“Bread from Heaven”
March 20th, 20081 Corinthians 11:23-26 - We 
often say “famous last words” when we are worried about the outcome of something. But, Jesus’ last words to his disciples were very important. When we remember them as he commanded, and take them to heart, we become more closely connected to Christ. The meal that Jesus shares is the feast of heaven.
“Bread from Heaven”
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
1. Have you ever heard the saying “famous last words.” We usually say it when someone makes a statement about something that we think will go badly.
A. But, in truth, there is a power in last words. We imbue them with great meaning. Consider some of these famous last words.
B. Oscar Wilde said just before his demise, “Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.”
C. The famous 19th century evangelist Henry ward Beecher said, “Now comes the mystery.”
D. Every American school child has heard the words of patriot Nathan Hale, just before he was hanged by the British for spying, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”
E. Some folks seek to rebel against the need to say something profound just before their death. Karl Marx was quoted as having said to his housekeeper, who urged him to tell her his last words so she could write them down for posterity, “Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.”
F. I personally like the last words of John Wesley (founder of Methodism), “The best of all is, God is with us.”
G. Last words can be very, very meaningful. They tend to carry a lot of weight to those that are left behind.
2. Jesus sat with his disciples at what has come to be known as “The Last Supper.” The disciples did not call it that. They did not know that is was the last supper that they would share with Jesus. But, Jesus did. And so he chose his words carefully.
A. The earliest written account of Jesus’ words are from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
B. The disciples did not know how important Jesus words were when he said them. But, they soon learned.
C. And his words, much like the meal that his words instituted, would become for them like bread from heaven.
D. “In remembrance of me,” Jesus says. The actual Greek word is “anamnesis,” and when we translate it simply as remembrance, we do a grave disservice because “anamnesis” really means so much more.
E. It means that we recall an event, not for reasons of nostalgia or warm feelings, but to give present reality to that memory.
F. Said another way, when we remember this meal that Jesus said represented “a new covenant,” we not only memorialize the beginning of that covenant, we affirm our ongoing commitment and participation in that covenant.
G. We make ourselves available, yet again, to be shaped into the image of Christ, to have our lives determined by the calling of Christ.
H. When we share this meal together, as Christ commanded us to, He is with us.
3. I have always struggled with the sacrament of Holy Communion. Growing up as a preacher’s kid, it was always just another 15 minutes of worship.
A. When I was a senior at Westmont. Small group. We stayed together the whole year. One of only a few groups to do that.
B. Shared our struggles, our fears, our joys, etc.
C. On the night of our final time together, we took some Doritos and Martinelli’s apple cider, and shared in Holy Communion together.
D. And we were the body of Christ, and Christ was present. And even thought the following day, we all went our separate ways, we carried the unity of Christ’s spirit with us.
E. This meal that we share tonight – it is not a trip to McDonald’s – it is the bread of heaven to our souls.
F. With his final words to the disciples, Jesus provided us with a way to remember our covenant with Him, and gave us a means of grace by which we might celebrate our present connection with Him through the power of His spirit.
4. Whenever my dad would serve communion, he would conclude his invitation to the meal with the word from the early 20th century hymn “Come and Dine” by Charles Widmeyer.
A. “Come and dine,” the Master calleth, “Come and dine”;
You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;
He Who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,
To the hungry calleth now, “Come and dine.”
B. Jesus calls the hungry to his table. Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, those that hunger and thirst for forgiveness, those that hunger and thirst for peace…
C. To all who hunger, Christ’s table awaits. To all who mourn, the meal has been made ready.
D. To all who would call Christ, Lord and Savior, the feast of heaven awaits.
E. “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me…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.”
F. Those are last words that we can live by. Amen.
Sermon delivered 3/20/08 at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church, Anaheim Hills – Maundy Thursday worship service.
