Third Sermon of Four on Holy Communion
Fourth Sunday of Lent / April 3, 2011
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 John 4:5-42
This past weekend the youth who went up to Lake Junaluska learned that Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke were the founding bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. At the Christmas Conference of 1784, these two men, along with many others, gathered together to found the Methodist church in America. John and Charles Wesley had prepared these men to start this church, giving them an order of worship, articles of faith, stacks of hymns, and a collection of John Wesley’s sermons. Many of the first preachers of the Methodist Episcopal Church were not ordained; they were lay leaders and passionate Christians, called to share the good news of Jesus Christ, but lacking specific training as preachers. Wesley encouraged these preachers to preach his sermons; this way the preachers would be preaching sound doctrine as they brought the gospel to people hungry for Jesus.
One of these sermons is titled, “The Duty of Constant Communion.” Wesley wrote this sermon in 1732, when he was a very young preacher. While Wesley revised the sermon later in life, it was and remains Wesley’s fullest statement of his doctrine of Holy Communion. In many ways this sacrament shaped all of Wesley’s theology – especially his understanding of God’s abundant grace. During his lifetime, Wesley participated in the Lord’s Supper an average of 4 times per week. Constant communion. Today I want to share part of Wesley’s sermon on Constant Communion as we explore the deep hunger of our souls – our longing for Jesus himself.
Wesley started: It is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord’s Supper as often as he can... Not just once a month, or once a quarter, but as often as possible. The benefits of doing so are so great... namely, the forgiveness of past sins and the present strengthening and refreshing of our souls. In this world we are never free from temptations. Whatever way of life we are in, whatever our condition be, whether we are sick or well, in trouble or at ease, the enemies of our souls are watching to lead us into sin. And too often they prevail over us.
Wesley understood that we face temptations every day. He reminds us that Satan is looking for opportunities to turn us away from God. He continues: The grace of God given [at Christ’s table] confirms to us the pardon of our sins by enabling us to leave them. As our bodies are strengthened by the bread and wine, so are our souls by these tokens of the body and blood of Christ. This is the food of our souls; this gives strength to perform our duty, and leads us on to perfection. If therefore... we desire the pardon of our sins, if we wish for strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should neglect no opportunity of receiving the Lord’s Supper.
It is worth pausing here to reflect on our opportunities of receiving the Lord’s Supper. The early Methodist church was a largely lay led community. There were not very many ordained elders. These elders were circuit riders, riding their horses from town to town, preaching the gospel and administering the sacraments wherever they went. This meant a congregation only had the opportunity to commune when clergy came through town, which was often less than once a month. Thus, because of a shortage of clergy, communion became far from constant. And less than constant communion thus became a habit, even as more and more churches became station churches with full time clergy. In the past few decades, following the massive church reform that began with Vatican II in the late 1960’s, more and more denominations have returned to constant communion, celebrating the Lord’s Supper every Lord’s Day. And when our new hymnal came out in 1989, the recommended order of worship included weekly communion. Changing deeply ingrained habits takes time and prayer and intentionality; but God is calling us to constant communion.
Wesley continues: Let everyone... who has either any desire to please God, or any love of his own soul, obey God and consult the good of his own soul by communicating every time he can; [this is] like the first Christians, with whom the Christian sacrifice was a constant part of the Lord’s day’s service. Our passage from first Corinthians speaks of the institution of the Lord’s Supper and... we learn that the design of this sacrament is the continual remembrance of the death of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, which are the outward signs of the inward grace, the body and blood of Christ.
I stand amazed at this gift. Think about what Jesus did for us! “On the night when he was betrayed he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me’” (1 Cor 11:23-24). On the night he was betrayed, with is betrayer present, Jesus gave us the gift of his very self.
Wesley continues: It is highly expedient for those who purpose to receive this [gift], whenever their time will permit, to prepare themselves for this solemn ordinance by self-examination and prayer. But this is not absolutely necessary. And when we do not have time to prepare, we should see that we have the habitual preparation which is absolutely necessary... a full purpose of heart to keep all the commandments of God and a sincere desire to receive all his promises.
Perhaps you are very good at self-examination and prayer, able to come to the Table ready to receive this gift. But I hope you heard Wesley – this is not absolutely necessary. Our invitation to the Table states all that is needed: “Christ our Lord invites to this Table all who love him, all who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with God and one another. Therefore, let us confess our sins before God and one another.” When we gather at the Table the first thing we do is confess our sins. And I’m sure you’ve noticed that each week we confess our sins as part of a habitual preparation – a constant awareness that we are always in need of God’s grace; our constant hunger to be more like Jesus.
Wesley goes on: Consider the Lord’s Supper... as a mercy from God to [us]. As God, whose mercy is over all his works... knew there was but one way for [us] to be happy like himself, namely, by being like [God] in holiness; [and] as [God] knew we could do nothing toward this [by] ourselves, he has given us certain means of obtaining help. One of these is the Lord’s Supper, which of his infinite mercy, [God] has given for this very end: that through this means we may be assisted to attain those blessings which he has prepared for us; that we may obtain holiness on earth and everlasting glory in heaven. I ask then, why do you not accept his mercy as often as ever you can?
Wesley then speaks to two objections to constant communion. First, many feel unworthy to receive it. Wesley states: You are unworthy to receive any mercy from God. But is that a reason for refusing all mercy? God offers you a pardon for all your sins. You are unworthy of it, ‘tis sure, and [God] knows it: but since [God] is pleased to offer it nevertheless, will you not accept it? Wesley is pointing to the verse in 1st Corinthians that says: “All who eat and drink in an unworthy manner, eat and drink judgment against themselves” (v. 29). Certainly eating and drinking unworthily is meant taking the holy sacrament in such a rude and disorderly way that one is hungry and another drunken. What is that to you? Is there any danger of your doing so? ...Therefore, whatever the punishment is of doing [this] unworthily, it does not concern you. Do I hear a sigh of relief?
The second objection is that constant communion abates our reverence for the sacrament. In other words, constant communion diminishes our respect and appreciation for the Lord’s Supper. Wesley’s passion for the Lord’s Supper comes through as he goes on: Suppose it did? What then! Will you thence conclude that you are not to receive constantly? This does not follow... Has God ever told you that when the obeying of his command abates your reverence to it then you should disobey it? ... For example, has God ever told you that if honoring your father and your mother makes you love them less then you should disobey this command? No! Reverence for the sacrament may be of two sorts: either such as is owing purely to the newness of the thing, such as [people] naturally have for anything they are not used to; or such as is owing to our faith, or to the love and fear of God. The first sort of reverence is not properly a religious reverence and will naturally lessen with repetition; the second is a true religious reverence, and constant communion will confirm and increase it.
The theme for today is “Hungry for Jesus.” We are all hungry for Jesus, whether we realize it or not. Both those of us in the church and those on the outside. Our music today speaks of this hunger. Our open hands reveal our hunger. Like the Samaritan woman who met Jesus at the well, we don’t always recognize the amazing gift Jesus offers us. Jesus offered the woman living water springing up to eternal life. Jesus offers us this and so much more – the forgiveness of sin, food for our souls, comfort and strength for our bodies, life everlasting. All found in this mystery – this amazing gift of bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ. And so we gather at this Table, hungry for Jesus and ready to receive him. We gather with open hands and contrite hearts, needing to be filled again and again. Friends, come, taste and see that the Lord is indeed a God of mercy who loves us – each one of us – unconditionally and longs for us to grow in holiness, becoming more like Jesus every day.
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