Matter is Good; It’s Sin that is Bad

God made creation.  God dwelt in creation.  God can fellowship with matter.

Abraham welcomed three visitors. Genesis says that one of them was Jehovah, appearing as a human (Gen. 18:20) before Abraham.

If that was not enough, Jesus made it official, God become flesh and dwelt among people (John 1:14.)

All people from the beginning of time have wrestled with the idea of the gods coming into creation. This is the conscience of humanity, subconsciously, paying tribute the gravity of sin.

The Old Testament and New Testament are the only documents ever written that sufficiently address the solving of this dilemma. Even to those of us who are Christians, this seems too good to be true. Yet another reminder of why we call this the gospel.

God has never had a problem with matter; he created it. It’s sin God has a problem with. I say all of this because I believe one barrier preventing us from ever celebrating the Lord’s Supper, in the context of a meal, is our fear God will become angry at our irreverence.

There are probably a lot of reasons why we think this way. I suspect one is the residue coming from the ancient Greek philosophers who pontificated that matter was bad, while the spiritual is good. Gnostics, in the first century, infiltrated the church with this teaching. I believe Augustine bought into this belief, and it hurt him as it did those whom he influenced. These would include many of us in churches today.

Too many Christians believe that Lord’s Supper, communion, is a spiritual meal to be observed in a spiritual worship service. To them, to eat a physical meal along with the Bread and the Fruit of the Vine, would desecrate the Lord’s Supper.

This is wrong. This view is fundamentally flawed. It creates a false dichotomy. The Lord’s Supper and a physical meal are not contradictory events that should be separated. Indeed, they should be united as much as possible. Here are some reasons why:

1. To do so would remind us that our sustenance comes from God.

2. To do so would remind us that God has cleansed us from our sin; therefore, we are able to enter into His presence.

3. To do so would remind us that God’s grace has cleansed us from our sin; it has nothing to do with our human efforts.

4. To so would follow biblical example and precedence spanning both Testaments—God’s people celebrating God in the context of meals.

5. Because of numbers 1-4, we can and should celebrate our salvation. We should celebrate our reconciliation with God, redemption by God, and consecration to God, in fellowship with God and in fellowship with our fellow priests with a meal that includes the Lord’s Supper. Moreover, we should do so in the context of public worship by the community of faith.

Five Things I Think I Think (with a nod to Peter King for this idea)

1. I’ve got to brag for a moment. I just found out that my second cousin, Skip Hollandsworth, recently won the American Society of Magazine Editors award for an article he wrote in Texas Monthly last year. Here’s the link: http://www.texasmonthly.com/2009-05-01/feature2.php

     Folks, this award is in the Pulitzer class. Congratulations, Cuz!

     BTW, I have you know he attended MY wedding back in 1988. So there, I am related to somebody who is famous and successful.

2. Rest with God in eternity, Jim Jordan. You were a great man for God.

3. It's official. Summer is here. I go outside; I am soaked with sweat.

4. Nice NBA series--Boston vs. LA. I'm pulling for seven games.

5. Congratulations to you, Abby Edge. You graduated from the eighth grade. Well done.