Interactive sermon 4: Eucharist and Mission

The following is an outline for one of a series of four interactive sermons that can be used together with the four week mystagogical study, “28 days” posted under Formation.

Each sermon includes four segments:

  • An experiential reflection–recalls individual and collective sacramental experience
  • symbolic/liturgical reflection–draws on themes and symbols from the liturgy of the community (the sacramental from your particular tradition can be substituted)
  • scriptural reflection–the experiential and liturgical reflections are given new context in light of the biblical text
  • For the coming week–reference is made to the family and personal devotional studies for the coming week

Dr. Chris

__

Eucharist and Mission

Sermon Sentence

Like the last supper of Christ with his disciples, eucharist is our entry into the redemptive reality and mission of Christ in the world and into the new life lived in and through the presence of his Holy Spirit, a daily victory of Christ’s resurrection and recreation moving toward the ultimate reality of the kingdom of God.

Experiential Reflection

Share insights from the week before. What have you learned? Did God speak to you in any special ways?

Group reflection: God’s presence in eucharist

Consider your experiences with eucharist.

  • Have they impacted you in some way?
  • Have you been aware of God’s presence?
  • If so, how did he change you? In what ways have you left trying to be different than when you came?

Symbolic/Liturgical Reflection

Examine the following Anglican eucharistic liturgy. Use enlarged copies of the text and have the children find and circle the places the Christ is mentioned.

Pastor: Is the Father with us?

People: He is!

Pastor: Is Christ among us?

People: He is!

Pastor: Is the Spirit here?

People: He is!

Pastor: This is our God.

People: Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Pastor: We are His people.

People: We are redeemed!

Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

Pastor: Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Savior.

But chiefly are we bound to praise you, Father because you raised him gloriously from the dead. For he is the true paschal lamb who was offered for us, and has taken away the sin of the world. By his death he has destroyed death, and by his rising to life again he has restored to us everlasting life.

Therefore with all the angels of heaven we lift our voices to proclaim the glory of your name and sing our joyful hymn of praise:

All: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna in the highest Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna in the highest

Pastor: Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

And, therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

All: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Pastor: And so, Father, remembering his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glo- rious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption. As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord;

All: by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honor and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen!

  • What is being said about Christ? What is being said about us?
  • What is happening in the prayer? What are we remembering? What are we doing?
  • What are we supposed to become as a result of our communion with Christ? What are we supposed to do?

Scriptural Reflection

Texts: John 15.18-27; John 17.20-24

  • When were these words spoken by Jesus?
  • What does Jesus say about the fact that we are one with him and the Father (what will happen to us)?
  • What is the purpose of our unity with Christ and one another?

Synthesis

  • What does it mean to be united with Christ?
  • What was his mission? How did he accomplish it?
  • What is his mission now? How is he accomplishing it?
  • What does it mean for us to be his body? What role do we have to play in his mission?
  • How does the eucharist make us his body? How does it prepare us for our role?

For the Coming Week

Meditate on the Scriptures in your devotional guide and answer the questions provided. Most especially, think about what it means to be united with Christ—in his suffering, in his death, in his resurrection, in his victory and lordship. What does it mean for us, as his church, to be his body, his presence in the world? What can and should we bring from his table to the world?

Leave a Reply