Luke 7:18-35

of Luke, which focus on the question of who is this Jesus and seeking to refocus our attention

on him just personally and directly as we look in the gospels at his works and his words.

Luke chapter 7, beginning at verse 18, let's read together.

Luke 7 · chapter mention

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him,

sent them to the Lord saying, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?

And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you saying,

are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?

In that hour, he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And on many who

were blind, he bestowed sight. And he answered them, go and tell John what you have seen and heard.

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,

the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them, and blessed is the one who is

not offended by me. When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning

John. What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind. What then did you,

what then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing. Behold, those who are dressed in

splendid clothing and live in luxury are in king's courts. What then did you go out to see?

A prophet? Yes, I tell you. And more than a prophet, this is he of whom it is written,

behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.

I tell you, among those born of women, none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the

kingdom of God is greater than he. When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too,

they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the

lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

To what then shall I compare the people of this generation? And what are they like? They are like

children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, we played the flute for you,

and you did not dance. We sang a dirge, and you did not weep. For John the Baptist has come eating

no bread and drinking no wine, and you say he has a demon. The Son of Man has come eating and drinking,

and you say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, yet wisdom

is justified by all her children. Let's pray. Father, we pray that you would send us your spirit

as we look into your word now, open our hearts and minds to receive from you. In Christ's name, amen.

The atheist Richard Dawkins wrote,

In other words, religious faith is only sustained when people refuse to question, doubt, and think

rationally. Now, some Christians have behaved as if Richard Dawkins was right. I was recently talking

with a friend of mine. He's one of the only Christian faculty members at a small liberal arts

college where he teaches, and he was talking with one of his colleagues, a fellow professor who shared

with him that he had grown up in a Bible-believing church, but no longer identified as a Christian.

And they had a 40-minute conversation about the questions that led this man to distance himself

from and eventually abandon his Christian faith that he was raised with. And at the end of the

conversation, he said to my friend, you're the only Christian I've met who's been willing to seriously

engage with me about these questions. Now, sadly, that's how many people have experienced Christianity.

If you believe in God or the Bible, don't ask too many questions. Don't worry about evidence. Don't

ask for too many explanations. That means your faith is weak. Some Christians seem to resist or suppress

all expressions of doubt or disappointment or questioning. They see no place for doubt in the life of a

Christian. Now, by contrast, there are other Christians who seem to be strangely attracted to doubt.

Doubt and disappointment and disappointment and questioning. They act as if doubt and disappointment

should have a permanent place in the life of every Christian. One such person wrote,

doubt is a healthy part of faith. I am generally suspicious of Christians who claim to be certain

about what they believe. I think religious certainty is one of the biggest problems in the world today,

and I think it is driving people out of the church. But that position has its problems as well.

For one thing, doubts don't just come out of pure neutrality. Behind every doubt or question

is an alternate belief. Doubts emerge from other, often unstated assumptions. For example,

this particular person who I quoted assumes that certainty or confidence in one's faith in God

fosters arrogance. Always or almost all the time.

What does Christianity actually say about doubt and questions and disappointment with God?

This morning's passage speaks to this very issue. In fact, it begins with a question

from John the Baptist to Jesus.

Are you the one who is to come? Or shall we look for another?

This morning I want to look at John's question,

at Jesus' answer,

and finally at our response.

So first, John's question.

Now if you have read through the Gospel of Luke,

Luke 1 · chapter mention

chapters 1 through 3, Luke has already introduced us to John the Baptist.

And we see in those chapters that the lives and callings of John the Baptist and Jesus

were deeply intertwined from the very beginning.

Their mothers were even related to each other.

Luke describes their birth and circumcision and naming and growth and beginning of their public ministry.

Jesus goes to John to be baptized by him.

John says,

I'm not the Messiah,

but he points to Jesus as the coming one.

But by this point,

John was no longer preaching in the wilderness.

He was locked up in prison.

We learn that in chapter 3, verse 20.

John had confronted King Herod,

the most powerful ruler in the region.

Because Herod,

Herod had divorced his wife

and married his brother's wife instead.

And John confronted him

about that and many other evil things that he had done.

And Herod decided he couldn't,

the only way to shut him up was to lock him up.

So he put him in jail.

And from jail,

John sent messengers to Jesus to ask this question.

Are you the one who is to come?

Or shall we look for another?

