The bodily presence of Christ communicated through bread and wine
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series V, Cycle A
BRIEF COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Deuteronomy came to light in the seventh century, during the reign of King Josiah, who instituted a religious revival. It comes in the form of discourses from the mouth of Moses, which bring to mind the goodness of the Lord in leading them through the wilderness and into the promised land. The people are called to respond to God's goodness by ratifying the covenant and serving the Lord. In this text, Moses exhorts his people as they are about to embark into their new land. They are warned against forgetting the Lord when the hardships of their liberation would yield to the pleasures of a prosperous existence. The God who has fed them with manna from heaven and slaked their thirst with water in the desert was worthy of their worship and loyalty.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
In this chapter, Paul warns the Corinthians against the dangers of idolatry. In so doing, he lifts up the example of the rebellious Israelites during the wilderness wandering period. Many of them suffered the punishment of the Lord as a consequence. Paul sees the Israelites' experience as a warning to the Church to serve Christ alone. Christians were constantly being asked by their friends and neighbors to participate in meals that followed sacrifice in pagan temples. Paul warns that such accommodations are forms of participation in the worship of false gods. As Christians receive the communal cup, they participate in the blood of Christ, and as they share in the eucharistic bread, they share in the body of Christ. Though they are many, they are one with Christ and each other through participation in the Lord's Supper. This oneness must not be adulterated by compromise with false gods.
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Jesus calls himself the living bread, which came down from heaven. Jesus compares himself to the bread which the Jews gathered each morning in the wilderness. He also draws out a contrast. Those who ate the manna still suffered eventual death but those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live forever. Our lection is part of an extended discourse on the topic of Christ as spiritual bread, which follows the account of the feeding of the 5,000. Following the feeding episode, great crowds dog Jesus. Christ senses that they are attracted by the hunger of their bodies rather than their souls. Christ appeals to the masses to permit him to satisfy the deepest hunger of their souls, by receiving him as the living bread from heaven.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12--15, 18--20 - ''He has not dwelt thus with any other nation ...'' (v. 20).
206
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Time of testing. Moses explains to the Hebrews the purpose of their 40 years of wandering, just as they were about to set foot in their own land. God was testing them to determine whether they would be loyal and faithful to him. It is interesting that when our Lord was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus used a passage from this text to rebut the Evil One. When Jesus was hungry because of fasting, Satan commanded him to turn stones into loaves of bread. The Lord replied with a phrase from verse three: ''Man does not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'' It is always a temptation to seek the tangible bread of this earth rather than spiritual bread of heaven. Yet food for our spirits is far more essential than bread for our bodies.
Our daily bread. Our Lord taught us to pray: ''Give us today our daily bread.'' Physical needs are important and God wants us to petition him for them. The emphasis falls on the word 'daily.'' Jesus instructs us to pray just for our immediate needs, so that we realize that our dependence rests on God, not ourselves or our substance. God was teaching the Hebrews the very same truth through their ordeal in the desert. They needed to trust him for all their needs, to receive the Lord as daily as bread for their body and their soul.
The peril of plenty. The latter part of this passage is a warning about the perils of plenitude. A life of abundance and ease can cause amnesia. Materially possessed people tend to forget the blessings of the Lord and his great salvation. Moses warns the people not to forget the God of their salvation, when their possessions would multiply and their bellies would become full. The Passover was instituted by God for the Hebrews so that they would not forget the Lord and his salvation when they got settled in their new land. Likewise, the Eucharist was instituted by Christ so that his people would not forget their great salvation.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
Participation, not observation. Authentic Christian worship is marked by participation, not observation. The Eucharist is participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. ''The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not sharing in the body of Christ?'' To answer the question posed by the spiritual, ''Were you there when they crucified my Lord?'' Yes, I was there and am there every time I partake of the Lord's Supper.
Cup of blessing. Paul refers to the eucharistic cup as the ''cup of blessing.'' What a beautiful expression! What specifically are the blessings of the communion chalice? Forgiveness of sins tops the list. Becoming blood brothers and blood sisters through the sacrifice of Christ ranks a close second. Those who drink of the one cup are family. We might also say that we are bread brothers and sisters. Paul explains: ''Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of one bread'' (v. 17). This unity stands as one of the real blessings of this sacrament. Exclusionary communion practices militate against the unity signified in the sacrament. A third blessing comes as a renewal of our Christian identity forged in baptism. A fourth derives from the fact that the communion elements are vehicles for the Spirit of Christ to enter our hearts. A fifth benefit is announced in the word ''Eucharist.'' When we truly comprehend what God has done for us, our hearts are filled with thanksgiving.
