Just bow our heads in prayer for a moment. Father, we like to have you do things in a way that suits us, that deals with our sort of unrecognized emotional neediness and our unrecognized self-centeredness.
And Father, we like it when you act in a way that fits with us and pleases us. But Father, you're God, not us.
And so Father, you are a God who bestows grace, that gives grace to sinners and to unredeemed sinners and to redeem sinners.
And you continue to give us grace. And we are here today to be in your presence, to receive grace from your hands.
And we ask, Lord, that you grant us open and hungry hearts to receive the grace from you this morning that we desperately need and to respond in a worthy manner.
And Father, we ask that your Holy Spirit would help us to do that.
And we ask and thank all these things in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
Hope you don't mind me insulting you that you all, you and I all have unrecognized self-centeredness and neediness.
But there, there you go.
I've never been to a mosque.
I mean, I've been outside of mosques, but I've never been to a mosque.
Never gone inside it for, for one of their prayer services.
I've been to a Buddhist wedding ceremony, but that Buddhist wedding ceremony was in a, was in a house, not a Buddhist temple.
I've been to an anthroposophical dedication service in an anthroposophical church.
And none of you have heard of anthroposophical, I'm going to get mixed up.
Anyway, most of you have probably never heard of it.
But the fact is, I haven't been to most of these places.
I sort of know, or I think I know, what Muslims do in terms of the different prayers that they say.
And they might gather for prayers.
I don't know if it's one of those things, if I talk to a very devout Muslim watching something on TV,
they'd say, no, no, that's not right, or that's not right.
Or, you know, they're doing the morning prayer in the afternoon or something like that.
I know that often television and movies get things about the Christian services not right.
It's very common.
And if anybody from Hollywood's listening, our congregation will release me to be a technical advisor periodically at good Hollywood rates,
which will go to the church, Mission Fund, not to me, to help you get those things straight.
Anyway, one of the things that if you're not that familiar with the Christian faith that you might know about Christians
is that they do something, and some people call it the Mass, and some call it Holy Communion,
and some call it the Eucharist, and some call it the Lord's Supper.
And if you're like a Muslim or just a secular Canadian tuning in, or a Buddhist, or somebody with a bespoke spirituality,
you might know those things.
And, of course, Christians know that, and we're familiar with it.
So this is actually a very different type of a sermon today, because what I read just a couple of minutes ago is where that comes from.
It's where it comes from and sort of why it is that Christians do this, this thing called the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion.
And so let's look at it.
If you're just from an outsider trying to sort of figure out what we're all about, this is like a brilliant time.
One of the main things that Christians do, we get the origin story, so to speak.
And for us who are Christians, we don't talk about this enough.
I probably don't talk about it enough, about what is the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion,
and why it's significant, and what happens, and how we should do it.
And so let's look.
And if you were to take my preaching class, I would tell you never have seven points.
I have seven points.
So I'm going to flunk myself.
But they're all very simple.
And, in fact, actually, if you sort of want to hear them, here's the first thing.
That what you're actually going to be surprised is that it's simple.
It is simple.
It is very simple.
So let's turn in our Bibles to Mark chapter 14, verses 22 to 31.
There's sort of two stories there.
The part that we're interested initially with is 22 to 25.
Mark chapter 14, verses 22 to 25.
And what's just happened in the flow of this ancient eyewitness biography of Jesus is that just before this,
we've had a bit of the fact that we've had Jesus and his disciples as observant Jews.
They have been celebrating the Passover Supper.
And at a key point in the third part of the Passover Supper, Jesus says to Judas that one of you will,
not to all of them, one of you will betray me.
And he never outs Judas.
But he does say, woe to that man who betrays me.
It would be better if he was never born.
It was a very, very sobering moment.
And that's what happens just before this.
I talked about it last week if you're curious.
It's a very sobering moment.
And now this story happens.
And here's how it goes.
Verse 22.
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and after blessing it, broke it and gave it to them and said,
Take, this is my body.
And Jesus took a cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and they all drank of it.
And he said to them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.
Now, some of you, maybe who are seekers, you go, Is that all?
Like, isn't there more?
And some of you might actually think it seems a bit lame.
And some of you might think it seems a bit gross.
This is my blood that you have to drink.
It sounds like a vampire.
And I'm going to return to that.
The outside, how some people from the outside, it sounds, well, way too simple.
It sounds a bit lame and it sounds a bit gross.
But some of you who watch, and this might be for some of you, you heard me read this and you go,
George, that's not what we say when we do a communion service.
We say something different.
Like, why did Jesus say this one thing here, but why do we say something different when we do,
like in a few, later on we're going to do a communion service.
Why is there this difference?