It seems like,

for whatever reason,

John was having second thoughts.

He was doubting.

He was questioning.

Now some commentators have said that can't be right.

How can John the Baptist,

the bold preacher,

be doubting Jesus?

No, he must have been asking this question

simply for the sake of his disciples.

That they could be reassured

of who Jesus really was.

But I think the most natural way

to read John's question

is as a genuine question.

John's disciples had reported to him

the things that they had seen Jesus do so far.

What we've looked at over the last three chapters,

the blind receiving their sight,

the lame walk,

the lepers are cleansed,

the deaf hear.

And perhaps John was thinking,

okay,

that sounds all well and good.

But I thought that

one mightier than I was coming

to clear the threshing floor

and gather the wheat into God's barn

and burn up the chaff

with unquenchable fire.

What about God bringing his judgment,

righteous judgment

on an ungodly government

and a corrupt religious establishment?

What about the Messiah delivering me

from the clutches of wicked King Herod?

I don't hear about any of that happening yet.

Jesus,

are you really

the coming Messiah?

Or is there somebody else coming after you?

Should we be on the lookout

for someone else?

You know,

sometimes

loyal and self-sacrificial servants of God

experience doubt

and disappointment

and depression.

The prophet Elijah did.

Right after his dramatic showdown

with the prophets of Baal,

a victory,

he ran away

and went into a cave

and wanted to die.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

the courageous German pastor

who resisted the Nazis

and protected the Jews

and trained underground church leaders

and even joined in a plot

to assassinate Hitler,

wrote a poem

when he was in the concentration camp

entitled,

Who Am I?

This is what he wrote.

Who am I?

They often tell me

I would step from my cell's confinement

calmly,

cheerfully,

firmly,

like a squire

from his country house.

Who am I?

They often tell me

I would talk to my guards

freely

and friendly

and clearly

as though it were mine to command.

Who am I?

They also tell me

I would bear the days

of misfortune

steadily,

smilingly,

proudly,

like one accustomed to win.

Am I really all that

which other men tell of?

Or am I only

what I know of myself?

Restless

and longing

and sick

like a bird in a cage,

struggling for breath

as though hands

were compressing my throat,

thirsting for words

of kindness,

for neighborliness,

trembling

in expectation

of great events,

powerlessly trembling

for friends

at an infinite distance,

weary

and empty

at praying,

at thinking,

faint

and ready

to say farewell

to it all.

Have you ever been there?

Everybody around you

looks at you

and says

you're so strong

in God's word,

you're so devoted

to the Lord,

you're such a servant

of God's people

and on the inside

you feel like

you're about to break down.

You feel weary

and worn out

and short-tempered

and cynical.

Some days

you look around

and don't even quite know

what to believe anymore.

Doubt and disappointment

can be provoked

by all kinds of things,

whether it's

simple physical tiredness

or grieving a loss,

boredom and idleness,

spiritual attack,

harboring unconfessed sin,

all kinds of reasons.

Sometimes it's

when we feel strongest

that we're most

spiritually vulnerable.

After all,

the Bible warns us

pride goes before a fall.

And sometimes

it's when we feel weakest

that our faith

is being refined,

sometimes unbeknownst to us.

What do we do

when we're in the midst

of doubt,

disappointment,

or depression?

Well, sometimes I think

we hold on to those things.

We sort of turn them

over and over

in our own minds.

We simmer

and marinate in them.

We can even become proud

of them.

We see these things

as a badge of authenticity

that distinguishes us

from more simple-minded believers.

If we're honest with ourselves,

we'd be afraid

to let those things go.

Sometimes we hide

our doubts instead.

We feel that doubt

is inherently shameful,

so we avoid

revealing our doubts

and our disappointments

to fellow Christians.

We especially resist

voicing any doubts

to a Christian leader.

Perhaps we share

our doubts

and disappointments

with unbelievers

or unorthodox believers,

thinking that they

will be more sympathetic.

But those are not

healthy responses

to doubt

and disappointment.

Look at what John does here.

He sends messengers

to Jesus.

Despite the prison walls,

despite the geographical distance

separating him and Jesus,

he finds a way

to communicate his questions

and bring his doubts

to Jesus.

There's no one

more sympathetic

and no one

more wise

than Jesus.

So bring your doubt

and your disappointment

and your depression

to Jesus

through prayer

and through fellowship

with his people.

There's John's question.

