Tag Archives: Eucharist

You Are What You Eat

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*Sermon notes for 081615 for John 6:51-58

It is not enough to know about Jesus, we must know him deeply, inwardly, as if we were taking him into ourselves. He wants to transform us from the inside out until we become like him.

“Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no part of me.” – Jesus

The phrase “you are what you eat” has been common in our culture since the 1960s. It was introduced to the US in the 1930s by nutritionist Victor Lindlahr, though it originates in 19th century French Philosophy. In modern times it referred quite directly to the idea that our bodies are literally formed by the food that we intake. In the earlier philosophical context the meaning was more connected to our mental and emotional health and how they might be impacted by our diet.

Either way, the connection seems fairly straight forward. Our popular mythology recognizes that what we eat late at night can impact our dreams. We are aware that we may have more or less energy through the day, and a brighter or darker outlook on things, depending on our food intake. Irregular digestion is both physically and metaphorically related to people with difficult personalities. We call someone “anal retentive”, for instance, if they are obsessive and controlling, and may suggest that they need more fiber in their diet. We say someone has diarrhea of the mouth if they are unable or unwilling to exercise restraint in their speech. The awareness of this connection goes back to biblical times, when the digestive system was thought to be the seat of the emotions (see the Greek word splagchnon). What we eat can disrupt our emotions, as can hunger. Conversely, being in emotional turmoil can cause us to lose our appetite or have digestive distress of various sorts.

In our modern context, there are also social and environmental justice components to this phrase “you are what you eat.” At various times groups have promoted the boycotting of certain foods or companies because of the human impact of those industries, including the Unite Farm Workers Union boycott against grapes and the boycott against Nestle’ Corporation for promoting the use of formula over breast milk in developing countries. Environmental impact has been addressed as well; I remember in the 1980s when my friends and I participated in a boycott and protest of Burger King and other fastfood chains for the way their whitefish harvesting impacted whale populations.

There are two very contemporary and forward looking expressions of these protests. The No_GMO movement seeks to remove genetically modified foods from our food chain over two primary concerns: the impact of genetic modification on our bodies, and the impact on future food production and the environment as plant pests and diseases begin to develop resistances to these products, leading to the “solution” creating even greater problems for the future. Similarly, the “Eat Local” movement that includes a resurgence of Farmers Markets and Community Gardens recognizes that 1) fresher food is better for us, 2) transportation and storage of food increases cost and has a high carbon foot print, and 3) huge multinational corporations that run the “food industrial complex” displace family farms and disrupt communities. These movements have been so powerful that large grocery and restaurant chains are promoting their locally sourced and non-gmo foods. (cf Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Central Market, and Chipotle as national examples. Here in Dallas some of my favorites are The Green Spot Market & Taqueria near White Rock Lake in Dallas, Harvest Farm-to-table Restaurant on the square in McKinney, Ellen’s Southern Kitchen in the West End, and Café Momentum which also trains incarcerated youth to develop life and job skills so that they can be leaders in their community.

The implication in all of this is that our moral compass (a central aspect of what we are as human beings) is directly related to the food we consume. The question they raise: “Are we complicit in any act of injustice along the food production system?” and their answer is a resounding “YES!” When the prophets cry out for justice for the poor and oppressed to roll down like an ever flowing stream, when Jesus calls us to serve our neighbor and love our enemy, and when both remind us that even the rocks will cry out praise to God and longing for salvation and restoration, then how can we not take the moral implications of our food system and our daily diet seriously? (Deut 27:19; Amos 5:24; Matthew 5; Hab 2:11; Rom 8:19-22)

One final thing we might add to this litany – We are called to be stewards of God’s gifts to us (1 Peter 4:10), and to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable (Rom 12:1-2). This means that we should take care of our bodies and avoid patters and habits that do them harm. Reasonable dedication to health and wellness, which include diet, exercise, rest and avoidance of unnecessary risk, are spiritual commitments for people of faith.

Having said all of this, the text from John 6 is actually about something very different. In this chapter John shares with us his understanding of Jesus’ own teaching about the Lord’s Supper which was instituted by Jesus at the Passover celebration which John recounts in chapters 13-17. In those chapters we do not get any of the bread and cup story found in Matthew 26, Mark 14, or Luke 22. John does that work here in chapter 6 by speaking theologically and metaphorically about the union of body and spirit, of human and divine, of Communion and communicant, of Teacher and disciple, of Jesus and his followers.

But just what does John have in mind when we hear Jesus say, “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no part of me?” What does “You are what you eat,” mean in this context?

Prayer

Dear Jesus, you have given us very yourself to feast upon. Your words to us are so compellingly provocative that early Christians were suspected of cannibalism. Theological councils have met and argued over how bread and wine might also be your flesh and blood. Dear Lord, we don’t want to argue any more over these things, we simply want to be transformed by your real presence deep within and among us. We want to become you by taking you into ourselves even as we are taken in and consumed by you. Surround us, clothe us, fill us, transform us to your image and likeness. Redeem our flesh, mind and spirit until they fully reveal your light, life and love. We humbly ask through your amazing grace. Amen.