And some of you who, you know, listen to some of the different YouTube things and TikTok things of ex-evangelicals
and people who love the Christian faith and skeptics, they'll jump on this and go,
aha, aha, you see that?
This is why you can't trust the Bible, because it says different things.
Like, they don't get it right.
And a lot of times we don't know how to handle that when people say it.
And actually, there's going to be an announcement about that that will help you later on.
But what I'd like to say right now is something, just, it's a very important bit of a sidebar
to help you understand what's, why it's different here than the other places
and why you don't have to worry about it, but in fact should rejoice in it.
There's a book that came out, I think within the last 12 months.
I think at least two of you have read it, and it's about the founding of the denomination that we're in.
And it's early days and bringing us sort of up to about the year 2021 or 2022.
And what you might not know is that I actually got asked to write one of the chapters in the book as a memoir.
And what I did is I covered the years 1994, a particular thing at the end of June 1994,
to the end of August in 2004.
And the reason they asked me, the editors and the compilers asked me to write this,
is because our denomination was founded out of an organization called Essentials.
And I was the chair of that organization from 1999 to 2004, to 1994 to 2004,
when in 2004 it was announced that we had started this entity called the Anglican Network in Canada.
I was the chair for that, for those 10 years.
My wife, if you talk to her afterwards, she can say about all of the different scars I got from that process.
But for that 11 years, I was at every single meeting, including the planning meetings.
I was at every event.
I didn't miss anything.
And I was the chair and the organizer of many of those events.
So they asked me to write a memoir about it.
Now, and I wrote it.
I did it because, and I didn't consult a whole pile of documents.
It had been a very, very important time in my life.
If I was writing, I guess, a very academic thing, I would have done a bit of research.
But I didn't have to do research.
I was there.
I lived it all.
And if I had to do some more research, if they wanted something more academic,
I'd get on the phone.
I'd call up Klaus.
I'd get on the phone and call up Roger.
I'd get on the phone and call up Cheryl and David and a couple of the other people
who were at a lot of those things, not all of the things, but a lot of them.
And we would compare notes to make it even more accurate.
Now, I was just able to do this just out of my memory because I was actually there.
Now, imagine, though, now somebody said,
George, could you do a paper on those 10 years leading up to the start of the Anglican Church of Canada?
Well, the Anglican Church of Canada, the first general synod, took place in 1893.
I couldn't do that.
I mean, I could do it, but I'd have to do what most of you would do.
There's no obviously people left who were there.
I'd have to look at written documents.
And I'd have to try to compare the written documents.
And when I wrote my piece, afterwards, people who were scholars of Canadian history,
they might look and say, oh, George got this bit from here.
And, oh, he didn't give a footnote there like he should have.
And I'd never heard of this.
I think George just made that up.
And other scholars also looking at the other documents, they would be able to critique it.
Now, why am I saying all of this?
Because it's very, very important.
Up until the later part of the 1800s,
if you went back in a time machine and you asked an early church father
or you asked somebody in the year 1500 or 1800, all smart people,
they would just tell you that the Gospels are what is claimed,
if you read the original documents, that they were eyewitness documents.
And the eyewitnesses just report on what eyewitnesses had seen and talked about.
In other words, they would have just said that when you were reading the Gospels,
it's like reading my chapter in the book.
You're hearing an eyewitness speak.
But in the late 1800s, under the influence of a guy by the name of Hegel,
a group of German scholars believed that they understood
how religious movements developed according to Hegelian principles
and how it took all of this long time and all of these steps.
And they believed, because they were good Hegelians,
that they understood how that worked.
And, of course, if that model was going to work,
then the New Testament couldn't be written by eyewitnesses.
It had to be written 150, 200 years later,
so that their Hegelian theory could work.
Now, nobody dates the book as late as those German scholars in the late 1800s.
Like, it sort of sucks to say that John was written in the year 200,
then you find a document, a piece, a manuscript that shows
that was written at least 80 years earlier.
Like, that's sort of a defeater for the theory.
But it's carried on and it's dragged on.
And so often what happens is many scholars still basically think
that what's happening is they're comparing documents.
And so if the documents don't say the exact same thing,
they say, well, that's been invented or something like that.
But let's just take it that there's actually no evidence
that it was written so late.
And, in fact, I think there's very, very good evidence.
And increasingly over time, they've been doing these remarkable studies
about names and places and the frequency of names
and how the customs are.
Like, when they have very, very common names,
you add an extra bit to it.
Judas was a very, very common name, so they add a bit to it.
Like, and it's amazing.
The more they know about the past,
the more accurate the New Testament is
and the more accurate the Gospels are,
the more likely it is that it had to be written by eyewitnesses
and checked by eyewitnesses very close to the time.
And that's just, like, as archaeologists and scholars
learn more about the past,
that just becomes increasingly the direction of modern knowledge.
