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Six Summer Sundays
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Second Sunday, July 8, 2001:
"The Covenant and Sacrifice of Transformation"
A. What was the Old Covenant, and what were the people's obligations?
Israel's covenant duties to God were undivided loyalty, complete obedience, love for God, worship of God, love each other. (study book, p. 25)
The short formulary-"I will be their God and they shall be my people" (Genesis 17:7; Leviticus 26:12, 45; Deuteronomy. 29:10-13).
B. Does the Church operate under a covenant?
The Church is heir to Israel's covenant: Acts 3:25: "And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. . . ." (NIV)
The Church's relationship with God is based on the "New Covenant": "Just as God entered into covenant with Israel, so also God entered into covenant with the church." (study book, p. 26)
C. How was the Old Covenant initiated?
(1) An act of worship [as at Sinai], as a kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6); (2) the people's reverent submission; (3) sealed with the blood of a sacrifice; (4) eating and drinking a covenant meal, which was viewed as (5) God's food given to them.
[Robert E. Webber, The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship, Vol. 1, The Complete Library of Christian Worship, p. 59]
D. How was the New Covenant initiated?
The sacrifice: Matthew 26:27-28: "Then he took the cup, . . . saying, '. . . This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (NIV)
[Here and elsewhere herein, underlining is added for emphasis.]
The covenant meal: Matthew 26:26-28: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you.'" (NIV)
E. What are the people's obligations under the New Covenant?
1 Peter 2:4-5: [a] "Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are [b] being built up a spiritual house, a [c] holy priesthood, to [d] offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (NKJV)
1 Peter 2:9-10: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may [e] proclaim the [e.1.] praises of Him who called you out of darkness into [e.2.] His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the [e.3.] people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have [e.4.] obtained mercy." (NKJV)
Example from tonight's Evening Prayers service: Reading the New Testament lesson, Romans 5:1-11: "Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. . . ."
To [f] love God with our whole heart; [g] be fully obedient; [h] love all people; [i] gather again and again to remember our agreement. (study book, p. 26)
Example from tonight's Evening Prayers service: Reading Psalm 111: "Praise the LORD. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. . . ."
F. How is the covenant relationship maintained?
1. "[T]hrough worship our relationship to God is maintained, repaired, and transformed." (study book, p. 26)
Example from this morning's Epworth service, from "The Prayer of Humble Access and for Cleansing":
We do not presume to come to this your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies. . . . Grant . . . that we may be made clean by the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. . . . Deliver us, gracious Lord, from the presumption of coming to this table for pardon of our sins only, and not for transformation of our lives in your holiness. Amen.
. What was John Wesley's view of the nature of the covenant relationship?
See his Covenant Service (as adapted by Wesley from the Puritan writer Richard Allein and further adapted in Wesley Hymns (Lillenas Publishing Co., Kansas City, MO, Ken Bible, compiler, 1982):
. . . I call heaven and earth to record this day, that I do here solemnly acknowledge Thee as the Lord my God. I do here take Thee, the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for my portion and do give up myself, body and soul, for Thy servant, promising and vowing to serve Thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life.
O blessed Jesus, I come to Thee . . . unworthy . . . to be solemnly married to the King of Glory. . . . I do here with all my power accept Thee and take Thee for my Head and Husband, to love, honor, and obey Thee before all others, and this to the death. . . . purposing that neither life nor death shall part between Thee and me.
H. Is the covenant between God and the Church, or between God and each of us individually, or both?
Robert C. Monk, John Wesley and His Puritan Heritage (Abingdon, 1966), p. 105: Corporately used, but individual.
Wesley's Journal, April, 1758, in Dublin: He exhorted the people "jointly" to renew their covenant with God.
1 Peter 2:9-10: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, . . . ."
(NIV)"Just as God entered into covenant with Israel, so also God entered into covenant with the church." (study book, p. 26)
Ephesians 5:23-32: ". . . Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. . . . Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. . . . For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. . . . . This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (NKJV)
From John Wesley's baptismal service: [After the baptismal candidate individually has renounced the devil and all his works and affirmed his or her faith in Christ and has been baptized] "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that these persons are admitted into the visible body of Christ's Church; let us . . . with one accord make our prayers unto him, that they may lead the rest of their life according to this beginning."
From the "Prayer of Thanksgiving and Living Sacrifice" this morning at Epworth: ". . . because we are members incorporated into the mystical body of your Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; . . . ."
I. Is sacrifice important to our worship today? Why?
Sacrifice is central to New Testament worship. . . . (study book, p. 33)
In worship we proclaim the sacrifice of Christ through Scripture readings, sermons, hymns, prayers, and especially at the Lord's Table. (study book, p. 33)
Think about the whole subject of sacrifice, because it opens up an aspect of thought that is vital to our worship. Christians worship through the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (study book, p. 33)
Hebrews 10:11-14: "And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (NKJV)
From the Epiclesis prayer in this morning's service at Epworth: "Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of your tender mercy gave your only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption, who made there a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world, and who instituted, and in his holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of his precious death until his coming again; . . . ."