Christ is bread and so are we. It is the most ancient and most universal of all foods. That's why bread is the symbol for life. Let's plumb this metaphor a bit. First of all, bread begins as a little seed of wheat that is planted in the earth, where it dies but is raised to newness of life as a green plant. Once the wheat bears fruit and matures, it is harvested. Pulverized into flour, it dies again, only to be reborn as bread. Every Christian must be willing to die and be raised to newness of life, not only for his own sake but for the sake of the world. We must also remember that it takes more than a single head of grain to make a loaf of bread. Are we willing to be blended and baked into a community of nourishment? Remember also that bread is not meant to be admired but broken and shared.
207
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Wonder Bread. When I was a child, Wonder Bread was widely touted. It was supposed to help develop strong bodies eight ways. Don't ask me to name those ways. Jesus, our Lord, is the true Wonder Bread. He claims that if we eat of him, we will live forever. This tells us that faith is not something external to our being but that which we incorporate into our bodies. Christian faith cannot keep Christ at arm's length; his word and spirit must be as much a part of us as the air that we suck into our lungs. It is not enough to receive Christ into our hearts at some point in time. We must daily take him into our vital centers like bread.
It was too much to swallow. Jesus announced that if his disciples wanted to inherit eternal life, they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. These words seemed crassly offensive and literal. What could he mean? To this point, Jesus had been quite popular. The signs and healings made him the buzz of the town squares and meeting places. The multiplication of the loaves aroused huge crowds of the curious. Christ didn't seek mere followers; he desired disciples. Christ's talk of drinking his blood and eating his flesh might have been his way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Indeed, John informs us that many of those who followed Jesus ceased doing so at this point. The spectacle seekers and lookers--on could go packing. Those who chose to remain would have to swallow his gospel completely. They would have to permit Christ to take control of their lives. Is it any wonder that they were confused and offended? The gospel of an indwelling Christ is still too much for most people to swallow. Many people don't want someone else in the driver's seat of their lives.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Sermon Title: Forward In Remembrance
Sermon Angle: Moses addresses the people as they are going into the Promised Land. He urges them to remember the Lord and his great acts of love and salvation. He was concerned that when they became materially prosperous, they would have a tendency to forget the Lord. It is not healthy to dwell in the past, but as we go forward, we need to constantly recall from where we have come. Also, at the peril of our lives, we must strive to remember our spiritual origin. As the historian stated: ''Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.''
Outline:
1. In times of prosperity we tend to pat ourselves on the back and forget God
2. Remember God, who brought us through our wanderings to the place of promise
3. Remember the blessings we have received through Christ
4. In the Eucharist, we give thanks and we remember
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
Sermon Title: Christianity Is Not A Spectator Sport
Sermon Angle: Two key words in this lection are participation and sharing. Love and caring must be expressed in participation and sharing. Christ participated in our human existence, that we might participate in the life of God. Holy Communion is participation in the life of Christ, including his death and resurrection. Christians express their faith by entering into the joys and sharing the sorrows of the world.
Outline:
1. Spectator sports are becoming enormously popular
2. They offer a type of vicarious identification
3. This attitude can be dangerous if applied to other arenas of life
4. The Eucharist is for participants, not onlookers
5. The Christian life means entering in, not looking on
208
Sermon Title: Eucharist Is Not A Thing
Sermon Angle: This title comes from a most thoughtful article on the Eucharist written by Father Richard T. Szafranski (January, 1990; U.S Catholic). The article opens with this scene. A woman is seeking the peace of God after a hard day at the office. She arrives at the church but it is too late; the doors are locked tight. She goes to an ATM type of machine by the side of the door and inserts her plastic card that identifies her as a practicing member of the Catholic Church, good nationwide. The computer screen asks if she wants only the bread, only the wine or both. She punches in ''both.'' Out pops a hermetically sealed plastic pouch with wafer and tiny cup. The message on the screen: ''Have a nice day.'' Of course, such machines have not been employed by the Catholic Church. This scene illustrates the point of the article. The Eucharist has become a ''thing'' for many Catholics (other Christians too, we might add). Father Szafranski maintains that the Eucharist is not a thing to be received but the action of the whole people of God. For centuries, he contends, the Eucharist has been the domain of the priest, who alone has the power to transform ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. There was very little sense of the kind of participation, which the Second Lesson talks about. The author is attempting to lead us to the realization that the people of God are not merely to receive consecrated bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ; we are to be bread and wine. We are to be the body and blood of Christ for a spiritually malnourished world. In other words, Christians are the Eucharist. We are called to be a people broken and poured out for the world, in fulfillment of Christ's mission. We are to bring to the world the real presence of Christ's love, grace and forgiveness. We have fulfilled Christ's mission if our lives of thanksgiving give others a reason to celebrate.