And so what we're seeing here is eyewitnesses.
Now, how does that affect it being worded differently?
Well, some of you have taken classes from Steve Griffin.
And I bet you if you've taken some classes from Steve Griffin,
he said some things the same in different lectures.
Right?
And if even in the same lecture,
he probably just doesn't say it once, like he's a robot,
but human beings often repeat things.
And in this sermon, for instance,
you might hear me say, for instance,
that it is simple,
or you might later on hear me say it's surprisingly simple,
or it's unexpectedly simple.
Those aren't contradictions.
If one of you later on was saying,
George's first point was, it is simple.
Another person wrote down, it is surprisingly simple.
Another person writes down, it is unexpectedly simple.
And then later on, somebody said, you're all contradicting.
No, you're not contradicting.
George said all three of those things.
So it's not as if it's just, you know,
Jesus, like a robot,
this is my body,
and he's programmed to only say,
this is my body.
No.
If you've received communion from me over the years,
I've said a variety of different things.
And in a talk,
I might express the same idea several different ways,
and they write it down that.
That's all you're seeing.
In fact, actually then,
rather, it's actually a sign
that it's more realistic about what actually human beings,
what human beings actually do,
and the differences are showing you
a more realistic picture of how human beings actually function.
that rather than being a defeater about the text,
it's a reason to be more confident in the text.
And there is absolutely no reason to think
that the text is written as late
as some scholars want to put it.
And so if you look at the four different original accounts,
three of them in the eyewitness biographies,
one in Matthew,
one in Mark,
one in Luke,
and then one written in an early letter,
you'll see slightly different wordings,
and that's reflected in how we do our liturgy.
But what you can trust
is that this goes right back to Jesus,
and he institutes it.
And it is surprisingly simple,
but if you take in its very basic simplicity,
it is profoundly beautiful.
And part of the beauty is this.
You know,
let's look at it again.
Verse 22,
And as they were eating,
he took bread,
and after blessing it,
broke it,
and gave it to them,
and said,
Take, this is my body.
In other places it says,
Take and eat, this is my body.
Or take and eat,
this is my body given for you.
And he took a cup,
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them,
and they all drank it.
And he said to them,
This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many.
Truly I say to you,
I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine
until that day when I drink it new
in the kingdom of God.
You see,
part of what's so beautiful about that
is not only the words beautiful,
which we're going to look at more in a moment.
These very, very simple words
can be said by Christian believers
in Tehran or Shanghai,
meeting in a room behind closed doors
because of persecution.
If you go to visit the missionaries
you support in Angola
and go to one of their church plants,
these very simple words
can be said under a tree
in a village
that in many ways
still uses the farming techniques
of 150 years ago.
You can go to an ancient cathedral
in Paris or England
and you can hear these same words.
Or you can be in the Ottawa Little Theatre
on a Sunday morning
and hear these same words.
They are beautiful
and they are profound
and they are something
that Christians
in all sorts and conditions of life
can partake of the Lord's Supper,
the Holy Communion.
Now, it's important to remember
not just that it's simple
but that it is in a story.
These words of Jesus
are in a story
or an eyewitness biography.
Listen to the words again.
And as they were eating
he took bread
and after blessing it
broke it
and gave it to them
and said,
take, this is my body.
And he took a cup
and when he had given thanks
he gave it to them
and they all drank of it
and he said to them,
this is my blood of the covenant
which is poured out for many.
Truly I say to you
I will not drink again
of the fruit of the vine
until that day
when I drink it new
in the kingdom of God.
Now, I've talked to you
you know, before
I like watching movies
by and large.
I mean, a lot of movies
are not very good
but if I find a good movie
I really like it.
And one of the things
that characterizes bad movies
is they just stick things in randomly
to try to make the movie
more exciting
or more titillating
or create tension
and it has nothing to do
with the story.
They just throw in a
I don't know
for some random reason
the woman walking around
in her underwear
or they throw in
an explosion
or they throw in
a hostile police examination
but as the story goes on
it has nothing to do
with the story.
You know, it was just simply
put that somebody
in Hollywood said
oh, I don't want the people
to fall asleep
let's have the woman
take her top off.
Okay, oh, let's just
have the police
have a hostile investigation
which we never follow up on
and it has nothing to do
with the story.
Those are just crappy, right?
They're crappy movies
crappy stories.
That's what they are.
But in a good one
in a well done one
the different parts
of the story
help make the whole story work.
And afterwards
you know, you can ask
when I mention a movie
by the way
I'm not recommending
necessarily that you watch it
but like if you watch
the third season of Fargo
and there's this
random type of thing
at the beginning
that sets the whole thing off
but if you look at it
and you talk to other people
who watch it
they say, no, no
that's really interesting
because what they're doing
is they're prefiguring this
and prefiguring that
and you go, oh yeah
that's what they're doing.
