Download December 4 - Advent 2 - "The Senses of Christmas

“The Senses of Christmas”
Part 2 - “Taste”
Text:
Thesis:
Matthew 26:26-30 (and Matthew 3:1-6)
Our senses can help us experience Christmas in a fresh way. Taste can
stimulate our Christmas memories. And tasting the Lord’s Supper can
remind of us of the purpose behind Jesus’ first coming.
Last week we began a series called “The Senses of Christmas.” It seems that our
senses are heightened by the Advent/Christmas season. So I hope that through our
senses we can experience the coming of Jesus the Christ in a fresh way.
The first sense was touch. 2000 some years ago two women were pregnant through
extraordinary means. One, of course, is Mary. She will give birth to a son and name
him Jesus. He will be the son of God and messiah of Israel. Elizabeth, a much older
cousin of Mary’s, is also pregnant. And she will give birth to a son who will be named
John. John will be a prophet and will prepare the way for the messiah, Jesus. Mary
goes to visit Elizabeth. As Mary greets Elizabeth, baby John leaps in his mother’s
womb. Both mother and child recognize that Mary is carrying the son of God.
Elizabeth is touched by Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit.
So my question for us last week was, “How have you been touched by Jesus?” Have
you felt his healing or comforting or encouraging touch? And, how have you
responded to his touch?
This morning the sense is taste. What are the special tastes that we associate with
Christmas? I know that one is Christmas cookies. Yesterday the women spent
many hours between them baking and decorating cookies. Do you have any special
favorites? [shortbread topped with slivered almonds] What tastes besides Christmas
cookies? – Suet pudding with hard sauce, Eggnog, Wassail?
Our sense of taste reminds us of the reason that Jesus came into this world. Our
second scripture reading is Matthew 26:26-30. [READ] The taste of the Lord’s
Supper tells us why Jesus came into the world.
First, the bread. Jesus said, “Take this and eat it for this is my body.” (v.26) This
taste of bread reminds us of the life of Jesus. Jesus came into the world with a body.
In the gospel of John it says,
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the
Word was God...And the Word became a flesh and blood human being and
made his home among us.” (1:1,14, NLT)
Jesus had a human body just as we do.
But, to take on human flesh, the Word had to give up something. Paul puts it this
way,
“Though [Christ Jesus] was God, he did not think of equality with God as
something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the
humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (Philippians
2:6-7,NLT)
Jesus didn’t just pretend to be a human being, he really was. He experienced
everything that we do – emotions, relationships, education, work, worship. He shows
us what we can be when we live in the image of God. So when we taste the bread,
we remember the human life of Jesus.
This taste of bread also gives us life. Jesus said,
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.
Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty...I am the bread that came down
from heaven.” (John 6:35,41)
Jesus satisfies us in a way that nothing else can. Money, possessions, status, power,
physical pleasure – these may give us temporary satisfaction but it disappears and we
need more. Jesus came into this world because he loves us and wants more for us
than temporary gratification.
So he said as Luke’s gospel tells it, “This is my body; which is given for you.” (22:19)
It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t pretty. Jesus was humiliated – hanging naked from a
cross like a common criminal. But he did it for you and for me. This is my body;
which is given for you. When we taste this bread, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice to
give us life.
Which brings us to the juice or wine. Jesus said, “...this is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (v. 28) Jesus’ sacrifice was
seen as a “blood sacrifice.” Back when the Hebrews were slaves in Egypt, it was the
blood of a sacrificial lamb which finally set them free. God sent 10 plagues to
convince Pharaoh to free the slaves. Nothing worked until the 10th – the angel of
death would take every first-born male in Egypt, animal and human. But the blood of
the lamb was placed over the lintel of the door so the angel of death would pass over
that home and spare the first-born males. The Passover feast was celebrated
annually to remember what God had done to free them.
The Day of Atonement is another annual celebration by the Hebrews which used a
sacrificial lamb. The people were called to repentance, fasting, and prayer. Then a
lamb was sacrificed by the High Priest. He would take the blood into the Holy of
Holies – the inner sanctuary with the ark of the covenant which was the throne of
God. The blood sacrifice brought the people forgiveness of their sins. Jesus is
sharing the Passover meal with his disciples when he gives them a way to remember
him. Jesus becomes the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This is
my blood of the new and everlasting covenant – shed for the forgiveness of sins.
And Jesus’ sacrifice was bloody!
∙
Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested. He
did not want to die. He prayed so deeply and so fervently that he sweat drops
of blood.
∙
He was beaten and then flogged with a metal-tipped whip – his back was a
bloody mess.
∙
He was given a crown of thorns which bit into his scalp – and scalp wounds
bleed profusely.
∙
The nails in his hands and feet holding him to the cross meant more bleeding.
∙
Finally, a spear was thrust into his side to make sure he was dead – blood and
water this time.
When we taste this juice, we remember the blood sacrifice which brings us and the
world the forgiveness of our sins.
In the Lord’s Supper we taste the bread and the juice. We are reminded that God
loves us and that our sins are forgiven now and forever. We are re-membered – we
are brought back together into the body of Christ. This meal unites us with Christ.
And this meal unites us with one another.
Jean Samuelson is the pastor of a United Methodist church in Nebraska. A transient
moved into the community who frightened many persons, especially children. He was
poorly dressed, smelled badly, and was usually drunk. He was also crippled and had
a scared and contorted face. So, people avoided him, but not Pastor Samuelson.
She tried to visit with him and always invited him to attend church but he always
declined.
In time she managed to discover why he was so badly crippled. He had been stabbed
many times when he was a small boy by his father!
Then on Christmas Eve, this man stumbled into the church, drunk. He found a seat in
the back of the sanctuary. When Pastor Samuelson invited the people to come
forward for Communion, this man managed to get to his feet. Waving a piece of
paper in his hand he cried out, “Stop. I want you to read this poem.” Now, Jean
Samuelson is a very kind and compassionate person. She knew that this man had
been hurt many times in life, so she gently and kindly suggested that perhaps they go
on with the service and she would read the poem later. But, that would not do. He
cried out again, “Stop. I want you to read this poem.” With that he began to come
down the aisle. Because of his drunken condition, he tripped and fell, hitting and
cutting his head on the end of one of the pews.
Pastor Samuelson took the poem and tried to read it. She said it did not seem to
make much sense. “Like the snow, I am falling, falling, falling. Like the night, I am
falling, falling, falling.” Then there were some lines that made no sense at all –
something about his dog. She didn’t think she could not go on reading the poem –
yet something told her that she must. She came to the end of the poem which went
something like this: “Like the snow, falling, falling, falling. Like the night, falling, falling,
falling, I think that I am falling, falling, falling in love with Jesus Christ.”
A powerful silence fell over the church. People were deeply moved. Some of the
people helped the man down to the communion rail. As the people knelt, tears of
love, sorrow and joy were streaming down their faces. [from sermon by Dr. Rodney E.
Wilmoth, “From Declaration to Demonstration”, St. Paul United Methodist Church of
Omaha, January 8, 1989].
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8) At this table, taste the life-giving
bread; taste the cup of forgiveness. May you find peace. And may you be peace.
Amen