Remember and Honor

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Opening Prayer

Lord, fix my heart on You. All else changes, but You are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Read 1 CORINTHIANS 11:17-34

^[17] In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ^[18] In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ^[19] No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ^[20] So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ^[21] for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ^[22] Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! ^[23] For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ^[24] 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.” ^[25] 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.” ^[26] For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. ^[27] So then, 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. ^[28] Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ^[29] For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ^[30] That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ^[31] But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ^[32] Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. ^[33] So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ^[34] Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

Meditate

Feed on Christ “by faith with thanksgiving” (Book of Common Prayer). Reflect on what that means for you and your experience of receiving Communion.

Think Further

For most Christians, one of the most central and important parts of worship is the celebration of Communion. In this, as in so much, the Corinthians had gotten it wrong. By their abuse of the Lord’s Supper, they were failing to recognize the one they were remembering and failing to honor all within the community in that remembrance (22).

It is helpful to remember that the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was, at this point, part of a full meal and took place in the private homes of the more wealthy members. By offering the other well-to-do members a sumptuous meal (with wine) and the less well-to-do less sumptuous food, the Corinthian church was reinforcing the social divisions in society. The remembrance of the Last Supper had become a place where class distinctions were being underlined and the poor of the community were being abused.

Paul issues a corrective (23-26) and a stern warning (27-34). The corrective is to recall the events of the Last Supper (Luke 22:17-20) as a reminder of Jesus’ ultimate self-giving (cf. Mark 10:45). The warning requires the need for self-examination and a recognition of the body of Christ, which has a two-fold meaning: the actual “body” of Christ and the “body of Christ” as the church. Paul warns them of the consequences of failing to recognize Christ’s body and of continuing to treat the poorer members of the community with contempt.

For the most part, Christians have separated the celebration of Communion from a communal meal, and so this particular abuse might be considered a problem no longer. But is it? Are we, especially in affluent societies, still prone to humiliate less-affluent brothers and sisters through our attitudes? Do we favor the rich rather than the poor within our communities (Jas. 2:1-7)? We need to examine ourselves, lest the problems of the Corinthian church become ours (30,31).

Apply

Do you need to heed this warning?

Closing prayer

Lord, I am reminded that the ground at the foot of the Cross is level. I always need to see others as You see them.

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