Forgiveness

 October 16, 2022

Yesterday and today I’ve been at a Christian retreat as spiritual director, which includes the responsibilities of giving a number of mini sermons throughout the day. One of these dealt with the meaning and significance of Communion, or the Eucharist. The Scripture for this talk came from St. Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 11:25-30–

“ He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

The context tells us what Paul meant by “an unworthy manner.” He is talking about our relationships with other believers, that if we are not in right relationship with them, ie, if there is unforgiveness, jealousy, or selfishness, we are not in a position to be receiving communion. The remedy is not to abstain from communion, but to fix the relationship.

Jesus himself was pretty clear about this matter when he said if we are coming to the altar and realize a brother has something against us, leave the gift at the altar, go an be reconciled to the brother, then come back and offer the gift. After all, communion is what its name implies, “being one with each other (literally “with union”).

The backstory to this little talk goes back quite a few years. A Christian brother made a decision that I didn’t agree with. I don’t know if he knew it back then, but I held a grudge against him. As it happened, he moved, and we only saw each other occasionally. I was cordial, but guarded. 

God has a sense of humor, and arranged things so we would be on team together for this retreat. I knew I couldn’t give this talk if I didn’t deal with my attitude. We talked briefly last night; I confessed and apologized to him, but we didn’t have the time to really settle things. So here I am, giving this talk when God convicts me. Before the entire group of men, I had to confess my sin against my brother, and he was gracious enough to get out of his seat, come forward, and embrace me, offering forgiveness and grace. I don’t often get particularly emotional, but it was hard to continue. But I wouldn’t have been able to lead the men in communion if I had not done what Jesus and Paul commanded.

I can’t speak for anyone else, but it was a powerful moment for me. Many people have been praying for this retreat, and some wrote to me telling me they prayed that the weekend would minister to me as I ministered to others. That happened this afternoon as my brother stood up and publicly forgave this sinner, enabling him to offer the sign of grace to others in the Bread and the Cup.