You actually have a discussion
around it
and see how it all fits together.
So one of the things
we can say for a fact
is that people
wouldn't read these stories
continue to be reading
these stories
if they didn't have
if they weren't
well put together.
If they were just
crappy.
And so we can ask
not just
you see
and often when Christians
disagree about communion
what happens is
they get caught up
arguing about
tradition
or theology
or philosophy
and they forget
that the words
of institution
that's what it's called
are in a story
and they don't go back
to look at the story.
Like
why is it in this story?
Like
what's it doing
in this story?
And that's
what we need to do.
So you say
okay well George
what's going on?
Why is this story here?
Well let's listen
to it again
and as they were eating
and he took bread
and after blessing it
broke it
and gave it to them
and said
take this is my body
or take and eat
this is my body
and he took a cup
and when he had given thanks
he gave it to them
and they all drank of it
and he said to them
this is my blood
of the covenant
which is poured out
for many
truly I say to you
I will not drink again
of the fruit of the vine
until that day
when I drink it new
in the kingdom of God.
This
is Jesus
explaining
and Mark
recording it.
Why does Mark
record it?
Because Mark
understands afterwards
that Jesus
explains the story
that you're reading
and not only
does he explain
the story you're reading
you see the story
you're reading
Mark
explains the big story
of the Bible
and that's what Jesus
is doing here.
This
is part of those
there's several
key sayings
of Jesus
throughout the gospel
that explains the story
gives you the purpose
and the meaning
of the story
and what you see here
is Jesus
explaining the story
which explains
the big story.
How does he do that?
Well
first of all
as we went through it
and I'm not going to
reiterate it
is the Jewish people
they had a celebration
called the Passover
which celebrated
how God
had acted
to deliver them
from slavery
and bondage
in Egypt
into
freedom
where he was
to be their king
the God
and part of that
is that
the shedding
of a blood
of a lamb
and if
a Jewish family
or any family
was to shed
the blood
of a lamb
an innocent lamb
lay their hands
on it
the lamb
is killed
and the blood
is taken
and put in
on the entrance
of the house
and if they stay
inside
then as God's
judgment
was going
to pass over
the nation
of Egypt
anybody
who was in a sense
covered
by this
the blood
of the shed
lamb
and
they were
covered
by that
the judgment
of God
didn't fall
on them
it fell
on the people
committed
to slavery
and enslaving
and believed
it was their right
and that was judged
and they remembered
that
they still remember
to this day
our Jewish friends
and so the first thing
is that what's happening
is that the Jewish people
when they remembered it
they had
not just a
not just a meal
but they actually
had to have
certain types
of food
in the meal
and the meal
actually had four parts
because part of it
was retelling
the story
so that people
would remember
what God
had done for them
and part of it
as well
if you go back
and look at
the foundational
text in Exodus
and Leviticus
and Deuteronomy
they were also
not just to retell
the story
of what God
has done
but to look
forward to the day
when the Messiah
would come
the final day
and it's in that meal
at the third part
of the meal
that Jesus
interrupts the meal
to do something
and he takes
the bread
that they were
using
and they would
have already
eaten
maybe it's
towards the end
of it
and it would
have been
bread without
leaven
that's why
we use
wafers that
have no
leaven in them
when we receive it
and the cup
would have been
a cup of wine
because that's
what they would
have drunk
and so on one
hand it's very
significant that
he's connecting
me
what's about
to happen
to this very
ancient event
and this ancient
event that promises
that sometime
in the future
the Messiah
will come
and the other
thing that he's
doing is
as I tried
to explain
last week
the Jewish
people
they begin
their day
at sundown
we sort of
begin our day
technically
at midnight
or psychologically
we think our day
begins when we
wake up in the
morning
but for the
Jewish people
still to this
day
the day
begins
when the night
when sundown
happens
and the day
ends
with sundown
and so
what we're
seeing here
is we're
seeing this
unbelievably
chaotic
and packed
24 hour
period
that's all
the very
first day
of the
Passover
and the
story of
the exodus
and the
promise of
the Messiah
and the
remembering
of the
lamb
that's been
slain
and how
they're
covered
that's
fully
in their
mind
and in
that 24
hour
period
Jesus
sacrifices
a
celebrates
a Passover
supper
because he's
an observant
Jew
he institutes
the Lord's
supper
he's going
to go to
the garden
of Gethsemane
he's going
to pray
that God
would take
spare him
from this
hour
but he's
offering to
drink the
cup
and we'll
look at
that next
week
we're going
to see
Judas
betray him
and he's
going to
be captured
we're going
to see him
being taken
to the
different
Jewish
and all
of the
different
authorities
and how
they ultimately
just hand
him over
to death
and we're
going to
see him
stripped
and we're
going to
see him
whipped
and humiliated
and we're
going to
see him
drag his
cross
through the
