A Communion Service Homily

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Webers_Home

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Communion services are supposed to be the topic of a brief sermon.

1Cor 11:26. . . For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Below is my favorite communion service homily; perhaps others have a
favorite of their own they'd like to share.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1Cor 10:16-17 . . Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks
a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are
many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

The bread that the Lord broke on the night of his last supper represented his
crucified body; and whenever I partake of communion's broken bread, it
reminds me that not only did Jesus go to the cross for my sins; but that I
was with him in the act.

Rom 6:2-4 . . Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death?

Gal 2:20 . . I am crucified with Christ


FAQ: What's the point of going to the cross with Christ?

A: Jesus died for the sins of the world; which means that by going to the
cross with him, I died for the sins of the world too: in particular my world,
i.e. my own little personal share of all those sins.


FAQ: So?

A: Well the thing is: Jesus is never going to die for the sins of the world ever
again because that one time on his cross was sufficient. The same thing with
me: I'm never going to die for my sins ever again either because that one
time with him on his cross was sufficient.

There was a time when I was dead to God, but thanks to Christ and his
crucifixion, that's no longer my status.

Rom 6:10-11 . .The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life
he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin
and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So the communion service is not only a memorial of his body's near
destruction for the world's sake, but also a personal celebration of my own
body's rescue from certain destruction in the lake of fire depicted at Rev
20:11-15 wherein people dead to God will undergo the loss of their lives in a
manner similar to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.
_
 

Webers_Home

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FAQ: Why is there no mention of Christ's resurrection in your homily?

A: According to the apostle Paul, the communion service that Jesus initiated
with his men during the last supper is specifically intended to be a homily
commemorating his death-- only his death --nothing more.

1Cor 11:26. . . For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Use of the communion service to proclaim anything more than Christ's death
has to be regarded as presumptuous embellishment upon the Lord's explicit
instructions as they were given to Paul.

1Cor 14:37 . . If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him
acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of
the Lord.
_
 

marksman

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Communion services are supposed to be the topic of a brief sermon.

1Cor 11:26. . . For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Below is my favorite communion service homily; perhaps others have a
favorite of their own they'd like to share.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

1Cor 10:16-17 . . Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks
a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a
participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are
many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.

The bread that the Lord broke on the night of his last supper represented his
crucified body; and whenever I partake of communion's broken bread, it
reminds me that not only did Jesus go to the cross for my sins; but that I
was with him in the act.

Rom 6:2-4 . . Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into his death?

Gal 2:20 . . I am crucified with Christ


FAQ: What's the point of going to the cross with Christ?

A: Jesus died for the sins of the world; which means that by going to the
cross with him, I died for the sins of the world too: in particular my world,
i.e. my own little personal share of all those sins.


FAQ: So?

A: Well the thing is: Jesus is never going to die for the sins of the world ever
again because that one time on his cross was sufficient. The same thing with
me: I'm never going to die for my sins ever again either because that one
time with him on his cross was sufficient.

There was a time when I was dead to God, but thanks to Christ and his
crucifixion, that's no longer my status.

Rom 6:10-11 . .The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life
he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin
and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So the communion service is not only a memorial of his body's near
destruction for the world's sake, but also a personal celebration of my own
body's rescue from certain destruction in the lake of fire depicted at Rev
20:11-15 wherein people dead to God will undergo the loss of their lives in a
manner similar to a foundry worker falling into a kettle of molten iron.
_

Sorry to disappoint you but there were no brief sermons in the New Testament church because there was no communion. Breaking of Bread in modern-day speak was no more than steak and chips.
 

Webers_Home

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Luke 2:10-12 . .The angel said to them: I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has
been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

The angel announced the birth of a savior; defined by Webster's as one who
rescues. We've all seen examples-- lifeguards, firemen, cops, emergency
medical services, Coast Guard units, snow patrols, and mountaineering
teams. Rescue workers typically save people in distress who are facing
imminent death and/or grave danger and utterly helpless to do anything
about it.

In other words: Jesus Christ's ordeal on the cross is a lifeline, so to speak,
that God is all set to throw to anyone and everyone for whom destiny in Hell
is a foregone conclusion if only they have the good sense to plead guilty and
throw themselves on the mercy of the court by a simple, naive prayer
something like this one:

"God, I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's
death."