Are you the one?

Or shall we wait?

Now let's look at Jesus' answer

in verse 21 to 28.

Notice how Jesus

responds to John.

He does not rebuke

or shame him.

He does not say

stop asking such questions.

You should know the answer,

of course.

Look instead

at how he responds.

Verse 21.

He does a bunch of miracles

right in front of their eyes.

He shows John's messengers

some of the visible

fruits of his ministry.

You learn who Jesus is

by seeing what he does.

And there are many people

even right here

in this room

who can testify

to the transforming

and healing power

of Jesus Christ.

Where Christ is

we will see his

actual and visible work

in people's hearts

and lives.

Not always in the form

of miraculous healings

but real fruits

of the spirit.

Real change over time.

Sometimes it's two steps forward

and one and a half steps back.

But it's real change

that wouldn't be happening

in your life

or in other people's lives

apart from Christ

and the Holy Spirit.

And sometimes

when we're doubting

or disappointment

we can be encouraged

by looking around

at our brothers and sisters

and seeing God

at work

in their lives.

Verse 22.

Jesus lists

the work of mercy

he has done.

Sort of summarizing

these last three chapters.

but these words

are also a fulfillment

of Isaiah's prophecies.

And John

well versed in the Old Testament

would have recognized that.

Because Isaiah prophesied

that in the day of the Messiah

exactly these things

would happen.

For example

Isaiah 35

5 and 6

says

Then

the eyes of the blind

shall be opened

and the ears

of the deaf

unstopped.

Then shall the lame man

leap like a deer.

Isaiah 26

says

Your dead shall live

their bodies shall rise.

Isaiah 61

1

The spirit of the Lord

is upon me

he has anointed me

to bring good news

to the poor.

What Jesus is saying

is I'm the promised Messiah

the one of whom

the scriptures

have foretold.

Jesus reminds John

that the Bible

has a storyline

and Jesus is the climax

it leads up to him

and sometimes

that's helpful

when we're facing

doubts as well.

To see God's purposes

God's faithfulness

in the past

to see that

God led his people

in the Old Testament

through a wilderness too.

And God's people

waited

hundreds of years

and many of them

died without seeing

what was promised

but God was faithful

to his promises.

It's helpful for us

to look back

and see

God's faithfulness

in the scriptures.

Verse 23

Jesus gives a challenge

blessed is the one

who is not offended

by me.

Another translation

in the NIV says

blessed is the one

who does not stumble

on account of me.

You might say

blessed is the one

who is not turned off

by me.

What's Jesus saying here?

Well it seems that John

most likely

had expectations

about Jesus

that needed

to be revised.

He was expecting

Jesus

to bring salvation

and judgment

all at once.

Jesus was operating

on a different timeline.

Yes there would be

a future day of judgment

but now Jesus was here

to bring God's mercy

his saving grace

to a broken world.

Sometimes our doubts

and disappointments

are rooted in

sincere

but misguided

expectations

about what God

is going to do

and when he's going

to do it

and what part

I'm supposed to play

in it.

And sometimes

our doubts

and disappointments

are God's means

instruments

that he uses

to reshape

and refine

and refocus

our expectations.

Sometimes we can be

offended

by the mercy

Jesus shows.

Isn't that what

Jesus has been doing?

Showing mercy

to all kinds

of people.

Teaching his disciples

love your enemies

do good to those

who hate you

bless those

who curse you

pray for those

who abuse you

be merciful

even as your father

is merciful.

God the father

is merciful

every day

to people

who hate him

and curse him

and abuse his blessings

and he calls us

to be merciful

like him.

That's a hard teaching.

Right?

Many of us

would be offended

by that

if we take it

seriously.

Now it doesn't mean

we shouldn't set

appropriate boundaries

when relationships

turn toxic

but it does mean

we should pray

for people

even those

that hurt us

and pray

for an open heart

toward reconciliation.

Perhaps we're offended

when others seem

to receive more mercy

than we do.

Imagine John

sitting in prison

and he gets

this report.

Jesus heals

the lame.

He gives sight

to the blind.

He cleanses lepers.

He raises the dead

and I'm still here

in prison.

Okay Jesus

I can see you're there

for somebody else

but what about me?

Jesus said

blessed is the one

who's not offended

by me.

In another place

he says

don't be envious

because I'm generous.

You see

the salvation

that Jesus brings

is by his grace alone.

