Bread of Life, Cup of Promise | Rev. Josh Landen

Welcome to the podcast of Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

Join us as we dive into this week's sermon that challenges our hearts and minds to grow closer to Christ.

We pray that your heart is inspired and transformed by God's Word.

In reverence for the gospel of our Lord, will you please stand with me as we read from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty six, verses twenty six through thirty.

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is my body.

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for the for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom.

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

This is the word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

You may be seated.

Good morning and welcome, friends.

My name is Josh Landon, and I have the honor and privilege of serving here as our executive pastor.

Thank you to those of you involved in the service so far.

It's good to have the choir back, right?

They're gone for a month.

Yes.

Absence makes the heart grow uh fonder, I believe.

So thank you guys.

Joey, he's around the corner.

I don't know if you can see Joey's our trumpeteer today.

We are blessed to have him and always, Perry.

And yeah, I mean, absolutely absolutely.

Let's uh thank God for for the gifts and talents that he's using in worship.

And Bradley and Perry and our tech team and our greeters and on and on.

There are many people who helped make this service possible.

It is good to be back in this pulpit.

I did such a good job last time.

They said we want to have you back in seven months.

So here I am, but it is good to be here.

I want to start out with an image.

Let me show you this picture here.

Uh, this is a still shot of a video that has been not a video, but a type of video that's been showing up in my social media.

I don't know if you guys recognize this kind of thing.

This is one of those AI created nostalgia videos, and they're often centered around Christmas.

And I must have liked one or give it a thumbs up or something at one point because I see them all the time now.

This is those short content videos, and it almost always ends or begins with a family table.

With preparing a meal or enjoying that meal, maybe at grandma's house, and it's pulling at your heartstrings that there is something special about gathering around a table.

Gathering around a table regularly is one of the best predictors for having well adjusted children in the families as they grow up.

This idea of stopping everything, gathering together, sharing a meal is much more than just the food, it seems, or the conversation that we have.

It is transformative.

Think about it.

Think about the things that we celebrate, whether they are big things or small things.

When we celebrate, there's often a meal, right?

Birthdays, holidays, football victories or football games.

Even when we gather to mourn, it's around a table often.

Those times when we retell stories about someone whose life has ended, and the time that we hope that we will see them again is gathered around a dining room table.

In our text today, we find Jesus around a table, a special meal.

And we find him around this table with us here today in the presence of the bread and wine.

We read through this.

This is the Lord's Supper.

This is Holy Communion.

This is the Eucharist.

Depending on your tradition and where you grew up, you may call it something different.

I grew up in a rural church, and we said it was the Lord's Supper, because he's the one that gave it to us.

Holy communion is very, very common to call it, and communion means common, something that you hold together.

Eucharist comes from a word that just means thanksgiving.

And around this table, there are various practices.

Here, since I've been here, we've done it about five or six times a year.

But in other services at this church, it's been monthly, and then I understand that there are other services where it's been even weekly.

Weekly is what the Methodists uh have strived for, but we fell away from it because of some conditions that we were in.

Uh when Wesley was around, John and Charles, records indicate that they held it four or five times a week, as often as they could, even while the church that they were a part of in that day only had it three times a year.

They would do it at Christmas and Easter and Pentecost.

This meal is a means of grace, we say.

This is a gift from Jesus.

Means of grace are just a phrase that means the outward signs, words, actions, verbally, physically, tangibly things that are ordained by God and appointed to this end, that is, to be ordinary, regular channels where he might convey to men what he called preventing and justifying and sanctifying grace.

The practical things that God's given us, actions, words, practices, that he normally uses to bring grace into our lives.

And through them, he prepares us to respond to him.

Now, when Wesley says preventing grace, he means the grace that goes before us and awakens us to draw us to God before we even know that he's there and when we respond.

And when Wesley says justifying grace, it's just forgiveness and acceptance.

And then sanctifying grace is making us more holy.

Grace is grace is grace, but it operates on us differently at different times and places in our lives because we're not the same person that we were five or ten years ago, and by God's grace, we're not the same person that we will be in five or ten years.

And so he offers himself to us through these means of grace, through works of piety and works of mercy.

Those are his terms.

What that means for us is ways to love God and ways to love other people.

And we can do that on our own, or we can do that in community like we're gathered here.

And that might be worship, ministry of the word, reading the word, studying and meditating on scripture or hearing it expounded and taught and preached.

The Lord's Supper, prayer time privately, or as a family or as a small group, fasting or abstinence, working for justice and striving for righteousness.

And some of these means of grace are particularly special and set apart, and we call those sacraments.