The Eucharist is a meal of sharing. In our modern compartmentalized world, we have lost, to a significant degree, the sacramental sense of sharing and participation in the lives of one another through a common meal. We hurry into a fast food joint, order our food and drink, and then find a cubicle of space which is hermetically sealed off from the crowd that surrounds us. Eating is not meant merely for consumption but for sharing with others. St. John Chrysostom taught that we should first feed the hungry and then decorate the table. The temple of our afflicted neighbor's body, he instructed, ''is more holy than the altar of stone on which you celebrate the holy sacrifice. You are able to contemplate this altar everywhere, in the street and in the open squares.'' A non--Christian named Aristides once defended Christians before the Emperor Hadrian employing this apologetic: ''If one of them is poor and there isn't enough food to go round, they fast several days to give him the food he needs.'' The sacramental sharing of the Eucharist extended far beyond the ritual meal; sharing was a way of life. The Church, as a eucharistic community of sharing, is called to be a sacramental sign pointing to what the kingdom of Heaven is to be like.
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Sermon Title: Wonder Bread
Sermon Angle: The bread on the Lord's Table is indeed wonder bread. It is wonder bread because it is the bread of heaven, the bread of life. Jesus claims that whoever eats of this bread will live forever. It is wonder bread because it carries the real presence of Christ and conveys forgiveness, grace and strength. It is wonder bread also because it evokes wonder and awe. We cannot understand how Christ is present in this bread; we cannot explain it. We can only accept it and receive it. Terms like transubstantiation, consubstantiation and real presence are but awkward attempts to plumb the mystery of the Eucharist.
Outline:
1. The communion bread is more than it appears; it is wonder bread
2. It is the bread of the earth and, at the same time, the bread of heaven
3. To receive the bread is to receive Christ
4. Let us proclaim the mystery
209
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Deuteronomy came to light in the seventh century, during the reign of King Josiah, who instituted a religious revival. It comes in the form of discourses from the mouth of Moses, which bring to mind the goodness of the Lord in leading them through the wilderness and into the promised land. The people are called to respond to God's goodness by ratifying the covenant and serving the Lord. In this text, Moses exhorts his people as they are about to embark into their new land. They are warned against forgetting the Lord when the hardships of their liberation would yield to the pleasures of a prosperous existence. The God who has fed them with manna from heaven and slaked their thirst with water in the desert was worthy of their worship and loyalty.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
In this chapter, Paul warns the Corinthians against the dangers of idolatry. In so doing, he lifts up the example of the rebellious Israelites during the wilderness wandering period. Many of them suffered the punishment of the Lord as a consequence. Paul sees the Israelites' experience as a warning to the Church to serve Christ alone. Christians were constantly being asked by their friends and neighbors to participate in meals that followed sacrifice in pagan temples. Paul warns that such accommodations are forms of participation in the worship of false gods. As Christians receive the communal cup, they participate in the blood of Christ, and as they share in the eucharistic bread, they share in the body of Christ. Though they are many, they are one with Christ and each other through participation in the Lord's Supper. This oneness must not be adulterated by compromise with false gods.
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Jesus calls himself the living bread, which came down from heaven. Jesus compares himself to the bread which the Jews gathered each morning in the wilderness. He also draws out a contrast. Those who ate the manna still suffered eventual death but those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will live forever. Our lection is part of an extended discourse on the topic of Christ as spiritual bread, which follows the account of the feeding of the 5,000. Following the feeding episode, great crowds dog Jesus. Christ senses that they are attracted by the hunger of their bodies rather than their souls. Christ appeals to the masses to permit him to satisfy the deepest hunger of their souls, by receiving him as the living bread from heaven.
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 147:12--15, 18--20 - ''He has not dwelt thus with any other nation ...'' (v. 20).
206
THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Time of testing. Moses explains to the Hebrews the purpose of their 40 years of wandering, just as they were about to set foot in their own land. God was testing them to determine whether they would be loyal and faithful to him. It is interesting that when our Lord was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus used a passage from this text to rebut the Evil One. When Jesus was hungry because of fasting, Satan commanded him to turn stones into loaves of bread. The Lord replied with a phrase from verse three: ''Man does not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'' It is always a temptation to seek the tangible bread of this earth rather than spiritual bread of heaven. Yet food for our spirits is far more essential than bread for our bodies.