streets
we're going
to see
all of the
apostles have
fled
and we're
going to
see him
die on
his arms
and his
feet nailed
to a cross
and we're
going to
see him
die
and we're
going to
see him
say things
from the
cross
before he
dies
and we're
going to
see that
make sure
that he's
really dead
we're going
to see a
spear piercing
his side
and blood
and water
flowing out
and we're
going to
see before
this 24
hour period
is over
some men
take him
and they
embalm him
and they
put him
in a
tomb
and that's
all going
to happen
in 24
hours
the first
day of
Passover
and the
people are
running around
and they're
afraid
and they're
going to
be hiding
for a
couple of
days
and then
there's
going to
be this
crazy
thing
where
women
good grief
women
in those
days
they say
he's
actually
that the
tomb
is empty
and that
he's
alive
and he
saw him
and they're
going to
see that
the tomb
is empty
and then
later
they're
all going
to see
it
but in
that 24
hour
period
what is
Jesus
doing
he's
giving them
a 5,000
feet in the
air view
of what's
happening
he's
saying
you see
the Passover
supper
you see
what's
going to
happen
in the
garden
you see
what's
going to
happen
with the
betrayal
you see
the trial
you see
my humiliation
you see
my being
stripped
naked
you see
the beatings
you see
my death
you're going
to be
seeing all
of these
things
and what's
really
happening
what you
need to
understand
is really
happening
is this
I'm going
to have
my body
broken
for you
I'm going
to have
my blood
shed
for you
what does
that mean
is I'm
going to
take
into
myself
that
punishment
I'm going
to stand
in your
place
I'm going
to stand
in your
place
and the
judgment
of God
that should
fall on
you
will fall
on me
and it's
not just
that I
am going
to die
in your
place
but you
know how
there was
that whole
thing about
me taking
God
taking the
people for
himself
this is a
new covenant
a brand new
start for the
human race
and it's
not going
to be
just for
Jewish
people
it's
going to
be for
people in
Singapore
and people
in Uganda
and people
in Nigeria
and people
in Venezuela
and it's
going to be
for people
in Manhattan
and people
in Ottawa
it's going
to be for
people in
Israel
and I'm
creating a
brand new
covenant
and a
covenant
is
like a
marriage
is like a
pale reflection
of a
covenant
and marriage
isn't as
good an
example
nowadays
because we
Canadians
think of
marriage as a
contract
which you
enter into
and then
you break
when the
terms of
the business
arrangement
no longer
work for
you
but this
is God
pledging
that he
will be
your God
in an
intimate
connection
of love
and affection
and protection
and blessing
and when he
has entered
into this
new covenant
with you
he will
never let
you go
and he
will deal
that's all
that's wrong
with you
and this
covenant
will begin
on this
side of
the grave
and it
will carry
you through
the grave
through death
and it
will be
for all
eternity
and it
is a
hope of
glory
and it
is a
covenant
that will
end up
with you
being able
to stand
naked
and unashamed
in the
very presence
of the
triune
God
and the
new heaven
and the
new earth
and that's
what I am
that's what
I am
accomplishing
on the
cross
and that's
what I'm
instituting
and that's
what's going
on
despite the
appearances
that's what's
going on
and unlike
the kingdoms
where the emperor
sends out the troops
to die on his
behalf
and under
unlike all of the
gods that you
know that
have you die
for them
this is the king
who dies
for his citizens
this is the god
who dies
for his
creatures
out of love
so when we
read these
words we're
reading Jesus
is 5,000
feet
meters
or feet
up in the
air
explanation
of what's
going on
now some
of you might
say it still
seems gross
and it still
seems lame
I haven't
lost you
my Muslim
friend
or my
secular
friend
or one
of you
who are
here
and wonders
about it
that leads
to the next
point
let's read
it again
and as they
were eating
he took
bread
and after
blessing
it broke
it and gave
it to them
and said
take this
is my
body
and he
took a
cup
and when
he had
given
thanks
he gave
it to
them
and they
all
drank
of it
and he
said
to them
this is
my
blood
of the
covenant
which
is poured
out
for many
truly
I say
to you
I will
not
drink
again
of the
fruit
of the
vine
until
that
day
when I
drink
it
new
in the
kingdom
of God
you notice
that prediction
of the
resurrection
what we need
to understand
is it does
sound lame
and it does
sound a bit
gross
but it is
a means
of grace
from the
triune
God
for ordinary
people like
you and
me
what Jesus
is instituting
is a very
significant
means of
grace
it comes
right from
the triune
God
right from
the heart
and the
power
and the
mind
of the
triune
God
as a
means of
grace
for ordinary
people
like you
and me
well
why it
does seem
weak
but
you know
what
it's
this story
is only
remembered
because
the men
who embalmed
the people
who saw
Jesus
people in
those days
knew that
nobody
survived
crucifixion
Romans
were batting
a thousand
at killing
people
with crucifixion
a thousand
and in a sense
their record
still stands
because they
killed Jesus
they batted
a thousand
they saw
his blood
loss
they saw
his dehydration
they saw
the blood
come from
his side
they saw
him
carried
down
obviously
dead
collapsing
on the
ground
any of
you who've
watched
the 13
hours
I have to
confess
it's one
of my
favorite
movies
there's a