In our tradition, we have two sacraments, and this is what our catechism teaches about them.

This is a catechism, it's just a teaching document to teach people new to the faith.

Question 38 says, Well, what are the sacraments?

Symbols and pledges of the Christian's profession and of God's love toward us.

Baptism is that that sacrament that shows the transition from not being associated with Christ to being associated with him.

The Lord's Supper is from being associated with Him to being more so associated with Him.

Next question Are they symbols only?

And the answer is no.

They are means of grace by which God works invisibly in us, quickening and strengthening and confirming our faith.

This is not just a dead ritual, but something is happening when we participate in them.

Something is happening when we pour water or we submerge someone in the in the water.

Something is happening when we bless the elements and we receive them.

Baptism is the foundation of Christian life, and the Lord's Supper is the sustaining, the ongoing of the Christian's life.

One is beginning and one is growing, one is welcoming and one is sharing.

And so for this one, let's get back to the text for just a moment.

Jesus is there during the Passover meal.

He's going to do a Passover meal for them as they are going through that week.

They are in the upper room.

And the air is really, really heavy.

Something is happening here, and in the next 24 hours, Jesus is going to be dead.

There's a tension in the air.

And so what's he doing?

Well, first, as you go through a Passover meal, it's called a Seder.

As you go through the Passover meal, you begin by retelling the story, reminding people of God's mighty works, what he has done.

And so that story is in Exodus.

And they eat this meal, and the mill is the tangible physical way that they experience the story again.

It's calling forth the past into the future.

So you can literally feel it, and you can literally taste it.

If you've been a part of a Seder, or if you know what that ritual looks like, it starts by eating the vegetables that are dipped in salt water.

That salt water represents the tears that they cried while they were in slavery.

It represents the Red Sea that they went through.

They eat the matza bread, which is the unleavened bread that didn't have time to rise because they had to escape so quickly.

They drink cups of wine to represent the lamb's blood over the doorpost.

Part of this Passover Seder mill is telling people the story of God, how God has worked in their lives.

In Exodus 12 it says, it is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover.

For he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.

And the people bowed their heads and worshipped.

But at this point he reimagines the story.

He gives it greater significance.

The day when the people would be saved from their sins, their greatest enemy is now here.

And in Matthew, he writes, he says, As they were eating, he took some bread and blessed it.

He broke it and gave it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, Take and eat.

This is, and I'll say parenthetically, this is now my body.

And he took a couple of wine, and he gave thanks to God for it, and he gave it to them and said, Each of you drink from this, this is now my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people.

One translation says, It's poured out as a sacrifice for many.

Forgiveness of sins.

This has been what God has been working towards his entire life, or our entire lives, our entire existence.

This has been where God is going in human history.

If you go all the way back to Genesis, Genesis 1 and 2 are the creation stories.

Genesis 3 is when sin enters the world.

And there's a verse there, and I've mentioned it before, I believe, in here, Genesis 3.15, when there's a little snapshot preview that it's not always going to be like this.

God is speaking here.

He says, I'll put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers.

He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

There is atonement that is happening.

There is reconciliation that is happening that is being remembered by works past.

But it's not just the works past.

He's also stepping into the present.

There's this covenant that is being ratified, and covenants are always ratified in blood.

You see that in Genesis 15 and in Exodus 24.

And this time it will be the blood of God's own son that ratifies that covenant and seals it for our forgiveness.

This is why he came.

If you go back and read in the beginning of Matthew, when the angel comes and appears to Joseph, he says, She will bear a son, talking about Mary, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Why?

Because he'll save the people from their sins.

To pay our debt, there had to be this sacrifice by someone who did not own the debt, but could be responsible for it.

Someone who had to be able to satisfy it.

So Christ became one of us, but did not live in our same sinfulness because he was perfect.

He came to live that holy life that God meant for us, Christ being fully God, fully man, united in that person and that body to satisfy those conditions.

And in so doing, he took the penalty that we deserved, that I deserved, that you deserve, because of our sinfulness, upon himself offered us forgiveness and offered us new life in him to all who would believe.

So the atonement is applied.

In 2 Corinthians, we preached on this just a few weeks ago.

2 Corinthians 5, it says, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

See the exchange that's happening there?

Christ comes down into our existence, into our realm, takes on our sin, pays the penalty, offers forgiveness, and then gives us himself.

There's an exchange that's happening.

There's a transformation that's happening.

The first time we see Jesus in the Gospel of John, his cousin is calling out.