Does Jesus' Father honor those kinds of prayers? Well if His son's story of
the tax collector at Luke 18:9-14, and the account of the malefactor
crucified along with Jesus at Luke 23:38-43 are truthful indicators; then I
can honestly, and confidently, attest that He does, and He will.


NOTE: Just about everybody who's ever heard anything about Christianity is
aware that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, but what is often
unknown is that it was personal; as Isaiah 53:6 says: "The Lord has caused
the iniquity of us all to fall on him."

In other words: the iniquity of each of us fell on him, i.e. any name we
might pull out of a hat, and as many names as we might pull out of a hat:
that one name, and each name, is an individual for whom Christ endured the
cross; there are no exceptions. Is it any wonder then why the angel
announced not just joy, rather, "great joy" that will be for all the people?
_
 

farouk

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Luke 2:10-12 . .The angel said to them: I bring you good news of great
joy that will be for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a savior has
been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

The angel announced the birth of a savior; defined by Webster's as one who
rescues. We've all seen examples-- lifeguards, firemen, cops, emergency
medical services, Coast Guard units, snow patrols, and mountaineering
teams. Rescue workers typically save people in distress who are facing
imminent death and/or grave danger and utterly helpless to do anything
about it.

In other words: Jesus Christ's ordeal on the cross is a lifeline, so to speak,
that God is all set to throw to anyone and everyone for whom destiny in Hell
is a foregone conclusion if only they have the good sense to plead guilty and
throw themselves on the mercy of the court by a simple, naive prayer
something like this one:

"God, I know I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's
death."

Does Jesus' Father honor those kinds of prayers? Well if His son's story of
the tax collector at Luke 18:9-14, and the account of the malefactor
crucified along with Jesus at Luke 23:38-43 are truthful indicators; then I
can honestly, and confidently, attest that He does, and He will.


NOTE: Just about everybody who's ever heard anything about Christianity is
aware that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world, but what is often
unknown is that it was personal; as Isaiah 53:6 says: "The Lord has caused
the iniquity of us all to fall on him."

In other words: the iniquity of each of us fell on him, i.e. any name we
might pull out of a hat, and as many names as we might pull out of a hat:
that one name, and each name, is an individual for whom Christ endured the
cross; there are no exceptions. Is it any wonder then why the angel
announced not just joy, rather, "great joy" that will be for all the people?
_
@Webers_Home Like you say, the veil of understanding can so often impede a reading of Isaiah 53, but when that veil is lifted by the Holy Spirit, the significance of those sufferings becomes gloriously apparent to personal saving faith.
 

Webers_Home

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Here's another useful homily in accord with 1Cor 11:26.

John 3:14-17 . . As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so
must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in him have
eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The incident to which Christ referred is located at Num 21:5-9. Long story
short: Moses' people became weary of eating manna all the time at every
meal. But instead of courteously, and diplomatically, petitioning their divine
benefactor for a different diet, they became hostile and confrontational;
angrily demanding tastier food.

In response to their insolence, and their ingratitude for His providence; God
sent a swarm of deadly poisonous vipers among them; which began striking
people; and every strike was 100% fatal, no exceptions.

After a number of people died, the rest came to their senses and begged
Moses to intercede. In reply; The Lord instructed Moses to fashion an image
of the vipers and hoist it up on a pole in plain view so that everyone dying
from venom could look to the image for relief.

The key issue here is that the image was the only God-given remedy for the
people's bites-- not sacrifices and offerings, not tithing, not church
attendance, not scapulars, not confession, not holy days of obligation, not
the Sabbath, not the golden rule, not charity, not Bible study and/or Sunday
school, not self denial, not vows of poverty, not the Ten Commandments,
not one's religion of choice, no; not even prayers. The image was it; nothing
else would suffice to save their lives.

As an allegory, the brazen serpent indicates that Christ's crucifixion for the
sins of the world is the only God-given rescue from the wrath of God; and
when people accept it, then according to John 3:14-17 and John 5:24, they
qualify for a transfer from death into life. Those who reject his crucifixion as
the only God-given rescue from the sum of all fears, are already on the
docket to face it.

John 3:18 . .Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the
name of God's one and only Son.

» His son's "name" in this case is relative to the brazen serpent incident.
_