In Need Of Healing

Brothers and sisters: In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact that your meetings are doing more harm than good. First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church there are divisions among you, and to a degree I believe it; there have to be factions among you in order that also those who are approved among you may become known.

When you meet in one place, then, it is not to eat the Lord's supper, for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink? Or do you show contempt for the Church of God and make those who have nothing feel ashamed? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I do not praise you.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. (1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33)

“Brothers and sisters: In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact that your meetings are doing more harm than good. First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church there are divisions among you, and to a degree I believe it.”  There are divisions in our Church – divisions about who should receive the Eucharist and the politically-charged subject of abortion that also has divided much of our country and led to laws enacted by different states such as laws making it illegal for women to have abortions as a consequence of rape and incest.

When proceeding single file to the altar to receive the body and blood of Christ, do we only think about personal salvation?  Or, do we give any thought to those before and after us who also make up the body and blood of Christ?  Do we act like Christ? Or, are we marching to different tunes, philosophies and see the other as no brother or sister – just someone with whom we must tolerate yet for whom we have great distaste.  Such is a sick Body of Christ in need of healing.

Deacon David Pierce