Communion Message
(We have something in common with God)
August 17, 2003
Pastor Leighton Sheley

History records that in 1873 a Belgian Catholic priest named Joseph Damien de Veuster was sent to minister to lepers on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. He arrived in high spirits hoping to build a friendship with each of the lepers. People shunned him however at every turn. He built a chapel and began worship services and poured his heart out to the lepers, but it all seemed futile. No one responded to his ministry and after twelve years of struggling, Father Damien decided to leave. As he stood in dejection on the dock waiting to board the ship, he looked down at the hands he was wringing and he noticed some mysterious white spots on them, and feeling some numbness he knew immediately what was happening. He had contracted leprosy. Father Damien returned to the leper colony and to his work.

Word spread quickly and within hours hundreds gathered outside his hut fully identifying with his plight. A bigger surprise came the following Sunday when he arrived that the chapel, he found it full. Some might say, well Pastor, outside of honoring the memory of a great missionary, which is a noble thing, how does that relate to our time together today? For twelve years Father Damien endeavored to build relationship and friendship with those lepers, but they shunned him. I'm sure that what caused that is the fact that they were probably thinking in their minds, what do we have in common? We are the outcasts of society. We are despised. We are worthless. We are simply existing until death relieves us. What can we possibly have in common with this healthy, holy man from God? And relationship didn't take place because they didn't see that they had something in common.

Having something in common is one of the elements for relationship. You get some men together who are total strangers and you find something they have in common, perhaps the love for sports or cars or some other hobby, and relationship can develop. They can start there and they can grow. Relationship can develop over tastes in desert. One time I was at a restaurant and I looked at the desert options in front of me, and I just kind of mumbled to myself, well that looks good, of course just about any kind of food looks good to me, and the person next to me, who I'd never met says, Oh you've got to try it; it's delicious. Oh by the way, have you tried this one? And we had a relationship right there because we had something in common. At that point it was nothing more than a mere interest in desert, but we had something in common. Now you're saying, how does this relate to communion?

I think that a lot of people stay away from church and stay away from the communion table and stay away from God because they don't think that they have anything in common with God. God is so mighty and we are so the victim of our circumstance. And God is so knowledgeable and every day we are reminded of our ignorance. And God is so holy and every day we are reminded that we do things that we know we should not do. What can we possibly have in common with God? And so people shun God.

But God has so desired relationship with us that He has brought to being something we have in common. The writer of Hebrews says, For we do not have a high priest, speaking of Jesus, who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, just as we are tempted--and yet is without sin. We can say things to God like, God, You don't understand, I've failed You again. That temptation, You can't understand. And He can say, yes I can. Because I have been tempted and all ways even as you have been tempted, but He was without sin. And because of that, He didn't owe anything to divine justice; and because of that, He could pay the wages of sin, the debt of our sin, for the wages of sin is death, and Jesus paid the wages of our sin on Calvary's cross.

And the Scripture continues and says, Let us therefore draw near with confidence. So many people think that sin is a reason for running away from God, and in the Bible we're told it's a reason to run to God. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. Each and every one of us has come here today in a time of need, because each and every one of us have sinned each and every day. The Scriptures say at times like these we should examine our self, and so I want to invite you, if you are physically able, to join with me now as we kneel in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Lord, we are so thankful, ever thankful, that You are so faithful and good. And Lord we are thankful to the great saints that have lived before us, who opened up and shared their lives transparently. We thank you for the apostle Paul who wrote in Romans 7 concerning his struggle with sin saying, That which I want to do, that which I know is good, that which I know is pleasing to You I do not do; and that which I would not do, that, that's what I do. Lord we can relate to that because we do desire to do what is right, and yet so very often we don't.

Thank you Lord for your faithfulness and thank you for Your mercy. Thank you for Your word that says if we confess our sin You are faithful and just and will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That is our desire this day, to be forgiven and cleansed. And we thank you by faith by partaking in these elements in remembrance of Jesus. Let's partake of the bread and also the cup.