It's not something

we earn

or deserve

by our works.

We can't deserve it.

We can't earn it.

We can only receive it.

And some people

are offended by that

because it means

it humbles us.

The only way

we can receive it

is to humble ourselves

and lay down our pride

and acknowledge

we don't deserve it

and we can't earn it.

And we have to

open our hands

and receive it

as a free gift.

But when we accept

that salvation

by grace

Jesus says

we're blessed.

We're at peace

with God.

We can have joy

from the Lord.

Jesus is a merciful

Messiah.

That's the first part

of his response

to John

is emphasizing

his mission

of mercy.

But then Jesus

turns to the crowds

in verses 24 to 28

and he asks them

a question about John.

What did you go out

into the wilderness

to see?

He repeats this question

three times.

Right?

Not a reed shaken

by the wind.

Not a weak

and wavering

individual

driven by the trends

of popular opinion.

Not a man

dressed in soft clothing.

Overprivileged,

overprotected,

and overindulged.

But a prophet.

In fact,

the messenger

prophesied by Malachi

who would prepare

the way

for the coming

of the Lord himself.

Jesus is a merciful

Messiah,

but John

was a messenger

of repentance.

John was a prophet

in the line

of Elijah.

He spoke the truth

without apologizing

for it,

without mincing words,

without beating

around the bush.

He called people

to repent,

to confess their sins,

and be baptized

in the Jordan River.

That was a dramatic

public symbol.

It means I need

to start all over again.

I'm going to leave

behind my old way

of life

and start something new.

And John didn't just

talk about forsaking

sin in general.

He called people

to repent

of particular sins.

So John told

the tax collectors

who were notorious

for fudging the numbers

to their own benefit,

don't collect any more

than you're authorized

to.

He told the soldiers,

notorious for abusing

their power,

don't extort money

from anyone.

By threats

or false accusation,

be content with your wages.

He told Herod,

who did whatever

he wanted to do

and expected others

to get in line,

repent,

you're committing adultery.

John was willing

to get in people's face

and confront them

about their sin.

He called people

to repentance

and warned

of God's coming judgment.

He said,

even now the axe

is laid to the root

of the trees.

Every tree,

therefore,

that does not produce

good fruit

will be cut down

and thrown

into the fire.

Now,

in some ways,

Jesus and John

might seem like opposites.

John preaching

about sin

and repentance

and warning

of God's coming judgment.

Jesus proclaiming

good news to the poor

and healing

all kinds of people.

John,

the solemn ascetic

living in the wilderness,

subsisting on locusts

and wild honey,

eating no bread,

drinking no alcohol,

teaching his disciples

to fast.

Jesus,

the joyful king

who spent most of his time

in the cities,

eating and drinking

with tax collectors

and sinners,

speaking of himself

as the bridegroom,

his disciples

as wedding guests

and his ministry

as new wine

in new wineskins.

You might think,

that looks about

as different as can be.

But Jesus spoke

very highly of John.

Jesus did not criticize

anything about

John's ministry.

Among those born of women,

none is greater than John,

he said.

Jesus absolutely affirmed

John's ministry

as a messenger of repentance.

And yet,

he said,

the one who is least

in the kingdom of God

is greater than he.

Verse 28.

You might say,

what does that verse mean?

Well, it means that John

was a transitional figure.

The messenger

going before the Messiah.

Sort of like the torchbearer

of the Olympic Games.

Leading the way,

heralding the greatness

and uniqueness

of what is to come.

But of course,

once the Olympic Games begin,

the torchbearer

fades into the background.

Or it's like the first emissary

of the Allied Liberation Forces

announcing to the inhabitants

of a Nazi concentration camp,

you are no longer

under Hitler's dominion.

A new kingdom has arrived.

A new regime is in place.

John was preparing the way

for the Lord,

announcing the coming

of the king.

His role was unique.

His role was important.

But Jesus had come

to establish God's kingdom

with authority.

And once the king

had arrived,

in particular,

once his kingdom

would be established

through his own death

and resurrection,

John's role would fade

into the background

like a candle

fading into irrelevance

before the rising sun.

So Jesus answered

to John's question.

Jesus is the merciful Messiah.

John's the messenger

of repentance.

Now how do we respond

to both of them?

In verse 29 to 35,

we see two responses

to John and to Jesus.

And interestingly,

we don't see

half the people

taking John's side

and half the people

taking Jesus' side.