Since the next day he, John the Baptist, saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

When we gather at this table right here, we not only remember what God has been doing all along, but we remember what he has done for us now, how he is working in our lives, in and through his Son Jesus, what he's done for us individually, forgiveness from that penalty of sin, and freedom from the power of sin.

So we believe that this table and receiving the bread and wine can be a converting ordinance.

It can be a means to faith, and it is a sanctifying ordinance to continue to grow in holiness by attending to it.

See, this is not just your life in God is not just a once and all, once-for-all decision.

I've made this decision and then we go off and live how I want.

There's a dynamic relationship here where after you receive Christ, God wants to change you more and more into Christ-likeness.

And you do that by attending to those means of grace and attending to his table here.

When we come to this table, we are united with Christ.

And in so being united with Christ, we are united with believers across all space and time.

Right now, this is Sunday, this is the Lord's holy day, somewhere in the next time zone over and somewhere around the world, there are people who are at the table gathering, retelling this same story.

And they're eating the bread and they're drinking of the cup.

We are united with them presently, those from the past, and those in the future.

The sacrament points to, it signifies the ground of our acceptance with God.

It assures us of our present relationship.

It warrants our title to the inheritance with all the saints.

Looking forward is a pledge of the hope of heaven.

God has said what he'll do and he's done it.

God is doing it as he said he will, and God is faithful to complete it.

Like baptism, it is a pledge of what God has done and he will do.

That's what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11.

He says, For as often as you drink it, as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again.

There is a time in which Christ will come in final victory.

His reign will be re-established here on earth, all enemies vanquished, those who are believing, come together, and we will feast at his heavenly banquet.

If you go to the end of the book in Revelation, that's what it says in chapter 19.

And he said to me, These are the true words of God.

This marriage supper is coming.

For me and probably for you, that is the biggest celebrations that I usually go to for any event.

When families are united and new families are created, and it's going to happen with all believers someday.

There is a feast that is waiting for that day when he comes in final victory.

And if we are his, then we'll be there with him to celebrate, along with all our brothers and sisters.

So what does this mean?

What does it mean for us as believers to gather around this table?

What does it mean that it's more than just a ritual, more than just a memorial?

What does it mean when we say that Christ is really present here with us?

Well, first, by the power of the Holy Spirit, our souls are joined to his.

So when we confess them, then we know he forgives us and he makes us worthy to come here.

When Paul is warning the church that don't come to the table unworthily, there was abuse, there was exploitation going on there.

And that's not what us, that's not what we hopefully are doing.

Some other people said, Well, I don't feel like I'm prepared for it.

And Wesley said, Well, we're called the Methodists and we have some methods.

So organize your life so that you do feel prepared for it.

Do those holy habits, pray before receiving it.

Some people said, Well, it's not special if it's frequent.

This was something I heard in one of the churches that I served early in my career.

They they didn't want to do it.

They said it's it's special when we do it once a year.

Friends, is it special?

Is it special to have Sunday dinner at grandma's house?

Is it special to gather with with friends after a bowling victory?

Things that are special we want to do more often, not less.

Wesley says, would you pray less to make your prayer time more special?

Of course not.

Number four.

People said, Well, I don't feel anything spiritually.

Wesley says, that's okay.

What's most important is that you are obedient.

God's grace is working in your life even when you don't know it.

And one day there will be a breakthrough.

Lastly, some people said, Well, I'm afraid that I will sin again after I receive communion.

Wesley says, Well, use communion and live a holy life to work towards not sinning, and God will give you grace and God will grow you in that.

Don't spiritually starve yourselves.

In all of this, the bottom line is that God is faithful.

What we find at this table is trust in the promises and desiring a full realization of the life that God has for us.

God will forgive our sins.

He will show us that we have a new standing in front of him.

We will be knit together as a new covenant people, laying aside disunity and division.

And we will eagerly await when Christ comes back to us.

As we offer this bread and cup, as we pray over them, these horizons and these divisions between our present moment and when Jesus instituted this Lord's Supper are merged, and our Lord becomes present with us now.

And even though we weren't physically present with him then, as he went to the cross, as he experienced suffering and death, we experience it now.

That he underwent that for our sake, and by God's power, he was raised on the third day to live new life.

He died not just for many, as he said, but he died for you and for me.

We get a foretaste of what's coming, and we are strengthened for today to live holy and obedient lives in joyful service to him.

I'm getting a little bit older, and my latest con my latest classes prescription is their bifocals.

And as you get older, you even get into trifocals, which give you three levels of vision close, medium, far.

When we gather at the table, we can see all of those coming together.

As we just sang in the glory of potri, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end.