Our daily bread. Our Lord taught us to pray: ''Give us today our daily bread.'' Physical needs are important and God wants us to petition him for them. The emphasis falls on the word 'daily.'' Jesus instructs us to pray just for our immediate needs, so that we realize that our dependence rests on God, not ourselves or our substance. God was teaching the Hebrews the very same truth through their ordeal in the desert. They needed to trust him for all their needs, to receive the Lord as daily as bread for their body and their soul.
The peril of plenty. The latter part of this passage is a warning about the perils of plenitude. A life of abundance and ease can cause amnesia. Materially possessed people tend to forget the blessings of the Lord and his great salvation. Moses warns the people not to forget the God of their salvation, when their possessions would multiply and their bellies would become full. The Passover was instituted by God for the Hebrews so that they would not forget the Lord and his salvation when they got settled in their new land. Likewise, the Eucharist was instituted by Christ so that his people would not forget their great salvation.
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
Participation, not observation. Authentic Christian worship is marked by participation, not observation. The Eucharist is participation in the death and resurrection of Christ. ''The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not sharing in the body of Christ?'' To answer the question posed by the spiritual, ''Were you there when they crucified my Lord?'' Yes, I was there and am there every time I partake of the Lord's Supper.
Cup of blessing. Paul refers to the eucharistic cup as the ''cup of blessing.'' What a beautiful expression! What specifically are the blessings of the communion chalice? Forgiveness of sins tops the list. Becoming blood brothers and blood sisters through the sacrifice of Christ ranks a close second. Those who drink of the one cup are family. We might also say that we are bread brothers and sisters. Paul explains: ''Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of one bread'' (v. 17). This unity stands as one of the real blessings of this sacrament. Exclusionary communion practices militate against the unity signified in the sacrament. A third blessing comes as a renewal of our Christian identity forged in baptism. A fourth derives from the fact that the communion elements are vehicles for the Spirit of Christ to enter our hearts. A fifth benefit is announced in the word ''Eucharist.'' When we truly comprehend what God has done for us, our hearts are filled with thanksgiving.
Christ is bread and so are we. It is the most ancient and most universal of all foods. That's why bread is the symbol for life. Let's plumb this metaphor a bit. First of all, bread begins as a little seed of wheat that is planted in the earth, where it dies but is raised to newness of life as a green plant. Once the wheat bears fruit and matures, it is harvested. Pulverized into flour, it dies again, only to be reborn as bread. Every Christian must be willing to die and be raised to newness of life, not only for his own sake but for the sake of the world. We must also remember that it takes more than a single head of grain to make a loaf of bread. Are we willing to be blended and baked into a community of nourishment? Remember also that bread is not meant to be admired but broken and shared.
207
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Wonder Bread. When I was a child, Wonder Bread was widely touted. It was supposed to help develop strong bodies eight ways. Don't ask me to name those ways. Jesus, our Lord, is the true Wonder Bread. He claims that if we eat of him, we will live forever. This tells us that faith is not something external to our being but that which we incorporate into our bodies. Christian faith cannot keep Christ at arm's length; his word and spirit must be as much a part of us as the air that we suck into our lungs. It is not enough to receive Christ into our hearts at some point in time. We must daily take him into our vital centers like bread.
It was too much to swallow. Jesus announced that if his disciples wanted to inherit eternal life, they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. These words seemed crassly offensive and literal. What could he mean? To this point, Jesus had been quite popular. The signs and healings made him the buzz of the town squares and meeting places. The multiplication of the loaves aroused huge crowds of the curious. Christ didn't seek mere followers; he desired disciples. Christ's talk of drinking his blood and eating his flesh might have been his way of separating the wheat from the chaff. Indeed, John informs us that many of those who followed Jesus ceased doing so at this point. The spectacle seekers and lookers--on could go packing. Those who chose to remain would have to swallow his gospel completely. They would have to permit Christ to take control of their lives. Is it any wonder that they were confused and offended? The gospel of an indwelling Christ is still too much for most people to swallow. Many people don't want someone else in the driver's seat of their lives.
PREACHING APPROACHES WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
Lesson 1: Deuteronomy 8:2--3, 14--16
Sermon Title: Forward In Remembrance
Sermon Angle: Moses addresses the people as they are going into the Promised Land. He urges them to remember the Lord and his great acts of love and salvation. He was concerned that when they became materially prosperous, they would have a tendency to forget the Lord. It is not healthy to dwell in the past, but as we go forward, we need to constantly recall from where we have come. Also, at the peril of our lives, we must strive to remember our spiritual origin. As the historian stated: ''Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.''