Download pdf here: Sunday 081615 – You Are What You Eat

The First Supper – (11042012)

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7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. (Exodus 12)

Your children will ask you,
“What do you mean by this observance?’
You shall say, “It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord,
for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt,
when he struck down the Egyptians
but spared our houses.'”

Any foreigner residing among you who
wishes to keep the passover to the Lord
shall do so according to the statute
of the passover and according to its regulation;
you shall have one statute
for both the resident foreigner and the native.

12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” (Mark 14)

I tell you, I will never again drink
of this fruit of the vine until
that day when I drink it new
with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
go into the main streets,
and invite everyone you find
to the wedding banquet.’

They gathered all whom they found,
both good and bad; so the wedding
hall was filled with guests.

Jesus’ last supper
Our first
He says good bye
We say hello

His ending
Our beginning
His consummation
Our initiation

The Passover Meal
The Eucharist
The Paschal Lamb
Is the center of the Kingdom feast

We receive Him
Until he receives us
His death
Our life

Today, here, at this table
We enter into God’s glory
He promised to be with us

This is no last supper
This is the First Supper
This is our welcome
This is our entrance

This is God’s great hospitality
And on that day the King will say
“Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your master.”

A thought about the state of politics in Collin County

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(This is actually drawn from a thread of my Facebook posts)
Why does it seem as though every politician in Collin County claims to be the most conservative and have the most conservative endorsements? Is that really the best credential for an office, that you have the most rigid, narrow view on everything, and that all your friends do too?
The opposite would be just as bad, but isn’t it sad that we’ve been reduced (again) to a short-hand nomenclature that really doesn’t say anything of substance.
Aside from meeting the candidates (check) and listening to them at a forum (check) and reading their policy statements on their websites (check) and reading what the local papers have to say about them (check) what else can you do but follow knee-jerk labels?
Some say: Run for office.
I say: Don’t tempt me.
And we ask: What does it say about the state/communities we live in?
I think it says that only reactionary arch-conservatives are vocal enough to get the attention of candidates. The candidates conclude that all voters are Tea Party toadies.
Alongside the Tea Party, we should have the Coffee Party, which would focus on a fair wage and ownership for labor; and the Lemonade Party, which would empower entrepreneurs the way parents underwrite their kids’ lemonade stands; and the Milk Party, which would recognize that we are mutually dependent on the natural non-human world
And the Eucharist Party, which would live out the tenets of Jesus’ teachings, regardless of the impact they might have on our notions of capitalism, property rights, individuality, democratic process or any other notion of what’s “American” in the context of a post-modern, post-colonial era of global community, 24/7 information media and economy. What if the Kingdom of God were our focus rather than protecting our small fiefdoms that we have deceived ourselves into believing that we built on our own strength and cleverness alone, rather than on the good will of our ancestors and on the backs of underpaid and unpaid labor of generations of indentured servants, company town “employees” and slaves.
OK, rant over…. for now.

Christ is risen! Now what?

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Easter Sunday reflections on Mark 16 vs1-8

What are you expecting of God? We marvel that no one in the story seemed to anticipate the resurrection even though they’d been repeatedly told by Jesus, and even though we can see in their scriptures some foreshadowing, as we heard in Isaiah 53. Yet somehow everyone missed it. Everyone was surprised. No one expected what God ultimately did.

What are you expecting of God? Once you realize what God has done, now what? Think about these women at the tomb – they’ve come to finish the burial rites that were rushed because the Sabbath evening fell. So Joseph of Arimathia and Nicodemus quickly took the body of Jesus after receiving consent from Pilate, and they lay it in a borrowed tomb. It was necessary that the body not be left exposed, as a mitzvoth to honor the dead and save the land from being cursed. And their work had to be done before sunset on Friday, the beginning of the Sabbath. So now the women come to the tomb to finish. They realize while they are on the way that they should have brought some of the men with them to help roll away the stone and open the tomb. They arrive and the stone is rolled away. A young man is there (notice no angel in Mark’s story – his lacks the power and glory found in the other accounts) and he speaks to them – “He is not here. He has been raised.”

Good news! The one who had died is now alive! We will not go back to the way things were, but forward to a new way, a new life. But that’s not what we want, is it. We don’t want to go forward, we want those we have lost restored and brought back. Jesus is not brought back to life, but taken forward through death to new life. Even though they will see and experience him, they will not be allowed to hold onto him for long. This is not the good news for which we had hoped. This is not what we thought God was going to do. Christ is risen. Now what?