very very
terrible
scene
towards the
end
where
one of
the
people
who died
is thrown
down
they can't
get him
down from
the building
and they
just drop
him
and his
friend
screams
no
and anybody
who sees
the body
drop
knows
that
the
guy
is not
alive
and they
would have
seen
the Roman
guys
they're not
going to
take Jesus
down
very carefully
and reverently
no
they just
pull things
out
knock him
down
the thud
he's
embalmed
and he's
dead
the only
reason we
know this
story is
because he
rose from
the dead
and if he
rose from
the dead
that's a
game changer
no offense
my Muslim
friends
but it
means
that Islam
is not
true
no offense
my Buddhist
friends
or my
secular
friends
but it
means that
Jesus
is who
he said
he is
and his
teaching is
trustworthy
and it
comes from
a place
of great
power
because he
has defeated
death
and he has
defeated that
which causes
death
and he's
done this
in a public
way
and he's
done it
for you
and me
and that
means that
this is a
mighty act
of grace
from the
triune God
for us
and if he
offers us
a means
of grace
it might
not look
like what
we expect
power to
do
and it
might look
lame
and it
might look
gross
but it
comes from
the one
who looked
at you
and loved
you
and died
for you
and has
defeated
death
well we
look at
it and
one of the
significances
of the
symbolism
you know
they didn't
really
nobody sat
there and
thought oh I
just drank
Jesus'
blood
that's pretty
gross
they would
have found
that
gross
they would
have found
it actually
probably more
gross than
you do
because the
Jewish law
forbids it
and we have
cultures where
some of us
will eat things
which are made
of blood
but they
would have been
more gross
for them
but what
this is
symbolizing
is that we
remember what
Jesus does
for us on
the cross
we remember
what our
destiny is
in Christ
and what
we know
if we're
at all
honest
I need
the inside
of me
to change
I need
that place
where my
the choosing
to do wrong
is changed
where my
choosing to be
proud is changed
where my
lack of
generosity
where my
lack of
forgiveness
where my
desire for
revenge
where these
hard things
from within
me where
they emerge
that's where
I need
God's grace
to come in
and we're
reminded of it
when we feed
on him
it is this
powerful way
to say
no no
this isn't
just sort of
like putting
something on
your hair
and doing
like some
lipstick
to make
the externals
look
this is
something
that's
the grace
is for
all of you
the redemption
is for
all of you
and we need
to be remembered
that Jesus
comes
he lives
within us
we are now
born again
and we need
to be reminded
that we need
to think
of get
who he is
and what he's
done for us
and his words
we need to get
them inside
of us
because it's
on the inside
that he changes
us and so
he's given
us this
powerful means
of grace
that we remember
this and we
reenact it
and we think
it's lame
because we say
like I've heard
people say
you know
Ramadan
is way better
than anything
Christians do
because we have
to fast
for all this
length of time
even when it's
really hot
and you know
we look at
things like yoga
and I'm not
putting any
things down
but from our
Canadian point
of view
these things
they resonate
with us
they show
willpower
they show
losing weight
they show
mind control
they show
how to get
more flexible
and how to
get the body
in shape
and they
all speak to
us
and they all
look like
they have
power
but the fact
of the matter
is
is that you
can lose
all the weight
you want to
lose
and you get
to be the
perfect weight
and you can
get unbelievable
mind control
and you can
have unbelievable
flexibility and
strength
you can have
fantastic
physical
discipline
but the fact
of the matter
is it's all
doomed because
you will die
go to a
graveyard and
you'll see
where you end
up
it doesn't
matter how
strong you
are how
fit you
are how
fantastic
your willpower
is it all
dies
this is a
means of
grace what
does a
means of
grace mean
my time's
going but
like a
perfect way
to understand
a means of
grace is
this if
you go
back and
I should
have looked
it up I
think it's
2nd Kings
18 but I
might be wrong
about it 1st
Kings 18 I
might be wrong
about it there's
this time when
Elijah is going
to have a
contest with
the prophets
of Baal and
they agree
they're going
to have a
contest to see
which god
will send
fire and
there's like
you know
hundreds and
hundreds of
them and
they set the
altar up and
they put the
animal on it
and they
you know
they use
their willpower
and they use
their physical
power and
they use their
magical incantations
and they do
they cut
themselves and
they sacrifice
themselves and
they do everything
they possibly can
do at the end of
the day the fire
doesn't come
and then Elijah
comes and he
takes some stones
and he kills an
animal he puts
some wood and he
pours water on it
he pours water on
it pours water on
it and just so
you know I'm not
a camper I've said
this before but I
sort of do
understand that if you
want to start a fire
you don't pour
water on the
wood first
that's just not
how you start
fires that's not
going to work
ever and then
and then he
prays and God
sends the fire
so Elijah acts
in obedience to
do what God
tells him to do
even though it
looks weak and
even though it
looks foolish and
even though it
looks like it will
never accomplish
what it's supposed
to accomplish but
