In the Breaking of the Bread

Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

Back in the 1800's a husband and wife missionary team by the name of Robert and Mary Moffat went to one of the many regions of Africa which had never seen a Christian missionary before. The story goes that they worked their for ten years without making even one convert to the Christian faith. And after these ten years went by, those who had sent the missionaries out and were supporting them began to question the wisdom of continuing the mission much longer.

One day the Moffats received word from a friend in England asking them what sort of gift they might need in their work. And Mrs. Moffat wrote back, "Send a communion service; it will be sure to be needed."

Soon after that letter was sent, the breath of the Lord moved on the heart of the people living near the mission so that within a month a little group of six were united into the first Christian church in that part of Africa. And that communion service from England, somehow delayed in its shipment, reached the mission just one day before the appointed time for the administration of the Lord's Supper.

Indeed, the Lord's Supper is one of the most distinguishing features about the Christian faith. It is the one common element throughout Christendom by which one Christian may identify another Christian. And, in fact, it is the one service of the Christian faith which can be conducted very effectively without even a word being said.

Coming out of the 1500's there is a story about a priest who had been suspected of heresy, tried by the inquisition, and found guilty. As punishment, his tongue was cut out of his mouth and he was thrown into prison for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, in the confines of that horrible place, this silent priest was able to conduct a ministry of love and comfort which affected the lives of his fellow prisoners. And we are told that even though he couldn't talk, his service of the Lord's Supper, although very simple, was very profound. For as he broke the bread and shared the cup with his fellow prisoners, there were tears in his eyes, and there was a such a meaning in the sharing that many of those who partook were often convinced that none other than Christ, himself, was standing in their midst.

Certainly, if there is anything that we should experience, if there is anything that we should comprehend whenever we share the Lord's Supper, it is the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst.

In our lesson from today's gospel lesson we are told that on the evening following the resurrection two of Jesus' followers were walking down the road to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And as they walked on that road Jesus, himself, came up and walked along with them. But we are told that Jesus kept them from recognizing him until they had gotten lodging and he sat down with them at a table and broke bread and gave thanks. And we have to wonder why. Why was it that they weren't allowed to recognize Jesus until the breaking of the bread and the giving of thanks to God?

I believe that if anything it was Jesus' way of telling the early church at this most early stage in it's life how important this ritual was to him. Certainly, he had broken bread in their presence many times before. He had shared the Passover Supper with them. He had done miracles with bread. He had even told them that he was the bread of life. So, in a very real way, revealing himself to his followers in the breaking of the bread and in giving thanks to God was his way of saying, "This is what I want you to do when you think of me." Or, in the words of the Lord's Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me."

The book of Acts tells us that this became the norm of worship whenever the early Christians got together. Acts 2:42 tells us that they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. In fact, when Pliny was governor of the Roman province of Bithynia, back in the first century, he wrote a most interesting letter to the Roman Emperor Trajan, asking why Christians were being exterminated, and added: "I have been trying to get all the information I could regarding them. I have even hired spies to profess to be Christians and become baptized in order that they might get into the Christian services without suspicion.

Contrary to what I had supposed, I find that the Christians meet at dead of night or at early morn, that they sing a hymn to Christ as God, that they read from their own sacred writings and partake of a very simple meal consisting of bread and wine and water."

The breaking of the bread, as it came to be known to many, the giving of thanks, otherwise known as the eucharist, became the norm of Christian worship and even Christian witness.

Out of the book of Acts, in the 27th chapter, there is the story of how the apostle Paul was being taken to Rome under Roman guard aboard a ship. And as the ship was leaving Paul warned the crew and the soldiers that the ship would be destroyed before it reached its destination. And, indeed, as the ship was trying to find shelter from a storm in a bay it broke anchor and was swept away with Paul, the soldiers, and the crew with it. And as the ship was floundering the crew was panicking. But Paul saved them all by telling them of a vision he had seen wherein he had been told that no one would die, but that the ship would run aground near an island. Believing him, the crew kept up their courage. And then we are told that as a witness to the crew, Paul broke bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. And, surely, those who were there who were Christians knew what he was doing and felt in their presence the company of the risen Christ.

Certainly, there are times in our own life when we have felt Christ close to us. Perhaps some of those times have, indeed, been when we have participated in the Lord's Supper.

But there is something else to remember when we talk about the Lord's Supper. Not only is it a norm for Christian worship, and not only is it a means of experiencing the risen Christ, but it is also something which is done within the fellowship of others.

In our day and age there is more independence than ever before. People go their own way, and do their own thing, often without any regard for the feelings of their family or their religion. And people are more alone, now, than ever before. Instead of going to public functions, they stay home and watch television. And, so, there are no more Saturday night band concerts in the park. And no one goes to box socials anymore. People don't greet one another on their way to work, anymore, because people drive cars and move to fast. There has been a decline in the number of people who go to church.

Indeed, there isn't the fellowship there used to be. People don't know how to talk to each other. People don't dress up for special occasions, mainly because people are getting to be so private, and so inwardly directed that they don't go to special events, anymore. Instead, they watch them at home in the darkness and quiet and solitude of their living rooms.

But the fact is that we need each other. This tendency to shy away from fellowship isn't good for America. And it isn't good for people, spiritually or mentally. For without fellowship we do not receive the input we need from others. Without fellowship we forget that we live in a society which thrives upon interdependence. Without fellowship we can grow sick, mentally and spiritually. Without fellowship, and especially the fellowship of the Christian community, we can miss out on the special awareness, the marvelous experience of Christ being in our midst.

Being a Christian is, more than anything else, a corporate experience. Being a Christian takes place in community. And, likewise, the Lord's Supper is a celebration, not only of God's communion with us and our communion with God, but also of our communion with fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Thus, the Lord's Supper reminds us that as God's people we have a responsibility for one another to share Christ with each other. For it is in our sharing about the Lord that the breaking of the Bread and the recognition of Christ begins.

There is a story about a young man who had been appointed by a mission board to go to Africa. The thrill was dampened, however, by just one thing. The girl who had been his sweetheart through the years would not marry him if he accepted the appointment. To all of his pleas and reasoning, her answer was a definite no.

One month before the time he was to sail he decided to write her one more letter. He hoped something had happened to change her mind. After he wrote it, he added a postscript which read: "If this letter makes you miserable, just throw it in the waste basket and don't answer it."

But, something happened. When the young lady read the note she got right down and wrote back, immediately, telling him in a dozen different ways how much she loved him, even enough to go to the end of the world with him. When she started to the post office to mail it, however, she found it was raining. So, she asked her brother to take it to the post office for her.

As the weeks went by she anxiously watched for a wire or a letter. None came. The months dragged by until she finally learned that he had gone without her.

Years later, when the family was moving to another house, she found an old coat that belonged to her brother. In a pocket was her letter.

The message we have to share with the world concerning Jesus Christ is so important. It isn't enough to have good intentions, but we must also be willing to deliver the message personally, vocally, and boldly. For it is in this way that Christ is revealed and the breaking of the bread can begin. Amen.