The young man instructs the women to go and tell the others. Their next steps are clearly laid out for them. But they are frightened – “terror and amazement has seized them” – and they said nothing to anyone. That’s how Mark originally ended his gospel. Later generations would add two alternate endings because, like us, they felt Mark’s ending unsatisfactory. They knew that more happened – Matthew, Luke and John give several more details over 40 days. But for Mark, at the time he was writing, this ending seemed appropriate. His church was asking the same question we are asking today, “Christ is risen, now what?”

Marks’ gospel was written during or just after the Jewish revolt which began in 68 AD and included the destruction of the Jerusalem temple by the Romans in 70. To be a Jew of any sort (even one who was a Jesus follower) was a dangerous thing in Mark’s day. It is believed that Mark’s mother owned the home in Jerusalem with the upper room where the Last Supper was shared by Jesus and his disciples (Acts 12) – probably when Mark himself was 10 or 12 years old. Later, when he was a young man, he traveled with Paul and then with Barnabas. He had first-hand knowledge of the events of Jesus’ last week, including the resurrection and the days which followed. The disciples were hiding back in the same house on Easter when Jesus showed up in the locked room and asked for something to eat (Luke 24). Mark knew what Jesus wanted the disciples to do in response to the resurrection, he was a part of their response. And yet, at the time of his writing, it made sense to end his sermon in this way:

6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

With what was Mark’s church struggling? With what do we struggle on this Easter morning?

Perhaps the women struggled to believe that what they heard is true. The women had repeatedly heard Jesus say that he would be raised again. This young man in white told them it has come true. And yet the go away in silence and fear. It seems incredible, unbelievable, inconceivable. Mark’s church was witnessing what to them must have seemed like the end of their world. Jews and Christians alike were under attack. The Temple had been destroyed. With such tragedies surrounding them, did they begin to question God’s faithfulness. Did they begin to wonder if God could or would bring resurrection to the church? Were things too far gone to be restored? It is too big to wrap our minds around. We struggle just to believe it. Christ is risen! Now what?

Perhaps the women struggled out of fear that they would be in danger. After all, Jesus had been killed. The apostles were hiding in the upper room. They had reason to fear. Mark’s church, likewise, could relate to such fear. The tide had turned and again it was dangerous to be a follower of Jesus. Standing up for God among a religiously diverse community risked not only neighbor, business and family relationships. Proclaiming faith could cost Mark’s church members their lives. What about us? What is at risk for us as followers of Jesus? Do you risk rejection from coworkers, business associates, neighbors, friends and family? Are you able to live out your faith fully in the face of a religiously diverse? Christ is risen! Now what?

Perhaps the women feared because they knew that they could not live up to what the resurrection would mean. If Jesus were raised from death, then nothing would ever be the same. All their relationships would be transformed; their commitment to community, their relationship with money and material things. It is not that Jesus would ask too much, but that they could not live up to this. This would be too much grace, too much mercy, too much love. Was this the fear of Mark’s church? Did they fear that they could not live up to the claim of the resurrection on their lives? Not that God was too small, but that they were too small for God’s greatness. They were unworthy to receive God’s power in their lives, and through them bringing redemption to the world. Is this our fear today? Are we like these Easter women who experience the resurrection power of God in their lives but fear to step into it fully, fear that we will fall and fail? Do we doubt not God but ourselves? It seems easier to live in silent fear than to risk everything for God.

Did Mark close his gospel this way so that we would know that we are not alone in our Easter fear; that others have been overwhelmed by all that the resurrection means? Are you afraid to go and live an Easter life? Are you afraid to let the full power of the resurrection flow through you to transform your life and world? If you are afraid, you are not alone. But the story does not end there. Christ is risen! Now what? Will we hide from all that God’s resurrection power desires to accomplish among us, in us, through us in the world? Or will we receive this good news? Will we celebrate it, live it, share it fully, in spite of our fears?

Sermon Study Notes – Communion, Receiving and Giving

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1 Corinthians 11 vs 20-34 – Sunday 07242011

Season Theme Scripture – Acts 2 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Opening Sentence

1 O come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Call to Worship – Psalm 25

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways,
O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES –
Isaiah 7:10-14

10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. 13 Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Luke 1
35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. … 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he
has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Sermon Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11

20 When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. 21 For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. 22 What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you! 23 For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. 30 For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.

Reflection Questions for Sunday 07242011:

  • What does Paul mean when he tells the Corinthians (and us) to ‘discern the body’?
  • Isaiah speaks of “Emmanuel – God with us”. Mary sings of how this God has expressed loving relationship toward her, and through her toward the world. How do you experience the incarnation of God – “God with you”?
  • How is the giving and receiving of Gifts at Christmas related to the giving and receiving that we experience at communion?
  • How do you, as a ‘little christ’ (the literal meaning of Christian) fully realize our call as the presence of God in the world?
  • How do we, as the Body of Christ, fully realize our call as the presence of God in the world?
  • What do you receive at Communion?
  • What do you give at Communion?
  • In what ways are each of these important to you? How might you grow in this area?