What we see is

half the people

take neither side

and half the people

take both of them.

Verse 29 and verse 35,

we see a positive response.

When the people

heard this

and the tax collectors too,

they declared God just

or they justified God

having been baptized

with the baptism of John.

They had responded

to John's call

to repentance.

They had taken

his warning of judgment

to heart.

They had heeded his words

and so they also

welcomed Jesus' ministry.

Verse 29,

I think,

helps us understand

verse 35.

Wisdom is justified

by all her children.

It's the same verb,

justified.

Now throughout the Bible,

wisdom is always connected

with the character of God.

And the children of wisdom

are people who live

according to God's wisdom

or according to God's ways

and his character.

In this case,

those who receive

John's baptism

and receive Jesus' ministry

are the children of wisdom.

And so just as

in verse 29,

it says the tax collectors

and the people

declared God just.

That's the same thing

verse 35 is saying.

Wisdom is justified.

Wisdom's ways

are proved right

or declared right

by all her children.

All right?

Those who receive

the ministry of John

and Jesus

declare

God is righteous

in calling us

to repentance

and God is faithful

to his promise

in bringing

his mercy

through the Messiah.

So we see

those people

receive both.

Verse 30,

by contrast,

we see the Pharisees

and the lawyers

rejected both.

And in verse

31 through 34,

Jesus exposes

their hypocrisy

in doing so.

He says,

you are like

fickle children.

What you want

is always changing.

You're never satisfied.

Right?

When Jesus arrived

playing the flute

as it will,

summoning people

into the joy

of God's kingdom,

they didn't dance.

They didn't rejoice.

They didn't join in.

Instead,

they rejected Jesus

and labeled him

a glutton

and a drunkard.

When John came

singing a dirge,

speaking about

God's wrath

and judgment

and calling people

to repentance,

they didn't

mourn over their sin.

They didn't repent.

Instead,

they labeled him

a fanatic,

demon-possessed.

Jesus says,

you're never satisfied.

No matter what

they look like,

you're always

finding fault

with the servants

of God.

You see,

there's a kind

of doubt

and questioning

that is honest

and sincere.

There's a kind

of disappointment

and depression

that God's servants

may,

and usually

sometime in their lives

do,

experience.

That's what John the Baptist

was experiencing

at the beginning.

He had some

misguided expectations.

He was in a very

difficult and stressful

personal situation

and so he had

some doubts

and disappointment.

Jesus says,

no worries.

Jesus doesn't

rebuke or condemn

or shame him.

He responds

to his question

with mercy

and with encouragement

and even publicly

commending him

for his faithfulness.

But there's also

a kind of doubt

and questioning

that is not

fully honest

or sincere,

which we see

in the Pharisees

and the lawyers.

They were unmoved

either to joy

or to tears.

They were indifferent,

complacent,

apathetic,

dismissive,

impossible to please.

They were always

finding fault

with God's servants.

One's too strict,

the other's too generous.

because really,

they didn't want

either John

or Jesus

to interfere

too much

with their lives.

They thought

they were pretty good

as they were.

And so they would

always find a reason

to doubt

and reject

God's messengers.

And Jesus says

that kind of doubt

and questioning

is just sinful

and it leads

only to spiritual death

and destruction.

So three applications

as we close.

Number one,

God's servants

may have different gifts

or emphases

in their ministries.

The Apostle Paul

speaks about spiritual gifts.

In Romans 12,

he refers to some

who have the gift

of mercy

and others

who have the gift

of prophecy

or exhorting.

Some of you

might be more like John.

You can point out

what is wrong

in the world

and what needs

to change

in the church.

You can speak

the truth

with boldness

and you don't really

care what people think.

That's a gift.

It can also be

a liability

if you don't learn

to use that gift

with appropriate

gentleness

and love

in an edifying way.

Some of you

might have

the gift of mercy.

You can come

alongside people

who are troubled.

You can come

alongside someone

who's weak

and practically

help them.

You can listen

to someone

who has an anxious

heart.

You can be patient

and forbearing

with difficult

personalities.

That's a gift.

It can also be

a liability

if you never

speak the truth

and always

refuse to confront

even when that's

called for.

But here's the thing.

God's gifted

us all differently

but through Christ

we're all

on the same team.

And so we need

to bear with

one another

and learn to work

together even if

we rub each other

the wrong way

sometimes.

