These Sunday mornings from Christmas to Easter we are exploring the privileges of Church Membership:

Seven Habits of Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus. They are based on a definition of church membership that was written over 50 years ago by the two Archbishops of Canterbury and York and accepted by the Church of England Assembly. They define the core essentials of what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

1. To follow the example of Christ
2. To be regular in prayer and Bible reading
3. To come to church every Sunday
4. To give personal service through the Church
5. To take communion faithfully
6. To give to the Lord’s work at home and abroad
7. To uphold the standard of marriage

At Easter we will be inviting you to declare yourself a member of Christ’s Church and this local church. We will reaffirm a simple declaration in which together we commit, by God’s grace, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in and through Christ Church during the year ahead. Lets turn to the fifth habit of fully devoted followers of Jesus – receiving communion regularly and faithfully. Do you remember your first experience of communion. I do. I was so nervous I left the church! There have probably more disagreements in Church history over the Lord’s Supper than any other doctrine. In some denominations the congregation share the bread but not the wine. In others, like ours you get to receive both. In some traditions fortified wine is used, in others, you are lucky to get Ribena or grape juice. In some traditions the bread and wine can only be consecrated by an ordained minister. In some churches people cross themselves. In some traditions people hold out their hands. In other’s they stick out their tongues. Some stand to receive, others prefer to kneel.

Some dip the bread in the wine. In some the wine is already impregnated in the wafer. In some they share the common cup. In others they each receive an individual cup. Some use glass, some use disposable plastic. Some use packets of bread and wine individually sealed. Some use wafers, some use bread. In some traditions, children may share in the meal if they have been baptised and in others they do not. In some traditions, the clergy are expected to take communion daily and the congregation at least weekly. In some the meal is eaten monthly and in others only seasonally. In various traditions it is called the Mass, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, a Love Feast, Holy Communion and Agape meal. In some churches it is eaten around a stone altar and in others around a wooden table. Some believe the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus – the Real Presence. Others teach that it is a memorial – a meal of remembrance. With so many variations, they nevertheless have one thing in common. They all trace their roots back to the Last Supper Jesus ate with his disciples. And we tend to think that our tradition is more faithful to Scripture and others have got it wrong in some way or other. Today we come to the fifth habit of fully devoted followers of Jesus. Please turn with me to 1 Corinthians 11 and lets us consider four reasons why it is important to receive Holy Communion regularly and faithfully. But first note the context:

The Context of the Lord’s Supper in Corinth

“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it…So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!” (1 Corinthians 11:17-22)

The early church had developed a very lovely tradition in connection with the observance of the Lord’s Supper. They ate a meal together that became known as a Love Feast. Each member brought what they had to share. The resources were pooled. The whole church sat down to a common meal. A beautiful way to express their Christian fellowship. This incidentally is the basis for our own monthly breakfast on the first Sunday of the month and church family lunch which we hold on the fourth Sunday of each month. Please join us next Sunday. Bring some food to share. In Corinth, they celebrated the Lord’s Supper as part of this meal. But there were several things that undermined their noble aim. Paul found it necessary to rebuke them strongly. When they met, instead of being one, they separated along social lines – the wealthy separated from the poor and the slaves. Some were also drinking too much and things got out of hand. So Pauls writes, “Your meetings do more harm than good” (1 Corinthians 11:17). They had forgotten the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. Their celebrations had become:

1. Divisive (11: 18, 22)
2. Exclusive (11:21)
3. Excessive (11:21)

So Paul responds, “What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter.” (1 Corinthians 11:22).

Paul writes to correct this abuse. He does so by reminding them how the Lord instituted the meal in the first place. Paul gives us 4 principles to ensure we celebrate the Lord’s Supper faithfully.

Read more here sizers.org/sermons/1corinthians11.htm