J. How do the New Covenant and sacrifice relate?
Hebrews 9:11-15: "But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, . . . [W]ith His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. . . . And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, . . . ." (NKJV)
Matthew 26:26: "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" (NIV)
K. How can we realize anew Christ's sacrifice?
The disciples who walked to Emmaus with Jesus recognized him when he broke the bread (Luke 24:35), and the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee "knew it was the Lord", and he broke bread and gave it to them. (John 21:12-13)
From Mason Martens' fraction anthem: "The disciples knew the Lord Jesus in the breaking of the bread."
John Wesley: "The chief of these means [of grace] are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures; (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon;) and receiving the Lord's supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him: And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of men." Sermon, "The Means of Grace".
So confident was Wesley in Christ's presence that he speaks of the converting power of the Eucharist. "Ye are the witnesses. For many present know, the very beginning of your conversion to God (perhaps, in some, the first deep conviction) was wrought at the Lord's Supper." . . . . Those who seek God may find him revealed to them here. The Lord's Supper stands as the chief means by which believers receive the grace of Christ and remained, for Wesley, an indispensable element in Christian living.
[Robert E. Webber, Twenty Centuries of Christian Worship, Vol. 2, The Complete Library of Christian Worship, page 298.]
Fraction anthem in this morning's service at Epworth: "We break this bread to share in the Body of Christ. We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread."
From the "Prayer of Humble Access and for Cleansing", in this morning's service at Epworth: "Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to experience the spiritual presence of your dear Son Jesus Christ at this your table, that we may be made clean by the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us."
From the "Prayer of Thanksgiving and Living Sacrifice" in this morning's service at Epworth: "We your humble servants desire your Fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; . . . And here we offer and present unto You, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice unto You; . . . And although we are unworthy in ourselves to offer unto You any sacrifice, yet we beseech You to accept this our bounden duty and service; not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offenses, through Jesus Christ our Lord; . . . ."
L. How does our rehearsal of the covenant and Christ's sacrifice transform us?
"To speak and sing in such language that we mean far more than can be said; to break bread together and feast on more than we can know; to wash and be washed, body and feet, and thus belong to far more than the living empirical world; to sing and sound more than the ear can fully take in of the glory of creation; to bring all of life (the mundane, the frightening, the joyful and a hope for the world) to a place where it is held in the light of One who knows us; to bring joy and heartbreak to a place of ordered Word and sacramental action only to receive healing and a greater hope than we could imagine; this is the transformative art of the assembly. This is to learn the true advent of God, ever-fresh."
[Don E. Saliers, Worship As Theology, p. 201 (Abingdon, 1994).]
M. Questions to ponder or discuss, now or later
Which came first: liturgy (the people's pattern of worship) or theology?
What can prayer in public worship do, which private prayer cannot?
How important is intercessory prayer in a worship service?
Why are the "Prayers of the People" part of the Service of the Table rather than being part of the Service of the Word?
If a service does not contain an invocation of the Triune God at the outset, is anything important lost?
What is the most intensive and extensive form of praise and thanksgiving in the Christian tradition?
Where do we find a church's primary theology?
Are active participation and self-expression worship?
What is transubstantiation in reverse?
Who leads our worship? Who should do so?
What about our worship serves as a school against forgetfulness?
What about our worship serves as a school against ingratitude?
Is there a distinction between loving God with all our heart, and worshiping God with all our heart?
Can prayer be visual instead of verbal?
Which religious gestures are holier than others?
Which religious symbols are holier than others?
Which carries more meaning: a statement of religious or theological fact or truth, or a symbol of the same?
Which of the five senses should be omitted from worship?
Should the human imagination be omitted from worship?
Is participation in religious ritual:
a. Participation, by attention, in the rites?
b. Participation in an act of the church?
c. Participation in the rule and reign of God?
Does our worship regularly reveal the difference between who God is and who we are?
Is there such a thing as physically embodied theology?
What role, if any, does bodily memory play in worship?
Is silence important in worship?
How does following the Christian calendar illuminate the scripture?
What is the role of confession of sin, in a worship service?
Is a benediction important in a worship service?
Was John Wesley right or wrong, in his contention that one should receive Communion as often as possible?
What's a "collect"?
What is the role of lamentation in a worship service?
Is the Eucharist inexhaustibly relevant to every human context of suffering? Why, or why not?
Is worship really worship, if it fails to engage the people with the mystery of God?
Is worship really worship, if it fails to engage the people with human suffering?
How important is the reading or singing of scripture, in a worship service?
N. Next Sunday: Sessions 5 and 6 of Robert E. Webber's Learning to Worship with All Your Heart
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