Juggling
Originally scheduled for November 26
Suppose, for the moment, that you are a chemist. Sitting in your
lab doing what chemists do, a friend comes and announces to you that
he has been trained to be a professional juggler. Reaching onto the
shelves, he picks up three jars of yellow liquid, and utters the two
most dangerous words in the English language: “watch this.” Just
before he tosses the first jar up into the air, you manage to croak
one word: “nitroglycerin.” It’s amazing how fast an attitude can
change, isn’t it?
Juggling nitroglycerin should be done with a
sense of awe and a great deal of caution. So how does one approach a
task with awe?
·
Recognize the danger. Just because you’re foolhardy enough to try it
doesn’t mean it won’t explode.
·
Respect the rules. If a task is awesome, there will be rules.
·
Know what you’re doing. And if you don’t, don’t do it. Read the
manual, for example.
·
Don’t start without instruction.
The spiritual equivalent of “awe“is
the word “sacred.” If something is sacred, we should have a sense of
awe concerning it. Surprisingly, many people treat communion as if
it is not sacred — but it is.
·
It was given to us by Christ by way of example.
·
It is commanded to us by the apostles, and we know (Acts 1:2) that
the apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
The rules
concerning communion vary by denomination, particularly if you
believe in transubstantiation. But that is a topic of very great
length for which we have no time this morning.
Why do I compare
it with juggling nitroglycerin? Hear the words of the apostle Paul:
For he who eats and drinks, eats and
drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number
sleep.
(1 Corinthians 11:29-30 NASB)
So what are
the instructions?
· We
are to take communion together. It’s not a drive-through window.
· When we do, we proclaim
the death of our Lord. This, by implication, also proclaims that
resurrection and the atonement.
·
This is to be preceded by our examining ourselves, so that we might
repent, receive forgiveness and partake in a worthy manner.
You
are invited to the Lord’s table, a sacred place, a sacred event.
Conduct yourself accordingly.
