Maundy Thursday
April 9, 2009
You Proclaim the Lord’s Death
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
A Meal that Talks for Itself
This is the holy night that our Lord instituted Holy Communion. And this is a meal that talks and speaks. Whenever we eat this meal, we “proclaim our Lord’s death until he comes.”
And even if we didn’t say a word throughout this entire service…or if we all were deaf mutes…or had our hearing aids turned off, this meal in itself would still would get the message across: “Take eat, this is my body given for you. Take drink, this is my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
This meal speaks for itself. It speaks through its “sign language.”
The Clown Ministry of Floyd Schaffer
That fact was driven home for me many years ago when I was a young intern in the Cleveland area. I went with the youth group over to Sandusky for a large youth gathering.
And the main attraction for that event was the “clown ministry” of a pastor by the name of Floyd Schaffer. Floyd was a Lutheran pastor who was also a professional clown.
He took time off from the parish to train and perform with the circus. He was a full-fledged, card-carrying, licensed clown. He was a pro.
A Clown’s Transfiguration
And he got up in front. And right before our eyes he went through his transformation. A “transfiguration,” he called it.
First he got out his make-up kit and put on the white face. A “death mask” he called it. A clown dies to his old self, Floyd said, so that a whole new character can emerge. Much like we do in baptism.
And…a clown dies to words so that a clown can speak in even a more powerful language. A clown speaks through his deeds and through his actions. And children from all over the world, even though they all speak different languages, each of them know exactly what a clown is saying.
And a clown is a “vulnerable lover.” A clown loves all people, but a clown never forces himself on someone else. If a child is scared or frightened, a clown backs away. A clown is there to cheer people up and make them smile. A clown is not there to add to their griefs and burdens.
And a clown is a “servant person” who helps others. Never does a clown hurt or harm someone else. A clown takes all the pain and suffering upon himself. Much like Jesus did upon the cross. There are a lot of connections between Jesus and a clown.
Powerful Sign Language
And then for the grand finale, Floyd led an entire communion service from beginning to end without saying a single word. And I kept wondering how in the world was he going to do this, especially when it came to the communion portion of the service.
For I was taught in seminary that you had to say the words. The verba, we called them. The original words of Jesus. “Take eat, this is my body given for you. Take drink, this is my blood pour out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
We were taught that these words had to be part of every service of Holy Communion. And I was wondering how this “clown” was going to consecrate the elements without them.
Bread & Wine; Body & Blood
But he did it. He really did. When we got to that part of the service, he took a loaf of bread in one hand and a cross in the other. And he held it up for all the world to see.
And then sloooowly and powerfully he “impaled” the bread upon the cross. And you could feel Jesus being nailed to the cross. You could feel it in your bones. And then, he took the bread and tore it. And you could see the body of Jesus torn and given as bread for the world.
And then, he took the cross and a bottle of wine. And he tipped the cross and began to pour it and fill the bottle. And you could see the blood of Jesus being poured out for the forgiveness of sin.
And it all made us laugh when he shook the cross a couple of times at the end to get every last drop out. You could see Jesus pouring every ounce of his life out for us. Every last drop.
A Loud Proclamation of Christ’s Death
And then, he broke and distributed the bread for all to eat. And he took that bottle and poured it out for everyone to drink. And I think I speak for everyone there, when I say that this meal spoke to us in a deeper way than any other communion service that I have ever been to.
The meal speaks for itself. And that gives to me a great comfort whenever I am up here speaking. I can have a bad day preaching. Or you can have a bad day hearing. And still you get the full message of the Gospel. You get it in the meal itself. The meal speaks for itself. It proclaims Christ’s death and resurrection.
Those who Eat Become the Body of Christ
Those who eat the body become the body
And those words are particularly helpful when we start talking about the next part of the action. How those who gather around the bread and wine also become the “body” of Christ. We are the “body” of Christ. The baptized. The believers.
And Jesus takes us in his hands. And he lifts us up to God. And he blesses us. And he breaks us. And distributes us. For the sake of the world.
And it is much like Floyd’s clown ministry. In baptism we die to what we once were, so that a new character can arise. And we speak not only in our words, but also in our deeds and in our actions. And we are out to lift other people and bring them cheer (the good news of the Gospel) and not add to their griefs and burdens. And we become a “servant person” like Jesus did.
All this is involved in the meal of communion. Those who gather around the bread and wine become the “body and blood” of Christ who have given themselves for the sake of the life of the world.
Holy Communion is a meal that speaks and talks. It speaks through its sign language. And it is just as Saint Paul said: “It proclaims the Lord’s death until he comes.”
© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster