eat and drink at this table assured of eternal life, which beginning in time cannot be terminated by death.
On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord had supper with friends and promised those friends another supper in the future. He has had many suppers since, but the final one is coming, when separations will be no more and all tears will be washed away. This is Christ's promise in his Supper. We do not know the time of that final coming, but we do know who is coming. It is the one who meets us in this Supper and who will meet us in the end - Jesus Christ, our Lord. Lift up your hearts!
Amen
According to Church definition, these acts are called Sacraments. A Sacrament is a sacred act whereby we believe that God comes to us. We also believe that through the power of the Holy Spirit, God communicates his presence to us through the spoken word. In many respects words remain the clearest symbols which we can use to share the good news of God. But they are not the only means, methods or vehicles of grace that God has given us. There are numerous times in life when actions speak louder than words. Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr, a leading theologian and preacher during the middle years of this century, did not have a low estimate of the ability of words to communicate. Yet, after suffering a stroke, he preferred to receive the gospel of God's great love through the Holy Supper, rather than hear someone preach about it. He liked the directness and the reality of the sacrament. In the sacrament of the Supper we are talking about a different kind of experience than that which just comes through our ears. The Sacraments "make the good news of God's love visible, tasteable, feelable." It touches and influences our heart and soul
in ways that are unavailable to the spoken word.
Somewhere I read this story: In 1945, just after World War II, there was a meeting of church people in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the people invited were Bishop Berggrav of Norway and the German pastor, Martin Niemoller. Berggrav was a Norwegian who had just spent a long time in a Nazi prison in Norway. Pastor Niemoller was much worried how he would be able to meet this person who suffered so much from the Nazis. How would he react to a German? As soon as Niemoeller came into the room, old Bishop Berggrav went up to him and embraced him. The powerful visible word was in that instance more meaningful than the spoken word.
It seems appropriate in this Maundy Thursday service to share this kind of brief catechetical review of our understanding of the sacraments of the Church, for once again the great Jewish religious festival is at hand. The faithful people of God are coming together to remember and to celebrate God's Almighty act - the Exodus from Egypt.
The underhanded plotting has been accomplished to deliver Christ into the hands of his enemies. But while all of this was going on, Christ was making preparations to celebrate the feast of love and fellowship. Early in Luke's gospel we were told that "Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him." (9:51) Now the final hour was at hand and once again messengers were sent on ahead. Peter and John, who were with him for that mysterious Transfiguration experience, were chosen to make ready for the climactic event that is at hand.
When the hour had come and Jesus sat down to the prepared meal, he said, "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer." (v. 17) It is not clear why, in Luke's account of the Lord's Supper, the Supper begins with the wine and not the bread. Some believe that we have recorded here two "distributions" - the first commemorating the Passover and the second (v. 20) instituting the "new" supper. There is much to commend this interpretation, but a sermon is not the place for this kind of study. This much is clear: this is a solemn moment. Jesus will celebrate no more Passovers with his friends. It is with desire that he wants to eat this final meal together. It is also clear that the final supper is specifically linked to the Passover festival. The purpose of this connection seems obvious. The time has come when Jesus will depart this life. It will be his "Exodus" happening in that time when people are remembering their first Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
The drama is unfolding which will reveal another great action on the part of God. The first recorded act was the Exodus from Egypt and God's people living in the "promised land" of Palestine. It was the time of the "law and the prophets;" the time of the promised new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34); the time which culminated in the preaching of John the Baptist and the coming of the promised Messiah. "In the fullness of time", God sent his Son. This is the second phase in the history of our salvation. With Christ's coming, the Kingdom of God has been ushered and begins to take shape and grow. The third stage or phase in our human understanding of this "plan" of salvation is that of Pentecost, when the Christian Church was born with the Spirit of the Risen Christ in her midst, in and through the Word and Sacraments. This is the age in which we are living. It is the living in the Kingdom "in-between-the-times," looking forward to that final phase when God's kingdom will come in all of its fullness and completeness. In this solemn moment when God's people come together to remember the first Exodus, and just hours away from Jesus' Exodus, we have a moment which is connected with what God has done, what he is doing and what he will do. The meal belongs to this climactic moment.
These are some of the reasons this Maundy Thursday Holy Communion Service holds a special place in our lives. It is why the time-honored words, "In the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus took bread" usher in for us a solemn and emotional moment. Here in this solemn moment we experience something of that "cloud of witnesses" which surround us, those who participated in this meal before our generation. We go back to that "moment when he was betrayed" and the Passover Celebration and what we Christians owe to our Jewish roots. We go back and, with death near at hand, hear once again the time-honored words, "it is with desire that I want to eat this supper with you."
In one sense this desire is surprising. Jesus' friends were not the most faithful followers. They never did understand his ministry and they certainly don't understand what is now happening. They are still proud. They are still bickering among themselves as to who is the greatest. They have no great degree of confidence in Christ. Later on they deny him and leave him. They are not exactly the kind of people with whom you would want to spend your last hours - yet Christ has a burning desire to eat and drink with his spiritually-poor friends.
But of course, we shouldn't be surprised. God didn't send his Son to strike terror in our hearts. He sent his Son because he loves us and desires our salvation. This last hour and Last Supper is a time of encouragement and assurance, not a time of scolding and condemnation. Holy Communion is a time when "hearts are to be lifted up."
So we too are welcomed to this sacred feast. No matter what our spiritual condition, Christ, who longed for communion with sinners and outcasts, with a dying thief on the cross, also earnestly desires communion with you and me. "Lift up your hearts!" There is a love here that we can never understand or fully explain. There is a love here that never wearies of giving, that is in fact always seeking ways to give. If it is with any sort of desire that we want to be here, it is because of Christ's deeper desire. In this gracious supper, to which we come as invited guests, our Host is saying to you and me, "Come, no matter what your condition, no matter what your feelings. Come, I still believe in you. Come, you can become whole, holy, free from slavery to things and events that make life hell. Come, I will deliver you." This is his gracious invitation. He is the host, we are the guests and the main message of all of this is one of assurance. Se we can "lift up our hearts."
But in this quiet supper with his friends, Jesus' words of farewell promise even more. He pledged to them, "For I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." (v. 18) Here the Holy Supper stretches forward into the future. As we come to the Supper this evening, may we remember this forward looking view. For many of us, partipation in the Lord's Supper is a family affair. When husband and wife commune together for the first time, that is a memorable occasion. When children join us at the table for the first time, this too becomes one of those treasured moments. But the time eventually comes when, instead, of additions, there will be subtractions. Some now commune alone, who but a short time ago did so in the company of loved ones. For such ones the future aspect of the Supper takes on an even more significant and gracious meaning. Here is our living hope. Christ and his people will be gathered into one home. We eat and drink at this table assured of eternal life, which beginning in time cannot be terminated by death.
On the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord had supper with friends and promised those friends another supper in the future. He has had many suppers since, but the final one is coming, when separations will be no more and all tears will be washed away. This is Christ's promise in his Supper. We do not know the time of that final coming, but we do know who is coming. It is the one who meets us in this Supper and who will meet us in the end - Jesus Christ, our Lord. Lift up your hearts!
Amen
