with Bob Condly
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Lord’s Supper

Reflecting on a Coincidence

By Bob Condly
March 31, 2023
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“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.” – Isaiah 66:10

A couple of weeks ago, I wore blue to church. Not that that’s important, but I also decided to add a pocket square that had small pink and maroon flowers printed on it. Not thinking much of these clothing decisions, off I was to teach my Sunday School class.

The first person in the room wore clothes that were reddish in color. Then a few more people came in and, wouldn’t you know it, they also wore some shades of red. There were only five of us in the room, so I commented on the coincidence in a light-hearted way.

As others came in, my smile got bigger because I was amazed. Everyone was wearing some kind of red!

Why red? If St. Patrick’s Day happened to fall on that Sunday, I would understand if everyone had on green clothes. If it was the Fourth of July, I wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of folks donned red, white, and blue. But colors in a rosy red family? Why those?

I kept telling the class that I knew God was doing something, but I didn’t know why He was doing it. The Holy Spirit must have had a good reason for this move, but I had no idea what it could be. Neither did anyone else!

With a chuckle, I told them that this was going to bother me. While I appreciate what the Lord does, I also want to be in on His reasoning.

We went through the class material, then attended the service, and that was it. I left the building, still wanting to understand what God was thinking, but no closer to a solution.

Except when I told my father about it later that day, he mentioned that it was Laetare Sunday. I’d never heard of this, but a blurb in his church’s bulletin explained that vestments and banners were rose-colored in honor of the fourth Sunday of Lent.

This was new to me, so I had to Google it. It turns out that’s all correct! Here’s a simple explanation: “Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, takes its name from the Latin word which begins the entrance antiphon (introit) for that day [from Isaiah 66:10, quoted above]. Laetare means rejoice, and this Sunday is marked by a relaxation of the penitential character of the Lenten season.”

And regarding the color, “Call it pink — or, more fittingly, rose — this change in color indicates a glimpse of the joy that awaits us at Easter, just before we enter into the somber days of Passiontide.”

So there you go! It looks like the Spirit prodded most of us members of a Sunday School class in an evangelical church to dress in a way consistent with a liturgical observance none of us were aware of. We know about Easter, but not Laetare Sunday.

Well, then, why did the Lord do this?

I have no specific insight, but turning to the Scriptures sheds some light on the subject.

The Bible stresses that believers in Jesus really are one body of Christ. There may be many congregations and denominations, but the church as a whole is the body of Jesus Christ on earth.

The apostle Paul repeats this phrase quite a bit.

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” – Romans 12:4-5

He acknowledges differences among the members of Christ’s body, but it remains a single body. Jesus brings us all together in spite of the various ways we serve Him.

Or rather, because of the different ways.

 “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” – 1 Corinthians 10:16-17

If there’s one issue Christians disagree on, it’s the theology of the Lord’s Supper. That’s too bad, because Paul points out how the one loaf of bread captures the unity of the children of God gathered in Christ’s name. Our liturgy, the way we worship, most glorifies God and builds up people when it’s done with an eye toward harmony and wholeness.

“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body–whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free–and we were all given the one Spirit to drink … 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” – 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, 27

Given our ecclesiastical differences, what brings us together? It’s not a what, it’s a Who–the Holy Spirit! He inaugurates our life in Christ without obliterating what makes each of us distinctive. This is true for individual Christians and for churches, too. If we follow the Spirit who brought us to Jesus in the first place, we’ll appreciate the value of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

“And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” – Ephesians 1:22-23

We have to make a decision. We can opt to focus on the fractured nature of the body of Christ and fixate on what drives us apart. Or we can open ourselves to the amazing spiritual blessing we’ve received by God’s grace. We are part of something magnificent, something greater than anything in this world, something for which the Lord deserves our unending praise!

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” – Ephesians 4:15-16

God sees His people as one, but He also knows it takes time for us to grow into that reality. Valuing and respecting one another will go a long way to helping us all become everything Jesus envisions.

So we have reason to rejoice! Regardless of our affiliations, we’re part of the body of the One raised from the dead! Jesus is alive and He seeks to express Himself through the Church, His people united in His name. When we cooperate with the Spirit, we learn to love, to serve, and to praise.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ!

Real Presence

By Bob Condly
February 9, 2018
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(This is the second post in a series on the ordinances of the church. Here’s the link to the previous article.)

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For centuries, theologians have argued about the meaning of Christ’s statement, “This is my body.” In what way and to what extent is Jesus present in the Lord’s Supper?

The Catholic Church advocates “transubstantiation” which is the belief that the substances of the bread and wine are transformed to the actual body and blood of Christ even though their appearance doesn’t change.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states that “The Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. . . . For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink’ (Jn 6:51-55). The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the ‘Real Presence’ of Christ in the Eucharist.”

Lutherans take a more moderate position that is sometimes called “consubstantiation.” This means that the literal body and blood of Jesus are present “with, in, and under” the bread and wine. In other words, the invisible Jesus is present in the visible elements.

Many Protestants adopt a “memorial” or “symbolic” view of the Lord’s Supper. They emphasize not the bread and the cup, but the words of Christ, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” They also understand the elements as analogies. Here’s an example in another of Jesus’ teaching:

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.’” – John 10:7

Jesus is using the image of a gate to convey the protection and security He offers His followers. The picture is meant to be taken seriously but not literally. Likewise, many Protestant Christians believe that the elements represent or symbolize the person and work of Christ.

Finally, some churches, like the Salvation Army or the Society of Friends (Quakers), don’t recognize the presence of Christ in the elements. Instead, they reject the need for rituals like Communion because the new covenant of Jesus is a spiritual one, transcending the physical realm.

So the debate continues: is Christ present in the Lord’s Supper? I’ve come to believe, however, that the question misses the mark. We have little reason to distrust Jesus. He promised to be with His disciples, and we can take Him at His word!

“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20b

“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” – Hebrews 13:5b

The question is not, is Christ present, but am I present? Do I give God my attention at the Lord’s Supper? He’s not the issue; I am!

“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.” – 1 Corinthians 11:27-31

It sounds like Paul is challenging believers to check the condition of their hearts when they partake of Communion. To do anything less dishonors God and disrupts the ceremony.

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” – Psalm 66:18 (NKJV)

But this insight overlooks the point Paul is trying to make in 1 Corinthians 11. As the following passages indicate, the apostle was urging the church to care for others. Don’t judge your brothers and sisters in Christ; treat them well.

“So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, 21for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!” – 1 Corinthians 11:20-22

“Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world. 33So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.” – 1 Corinthians 11:32-34

If the selfishness that characterizes this fallen world infiltrates the church, it will devastate our spiritual vitality and gospel witness.

The question of the real presence is not about Jesus and it’s not about us as individuals. It’s about those around us. If we bless our fellow Christians, the Lord will honor our participation in the Eucharist. If we harm our brothers and sisters, we will damage our credibility and dampen our relationship with Jesus.

So the next time you celebrate the Lord’s Supper, contemplate the presence of Jesus, and give Him your whole heart. But remember to love those around you!

with Bob Condly

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