because he does
what God asks him
to do God does
what only he can
do which is send
the fire and
that's at the
heart of the
means of grace
and by the
way if you're
watching this
we Christians
often also think
it's lame
that's why we
want to try to
have something
maybe with special
music or some
special lighting or
smoke machines or
lasers to try to
create some more
powerful emotion or
why we want to
have you know get
me dressed up in
lots of robes and
parade around and
have choirs and
all of this stuff
because we sort of
worry that these
mere words aren't
going to be enough
but the fact the
matter is is that
all those things
just distract
the means of
grace aren't if
you have lots of
processions and
lots of robes it's
not if you have a
way to emotionally
manipulate people to
feel particular
emotions it's not
connected to any of
that it's the simple
obedient act of
repeating the words
of Jesus and
receiving the bread
and the wine in
obedience to him
and God brings the
fire and he's not
interested per se in
making you richer
making you slimmer
making you more
muscular having you
have better mind
control he has a
way better plan for
you and that plan is
to be in the new
heaven and the new
earth and to stand
in his presence and
only he knows how to
get there and so we
humbly receive it can
be in a great
cathedral nothing wrong
with processions nothing
more wrong with robes
but you and I today
or that church that
earlier today met
under a tree in a
field still using
farming techniques from
hundreds of years ago
you and I in
obedience say the
words receive the bread
and the wine and God
gives grace
he fits you for
heaven
I just because of the
time I'm just going to
say a couple of things
I'm going to just very
very briefly
the story which comes
right after this
actually we'll read it
I'll be very brief
it's very important to
understand communion this
story that happens next
and look at this verse
26 and when they had
sung a hymn they went
out to the Mount of
Olives the Passover meal
is over and Jesus said
to them you will all fall
away for it is written I
will strike the shepherd and
the sheep will be
scattered but after I am
raised I will go before
you to Galilee
Peter said to him
even if even though they
all fall away I will
not it's a proud and
arrogant statement
he doesn't say oh
Jesus I'm going to fall
away have mercy on me
but no no you're wrong
Jesus and Jesus said to
him truly I tell you this
very night before the
rooster crows twice you
will deny me three times
but Peter doubles down he
says emphatically if I
must die with you I will
not deny you and they
all said the same now
here's the thing very
briefly because of the
time the Lord's Supper is
not for the the elite it's
not for the people who
make believe they're worthy
the Lord's Supper is for
redeemed sinners the Lord's
Supper is for a redeemed
sinner like you and me
that's who it's for
you want to know something
else which is really
interesting you know on
one hand Peter and all
those disciples were right
they they were wrong they
would deny Jesus before
the night was over but
they said they'll die for
him every single one of
those disciples except John
died a martyr's death
everyone and John died in
exile in a place that now
we would think of as a
holiday place but back then
was an exile and they all
died refusing to say
anything other than that
Jesus had risen from the
dead they died for a fact
for the good news what's the
difference you see the
difference is that Peter
says this and they said
this out of their self
will out of their mind
control out of their
control out of me control
out of my agenda out of my
power and part of the
mystery I I long for the
day we can have a church
building where we can kneel
for communion if you want to
receive communion by kneeling I
long for that day to return
it's part of the Anglican
tradition to kneel to receive
communion why what's the
difference between now and
what will happen to them
later it's this profound
truth of the Bible I am
taller when I kneel before
him I am taller when I kneel
before Jesus and receive
grace from him it is
completely against what the
world would say they'd say
George you're shorter when
you kneel well generally you
are and if I kneel to an
idol I've only become
smaller and if I kneel to
fears and if I kneel to
lies I've only become
smaller but if I kneel to
him I am taller and I can be
by God's grace like
I am not going to be
burned at the cross
burned at a stake he had
earlier denied the faith and
then he recanted he repented
and he wanted he held his
hand the story is he held his
hands in the flame because he
wanted that to die be burned
first you are taller when you
bow when you kneel final
thing I have could you put up
the two the first of the two
sentences Claire this is a
little bit of help just as we
bring to a close about how to
receive communion the first
thing is actually I'm just
going to say a challenge to
those who are online I
understand why there's lots of
reasons why you're not
receiving coming here to
receive communion I just want
to urge you you are passing up
a means of grace I want to
urge you I mean it might be
that you can't come most of
the time it I know there can
be health and other types of
reasons but I want to urge you
that you are passing up a
