Received...and handed on

That same phrasing pops up several times in scripture, and the scholars tell us that it is an indication that what follows is of considerable importance, and is being transmitted carefully.

And the mode of transmission is by word, from person to person.

It is not only an ancient process; it continues to this day, wherever the promise of the Lord Jesus is happening in our times and places.

Each of us may have a different list, but here is part of mine.

I'm thinking of Sunday School teachers who were willing to put up with squirmy kids.

I'm thinking of a pastor who knew how to be both challenging and encouraging.

I'm thinking of a grandmother who was interested in the church not only locally, but also around the world.

I'm thinking of a grandfather who gave the example of actually sitting down and reading the Bible, beyond the times of preparing a lesson.

I'm thinking of an uncle who demonstrated what the life of a faithful pastor might be like.

I'm thinking of a professor who showed how deep and exacting musicianship can combine with robust faith.

I'm thinking of a professor who lives in academic rigor that still is attempting to confess the faith congruent with the Christian faith across all the centuries.

I'm thinking of senior persons in congregations who have served as sounding boards and behind-the-scenes advisors.

I'm thinking of a person with the most hands-on job, who nonetheless is wrestling regularly with the Word and shaping his daily life by it.

I'm thinking of pastors who gather together in order to support and encourage one another in faithful ministry.

I'm thinking of a pastor who after his retirement from the office of bishop is now taking up a arduous task of calling the church back to its faithful roots.

I'm thinking of congregation members who remind one another that living the faith is a challenging, daily task and never can be a time to coast.

I'm thinking of persons, who, despite an ambivalent public, are willing to say “I believe...” for the first time.

Thanks be to God for each and every one of them, and many more besides.

I am who I am because of Jesus promise that has been lived out and expressed in their lives, and shared with me.

They are crucial to our Christian identity.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you..., Paul begins,

and then he lays out the centerpiece of the faith, the crucified and risen Lord Jesus of promise with his people as they gather together in his name and share the bread and wine which Jesus has said is his presence among us.

Paul writes it down about 20 years after the events he describes,

because he wants to be sure that the transmission to the next generation is accurate and complete.

And the church has been consistently continuing that same process ever since.

Paul's words reflect his experience in the faith, and they help to shape the experience of every succeeding generation.

Thanks be to God for those experienced persons through the centuries, and

thanks be to God for those persons who have continued the process into our lives and times as well.

We soon discover that faith is a kinetic thing, an activity in motion.

Some have tried to make faith all an intellectual exercise.

But it is very difficult, and indeed unnecessary, to keep one's body still when Jesus' promises begin acting upon us.

As faith is beginning to be stirred, we are led to a drowning bath which points us to new life.

That life is sustained as we share particular bread and wine in Jesus' name, bread and wine that connect his life with ours.

That life grows stronger in us

as it is being given away!

When Jesus announces “given...and shed, for you...” in the sacrament,

he is referring not only to the 12 disciples on that one night long ago,

but also to all those who hear these words and cling to this promise ever since that fateful night, those to whom it has been handed.

When Jesus announces “This is my body...This is the new covenant in my blood...” he is handing to us a reality greater than we can understand ,but which nevertheless is continuing its job of transforming us..

Little by little, the words which are true are becoming true in us.

This is my body is referring

--to himself speaking to the disciples, --to the bread in that meal at Passover-time,

--to everyone who is being transformed from the inside out as God's promise is taken in and becomes a part of us.

This is true “remembrance”; not merely an intellectual thinking about Jesus, but also the experience of living his word in the world.

We learn in the process of doing.

Last evening we worked on that principle as we celebrated the Passover Seder in Fellowship Hall.

As we ate each of the special foods, we remembered another part of the story of God's saving action in the Exodus.

When we celebrate Holy Baptism on Saturday evening, we will be recalling our own baptisms, whatever number of years ago, and renewing our resolve to make the most of God's promise granted to us in that sacrament.

When we share the Peace, it is not an empty “hello”, but a demonstration of the openness and welcome that Jesus extends to us, which also intends to shape and change how we respond to people outside this number.

When we take part in the washing of feet according to the ordinance in the Gospel reading for this day,

it is the humility of Christ Jesus making an impact on our lives and behavior.

It is to be the example and springboard for many other words and actions in the community inside and outside the church.

Paul, in our passage from Corinthians today, begins this way: For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you.

Thanks be to God for words

as well as for the actions that spring from them

this day and throughout our lives, as well as in the life of the whole church.

Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.