Do We Take Serious Things Too Lightly?



1 Corinthians 11:23-34
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, 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 guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, 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, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

It would be easy with this passage to become bogged down in the theology surrounding Holy Communion. Since this is not a forum for deep theological discussion, I will leave that to minds greater than mine when it comes to such matters. Suffice it to say, Jesus instituted this Holy Meal for our benefit (the forgiveness of sins) and serves as a memorial to Him every time we go to the Table.

The Corinthians were (as we discussed last week), turning The Lord’s Supper into a drunken party, leaving out the poor and setting up social barriers to that which Jesus provided freely. With that in mind, Paul warns the people about eating and drinking judgement upon themselves. This phrase has brought about much discussion over the centuries and rightfully so. The Corinthians may have been abusing Holy Communion, but in fact, we may be doing so as well.

Every reference to Jesus’ institution of Holy Communion would lead us to believe it is indeed a serious and important event - every time we celebrate it. We are sharing the Real Presence of the Savior. In a culture that is not unlike that of the Corinthians, we too may err on the side of not taking this gift seriously. On many Sundays, it’s just another part of the service and perhaps we do well to pay attention to the details here. We are certainly a people who can focus on the trivial to the extreme and bypass that which is really important. I stand amazed at our ability to expend a great amount of emotional and mental energy on the stupidest things. Massive quantities of resources and time are spent on sports, entertainment, and wasting what God has given us. This past holiday season was a living testimony to our ability to live excessively. I saw a few minutes of a TV show dedicated to families who spend upwards of $50,000 a year on lighting their homes with Christmas lights. How is that important or even worthy of our time? But I digress.

I am not a person who doesn’t like to have fun. But in many cases, we have turned it into a lifestyle. I wonder what our spiritual lives would look like if we gave just a bit of that enthusiasm to our walk with the Lord. Maybe next time we have the opportunity to go to the Lord’s Table we do so with intentionality and a focus on His Real Presence.

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