Daily Lesson for March 29, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 27 through 32:

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. 28Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgement against themselves. 30For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. 32But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

Sometime back I was in worship planning with a group of other pastors as we were preparing for a service with communion. We read this passage about not partaking of the meal unworthily. I talked about the old Latin term “Masticatum Infidelium” and how theologians said it was determined that anyone who ate the bread unworthily brought condemnation upon themselves. 

As we were talking I teasingly asked if anyone had ever taken the meal unworthily?  One of the pastors on staff answered: “Every time.”

I thought that was brilliant. Every time we come to the table we come unworthily.  We come as beggars in search of bread. We come as ne-we-do-wells in search of strong drink. We come hungry. We come thirsty. We come empty. We come broken. We come as scammers. We come as less than totally honest. We come silent and complicit. We come in need of redemption for the things we’ve done and the things we’ve left undone. We come not as saints, but as sinners; we come as chiefs of sinners.

There is a great paradox at the Table. Those who think they are worthy are unworthy; but those who know they come unworthily are made worthy in the great grace of God.

It is Maundy Thursday. In His great love Jesus shares the cup of salvation with us. May we drink it. May we drink unworthily that we might know the mercy yet once more.

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the water of life as gift.”