Outline:
1. In times of prosperity we tend to pat ourselves on the back and forget God
2. Remember God, who brought us through our wanderings to the place of promise
3. Remember the blessings we have received through Christ
4. In the Eucharist, we give thanks and we remember
Lesson 2: 1 Corinthians 10:16--17
Sermon Title: Christianity Is Not A Spectator Sport
Sermon Angle: Two key words in this lection are participation and sharing. Love and caring must be expressed in participation and sharing. Christ participated in our human existence, that we might participate in the life of God. Holy Communion is participation in the life of Christ, including his death and resurrection. Christians express their faith by entering into the joys and sharing the sorrows of the world.
Outline:
1. Spectator sports are becoming enormously popular
2. They offer a type of vicarious identification
3. This attitude can be dangerous if applied to other arenas of life
4. The Eucharist is for participants, not onlookers
5. The Christian life means entering in, not looking on
208
Sermon Title: Eucharist Is Not A Thing
Sermon Angle: This title comes from a most thoughtful article on the Eucharist written by Father Richard T. Szafranski (January, 1990; U.S Catholic). The article opens with this scene. A woman is seeking the peace of God after a hard day at the office. She arrives at the church but it is too late; the doors are locked tight. She goes to an ATM type of machine by the side of the door and inserts her plastic card that identifies her as a practicing member of the Catholic Church, good nationwide. The computer screen asks if she wants only the bread, only the wine or both. She punches in ''both.'' Out pops a hermetically sealed plastic pouch with wafer and tiny cup. The message on the screen: ''Have a nice day.'' Of course, such machines have not been employed by the Catholic Church. This scene illustrates the point of the article. The Eucharist has become a ''thing'' for many Catholics (other Christians too, we might add). Father Szafranski maintains that the Eucharist is not a thing to be received but the action of the whole people of God. For centuries, he contends, the Eucharist has been the domain of the priest, who alone has the power to transform ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. There was very little sense of the kind of participation, which the Second Lesson talks about. The author is attempting to lead us to the realization that the people of God are not merely to receive consecrated bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ; we are to be bread and wine. We are to be the body and blood of Christ for a spiritually malnourished world. In other words, Christians are the Eucharist. We are called to be a people broken and poured out for the world, in fulfillment of Christ's mission. We are to bring to the world the real presence of Christ's love, grace and forgiveness. We have fulfilled Christ's mission if our lives of thanksgiving give others a reason to celebrate.
The Eucharist is a meal of sharing. In our modern compartmentalized world, we have lost, to a significant degree, the sacramental sense of sharing and participation in the lives of one another through a common meal. We hurry into a fast food joint, order our food and drink, and then find a cubicle of space which is hermetically sealed off from the crowd that surrounds us. Eating is not meant merely for consumption but for sharing with others. St. John Chrysostom taught that we should first feed the hungry and then decorate the table. The temple of our afflicted neighbor's body, he instructed, ''is more holy than the altar of stone on which you celebrate the holy sacrifice. You are able to contemplate this altar everywhere, in the street and in the open squares.'' A non--Christian named Aristides once defended Christians before the Emperor Hadrian employing this apologetic: ''If one of them is poor and there isn't enough food to go round, they fast several days to give him the food he needs.'' The sacramental sharing of the Eucharist extended far beyond the ritual meal; sharing was a way of life. The Church, as a eucharistic community of sharing, is called to be a sacramental sign pointing to what the kingdom of Heaven is to be like.
Gospel: John 6:51--58
Sermon Title: Wonder Bread
Sermon Angle: The bread on the Lord's Table is indeed wonder bread. It is wonder bread because it is the bread of heaven, the bread of life. Jesus claims that whoever eats of this bread will live forever. It is wonder bread because it carries the real presence of Christ and conveys forgiveness, grace and strength. It is wonder bread also because it evokes wonder and awe. We cannot understand how Christ is present in this bread; we cannot explain it. We can only accept it and receive it. Terms like transubstantiation, consubstantiation and real presence are but awkward attempts to plumb the mystery of the Eucharist.
Outline:
1. The communion bread is more than it appears; it is wonder bread
2. It is the bread of the earth and, at the same time, the bread of heaven
3. To receive the bread is to receive Christ
4. Let us proclaim the mystery
209