When we realize what Christ has done for us, we are strengthened to live holy and new, obedient lives for him.

In Romans 6, Paul writes it like this.

I'll start at verse 7.

For one who has died has been set free from sin.

That's you.

And if we've died with Christ, we believe that we will live with him.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again.

Death no longer has dominion over him.

For the death he died, he died to sin once for all.

But the life he lives, he lives to God.

So also you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We are sent out from this table to live lives alive to God.

Our bodies are strengthened by the bread and wine, and our souls are strengthened by this body and blood of Christ.

This is food for our souls.

It gives us strength to perform our duties and leads us on to perfection.

So if therefore we have any regard for what Christ said, if we desire the pardon of our sins, strength to believe, to love and obey God, then we should come to the table every opportunity that we have it.

Because Jesus has given himself for us.

When we do so, we make what he did, just as Grant said, his sacrifice for us, a more fixed point of reference in our lives, and makes us able to live intentionally for him.

It facilitates our steadfast focus of responding gratefully by living ever more fully for him.

And it keeps us mindful of the horizontal dimensions of the Spirit's work among us.

This ritual reminds us of Christ in me and in you and in the other.

And it drives it home again and again that all who gather around this table are made one together with Christ.

I think I've said this before here, but we are or we should be closer to our brother and sister in Christ on the other side of the world, who looks and lives nothing like us than we are to our next door neighbor who doesn't know Christ, but who does look and live like us.

The gospel this morning is that Christ offers all of himself to us through this Lord's Supper, and by it we are strengthened to live holy and obedient lives.

There is something about gathering around a table.

The first feast that we see in Scripture is when Abraham has a victory over a neighboring people, and there's this curious character who comes out.

We don't really know where he comes from or where he went, but he's described as a priest and a king.

And he brings out to Abraham bread and wine, and they celebrate the victory.

Christ has given us victory over our sins.

Later on in the Gospels in Luke, you hear a story about some people.

This is on Easter weekend.

This is a resurrection day.

This is the afternoon that it happens.

And they're kind of they're not sure what's going on, and they're walking to a town called Emmaus outside of Jerusalem.

These are followers who didn't quite understand Christ's death and resurrection.

And they meet Jesus, but they don't recognize him.

And as they're walking, Jesus is retelling the story of what has happened and what it means.

They get to where they're going, and Jesus goes on to keep on walking, and they say, No, stay with us just a little bit.

He says, Okay.

So they gather around the table.

When they break the bread, it says, then he was made known to them.

They said to each other, didn't our hearts burn as he was teaching us?

And now we see him in the breaking of the bread.

Friends, I don't know where you are in your life.

You may be a lifelong believer.

I invite you to come and dine and get strength for continuing on.

Maybe you've made a decision for Christ, but maybe you're not living for Christ.

You don't know what that looks like.

You say, Yes, I believe.

Lord, help my unbelief.

Come and die.

Maybe you're doubting.

Maybe you say, Yeah, life isn't how it's supposed to be.

That is obvious.

But I don't know.

And I'm not sure about this.

But there are things in my life that I do want to change, and there are things that I am sorry for.

And this is who I am, is not the person that I want to be.

Come and dine.

This table is for you.

We talked about sin entering the world in Genesis 3.

We talked about how God has it's called the Proto-Evangelion.

God has this idea that one day a redeemer will come and we will bruise the uh, he'll step on the head of the snake.

But even before that, after the people had sinned, it says God came down into the garden, he was walking in the cool of the evening.

And he called out to Adam and Eve, he said, Where are you?

Friends, God knew where they were, of course.

But he wanted them to know that he was coming to look for them.

To find them and to redeem them.

Friends, God is coming to look for you.

He is present at this table.

He will meet you here.

He will assure you of his presence.

He will strengthen you for life's journey.

So the invitation is open.

Let's come and die.

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you.

Thank you for your faithfulness.

Thank you, God, that you have made a way to us when there was no other way, that you have come looking for us, that you've given us your Son Jesus, and that He has given us this mill when He promises to be present with us.

Lord, bless this time together.

Meet us in our hearts and spirits.

Remind us that you are here.

Remind us of what you've done, and Lord, remind us of what you can do.

In the name of Christ, amen.

Thanks for tuning in to another episode of the podcast for Christ Methodist Church in Memphis, Tennessee.

We pray that today's message has inspired and encouraged you in your walk with Christ.

To stay connected with our church community, visit us online at Christchurch Methodist.org.

We hope to see you this upcoming Sunday for worship as we seek to glorify God and make disciples of Jesus Christ among all peoples.