May the mumbling commence!
Yesterday afternoon, the people of Community Church of the Brethren came together to kick off the Advent season with a Love Feast. The Love Feast, during Advent, is a time of reflection and meditation and baptism vow renewal injected with joy. We celebrated together the birth of Christ Jesus and looked forward to the Second Coming. In this service, we embrace the life and teachings of Jesus – Jesus’ unique way of life, which is unique in its obedience to God.
During the love feast, we hear familiar Scriptures read and meditated on – like the last supper Jesus had with his disciples before his crucifixion including the foot-washing passage from John 13. During Advent, we also hear a birth narrative and sing a familiar Christmas carol. Interspersed with these Scripture lessons and meditations and songs, we eat a simple meal together, wash one another’s feet, and observe Communion.
The Love Feast is a beautiful and sustaining service – physically, socially, and spiritually. It encapsulates the life of Jesus the Christ – a life of service. It was a life that the Corinthian church was struggling to embrace. This struggle is why Paul wrote to Corinth about the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Read what he wrote from 1 Corinthians chapter eleven:
When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. (Verses 20-34a)
Can you imagine showing up early to an observance of the Lord’s Supper not to sit in solitary reflection but to be first in line and to eat and drink to your heart’s desire? Can you imagine pigging out at the Lord’s Table even though you have plenty at home and know there are some in the congregation who are going hungry and skipping meals? It seems that the Corinthian congregation was doing just such a thing. Paul wanted to know if they were intentionally wanting to humiliate the poor in their midst.
Those preparing for the Lord’s Table must spend time in examination, which includes not only self-examination but also the recognition of the body of the Lord. And who is the body of the Lord, but the congregation?
So, in this season of Advent, when we are waiting on the Lord, let us also consider and wait on each other. This is a waiting or service that many who have worked in the restaurant business know well. Let us serve one another.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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