We need to try

to use our gifts

for the edification

of the body

in a balanced way

but we also need

to bear with

one another

and receive

one another's gifts

and realize that

God has given

each of us

different gifts.

second application

John the preacher

of repentance

and Jesus the merciful

Messiah are on

the same team.

You can't have

one without

the other.

You can't fathom

the magnitude

of God's grace

in Jesus

until you have

taken to heart

God's law

and its demands.

You can't fully

enter into the joy

of Jesus' kingdom

without being serious

about turning to God

for the grace

to help you

change.

That's what the season

of Lent

is about.

The season of

leading up to Easter

that we're in right now.

Traditionally

it's a time

of preparation

of fasting

and prayer

confessing our sin

seeking reconciliation

with God

with one another

preparing to share

in the feast

of Christ's resurrection

with fullness

of joy.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

wrote this

grace is costly

because it calls

us to follow

and it is grace

because it calls

us to follow

Jesus Christ.

It is costly

because it costs

a person his life

and it is grace

because it gives

a person

the only true life.

It is costly

because it condemns

sin

and grace

because it justifies

the sinner.

Above all

it is costly

because it costs

God

the life of his son.

You were bought

at a price.

What has cost

God

much

cannot be cheap

for us.

Above all

it is grace

because God

did not reckon

his son

too dear

a price

to pay

for our life

but delivered

him up for us.

costly grace

is the incarnation

of God.

God

becoming flesh

in Jesus Christ

taking on our sin

bearing it

on the cross

being

just

in bearing

the punishment

of our sin

and being merciful

in offering us

a new life

in Christ.

So our final

application is to

take communion

together

with repentance

and with joy.

when we come

to the Lord's table

there's a call

to repent

to confess

our sins.

The apostle Paul

gives a strong

warning

whoever 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.

Let a person

examine himself

then

and so eat

of the bread

and drink

of the cup.

What that means

is this

if you are

living

in unrepentant

sin

that is

if you know

you are living

in a pattern

of disobedience

to God

and you have

no intention

or desire

to change

then don't

take the bread

and the cup

because you

can't feast

on Christ

if you are

refusing

to turn

to him.

Let a person

examine himself

Paul says

as the bread

is being

passed out

pray with the

psalmist

search me

oh God

know my

heart

test me

and know

my anxious

thoughts

see if there

be

an evil

way in me

and lead

me in the

way everlasting.

But taking

communion

is not only

an opportunity

for repentance

and self

examination

it's also

an invitation

to partake

with Christ

in his

joy.

Because through

what the

communion

table

reminds us

is that

through

Jesus'

death

on the

cross

our sin

has been

paid for.

The price

has been

paid.

We don't

take the

bread and

the cup

because we're

good enough

or because

we've done

enough.

We take

the bread

and the cup

knowing that

he is

good enough

and what

he did

on the

cross

for us

is enough.

And in

response we

say take

me Lord

I'm yours.

You are

mine

and I

love you.

And we

can know

the joy

of forgiveness

as we

take the

bread remembering

his body

and take

the cup

remembering

his blood.

Jesus

described his

kingdom as a

great banquet

where the

poor and

the doubting

and the

disappointed

and the

depressed

can come

and find

rest and

peace and

joy and

feed on

the bread

of life

for this

life and

the life

to come.

Finally

if you're

not a

Christian

consider the

invitation of

Christ to

you.

Instead of

taking the

bread in

the cup

today

consider

taking

Christ.

If you

have many

doubts and

questions

feel free to

ask them.

There's no

shame in

doing that.

prayer.

But also

consider what

is holding

you back

from

surrendering

to

Christ

and

trusting

him.

There's

some

prayers in

the center

of the

bulletin

that you

can look

at and

read through

as the

bread and

cup are

being passed

out.

One's a

prayer for

those searching

for truth.

Another is a

prayer of

belief.

Perhaps one

of those

prayers you

would want to

read them

and perhaps

even use

those words

to pray.

As we

prepare to

share communion

together let's

pray.

Lord we

come to you

today

even with

our doubts

our questions

our disappointments

we pray that

you would feed

us with the

bread of life.

We thank you

Lord for your

mercy.

We thank you

Lord for your

righteousness.

righteousness.

We thank you

for the cross

of Jesus

Christ.

And that is

our hope.

In his name

we pray.

Amen.