means of grace and for those of
you are watching and maybe
you're in a city far away
maybe you're a university
student who's can't get up
early enough on a Sunday
morning you're watching it
later on from the University of
Ottawa I just like to urge you
to consider that maybe God has
brought you to watch these
services because he wants you
to begin that person who begins
to pray that a church can be
planted in your city I want to
I want to challenge you that
this might exactly be while
you're watching this that you
can be if you're a university
student the means by which we
can get back on the campus to
share the gospel and I want to
challenge you to bring it to God
in prayer and if he's and to
share it with us so that we can
join with you in prayer that God
will plant a church so that you
can go on a Sunday morning and
will miss having you watch but
that you can receive the means
of grace of the Lord's Supper on
a Sunday morning I want to
challenge you
and these sentences are going to
be very very helpful for us to
understand how to receive
communion and they come from the
Book of Common Prayer it comes
from the English Reformation and
part of them are yellowed on a
purpose notice what we do the
first thing is this is
traditionally if you were to go
to a if you had come to my
eight o'clock service back in
the day with an altar rail and I
went along the things you would
have heard me say this every
Sunday as I was giving you
communion and it explains what
communion is and what you should
be praying into and if you'd like
to find these words later on we
can send them to you it's in the
the 1662 Book of Common Prayer
but notice we don't hide the
words we don't try to like we
just say the body of our Lord
Jesus Christ which was given for
you we're being invited to
remember that his body was given
for you and notice this preserve
part of the means of grace is not
that we become Christians through it
but those of us who are Christians
redeem sinners it's a means by
which God preserves us body and soul
unto everlasting life
and then I say take and eat this in
remembrance that Christ died for you
once again remembering that he had
died for us and hear this feed on him
in your heart by faith with
thanksgiving
as you prepare to receive communion
you can think of these words and you
say Lord I'm a I'm I'm watching these
other people receiving and I want you
to help me feed on you in my heart
and you might say I don't know what
that's going to be like emotionally I
don't know what's going to be like
emotionally maybe it's going to be
very moving maybe it'll be nothing
but help me not only now but always to
feed on you in my heart and feed on
you in my heart with thanksgiving for
who you are and what you've said and
what you've accomplished for me
and then after you have received the
bread I would come along and I would
say the blood of our Lord Jesus
Christ
once again we're just copying the
words of Jesus
which was shed for you
once again notice this preserve your
body and soul unto everlasting life
drink this what in remembrance that
Christ's blood was shed for you and be
thankful and we can say Lord grip me
with the gospel I'm not thankful
help me to be thankful not necessarily
the emotion of thankfulness but the
life of thankfulness which is more
important than the emotion of
thankfulness you see when we have a
life of thankfulness it is easier to
do hard things it is easier to to be
faithful it is easier to read the Bible
it is easier to be generous it's easier
to forgive and so we can ask God not
just for the emotion of thankfulness but
the reality the life of thankfulness
invite you to stand
let's bow our heads in prayer
father thank you for the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ for what he did for us
on the cross for his life his death his
resurrection we thank and praise you
father that you have brought us to a
faith in Christ for those of us who have
come to a faith a personal faith and
trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord
father if there are any here or any who
are watching who have not yet come to a
faith and trust in Jesus as Savior and
Lord we ask father that you help them to
put their faith and trust in him we thank
you father for Jesus and we thank you
father that you have provided this very
very simple but very beautiful and
profound means of grace whereby you
preserve us body and soul unto everlasting
life that you fit us for an eternal life
with you in the new heaven and the new
earth and we ask father that you help us
to be thankful for what Christ has
accomplished for us not just as an
emotion father although we love the
emotion of thankfulness and I if you
give us that as well that's great but
more than the emotion we ask Lord that you
grant us the habits and the and the mind
and the tone of life and and and and
disciplines of life that emerge out of a
deep thankfulness for what you have done
for us in the person of your son and his
death upon the cross on our behalf and we
ask these things in the name of Jesus your
son and our Savior amen
your son and I don't say that in the
scriptures for us in the given生
which is striking to him
He was my son and I think of this
AH University of of2009
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