Sacrament, Sacrementum

Sacraments, Sacramentum
Matthew 26:26-30

A sacrament is a religious right or ceremony, instituted or recognized by Jesus Christ. The Greek word “mysterion” was later given the Latin word “sacramentum” and the rites themselves became know as “sacramenta.”

The Greek word mysterion is just what it sounds like. It means mystery,
unknowable, or valuable knowledge that is kept secret. There were so called “Mystery Religions” that existed in Jesus’ time that unless you were a member you could not know what it stood for.

So the Greek word “Mysterion” becomes the Latin word “Sacramentum.”

The Latin word “sacramentum” is an interesting word and means both “a thing set apart” and “a military oath of obedience as administered by the commander.”

Every citizen upon becoming a soldier in the military had to take an oath of allegiance called a sacramentum that was binding until either they were killed or released from military service. This oath stated that as a soldier they were to follow the command of an officer even if that order was to kill another Roman soldier. Once released from the oath any crime or other activity committed as a result of an order from a commanding officer was not punishable in civil courts. Soldiers were set apart from the regular citizenry during their time of service.

The use of this word for the Lord’s Supper (and Baptism) affected the early Christians understanding of these rites, and they tended to be regarded as conveying grace themselves, rather than as relating people through faith with Christ.

I think that the first part of that we understand. We understand both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as things set apart as sacred. In the United Methodist Church, and most Christian denominations as well, the administering of the Sacraments is reserved for members of the clergy.

The second part of the meaning of “sacramentum” is alien to us. We don’t tend to think of the sacraments as “a military oath of obedience as administered by the commander.”

Let’s think about that for a moment. If we apply that part of the meaning, we might come to understand that the partaking of sacraments means that we are pledging our allegiance and taking an oath of obedience to our commander, which is Jesus Christ.

The origins of the Lord’s Supper is rooted in Jewish tradition. The Passover meal reminded the Jewish people of the events of their deliverance from Egypt. If you remember, Moses had returned to Egypt and demanded that Pharaoh let the Israelites go. After a series of plaques, that did not work, God orders Moses to tell the people to kill a sacrificial lamb and put a mark on the doorpost of their houses. That night, those who had the mark were but those who did not would have their firstborn die.

It is no coincidence that Jesus chose this time to institute what we have come to know as the Lord’s Supper or the Last Supper. It is within the context of the Jewish Passover that Jesus sat in that upper room, broke bread, gave thanks to God, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks again he said, “Drink from it, all of you; 28. for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

In doing so Jesus substitutes his body for the sacrificial lamb and his blood for the mark of a believer. In his words at the table, Jesus speaks of himself not only as the sacrificial lamb but also as a sacrifice in Old Testament terms.

Jesus is giving his disciples a symbol of their participation in the events of his sacrificial death. He tells them, and us, that we are to celebrate it as a sign of our participation in his death, and by doing so die to our sin. Through this sacrament, and the sacrament of Baptism we die to sin, as He died for our sin, and we are made clean and become new creatures.

He also instructed them to continue this rite in remembrance of Him.
The Sacrament celebrates the coming together of Christians of all ages, from all parts of the world, and from all walks of life. It is the symbolic joining of church members to each other, to the prophets and saints of old, and the reign of God.

The symbols of the Lord’s Supper are bread and cup. The bread signifies the body of Christ and, the body of Christ, the church.

The cup stands for the blood of Christ and for the life of the church.
The sacraments are the lifeblood of the church. The sacraments remind us of who we are and whose we are. The sacraments also remind us of why we are and lead us to the knowledge of what we are called to do. We are to “Love God with all your heart mind and soul, and you are to love your neighbor as yourself.

Thirty-six and Fifteen.

It has been a long time since I find myself in this particular situation. Remember these numbers, thirty-six and fifteen, for they are important to this story.

Fifteen years ago I moved down from full-time ministry to part-time and took a full-time job as a salesman and a three point charge to make ends meet. Actually the plan was to leave ministry completely. That is not what God seemed to have in mind.

The reasons I did this is complicated but up near the top was the fact that I discovered my being in the ministry was damaging my wife and children. My heart broke one day when my children said to me, “We never bother to make friends because we know we will just move away.” When we married I know my wife had other aspirations than being a schoolteacher. But that is what she did because it was a job she could do as she followed me around. Over the years that decision tugged on my soul.

So I made a decision and we “settled down”; buying a house, taking jobs, and living life. My son got to do most of the rest of his schooling in one place and my daughter went to Jr. and Sr. High with the same people. Life was good.

My wife, Kenda, had the stability to go back to school and get a post graduate degree in Education Administration and today is the State and Federal Programs director for a school district. I am proud of her.

Eventually, I moved from that three point charge to be pastor at my home church. My aunt has been my secretary for 10 years. Some of the people remember me when I was a little boy. When I move there they accepted me as their pastor.

I am fortunate in that God let me take a “season” of rest. But for several years I had been feeling that it was time for me to resume ministry full-time. Seven years ago I did just that. My D.S. put Kingston, my home church; and Philadelphia (Jasper County) together to make me full-time again. What is interesting here is that thirty years earlier I had served Philadelphia (Jasper County) for two years as my wife and I finished college and left there for Perkins (SMU).

For fifteen years we had been living in our own house, most of that time about seven houses away from the church in which we were married thirty six years ago.

Now what is this particular situation I find myself in? I am moving and I don’t mean just moving to a new church but a new house as well. Fifteen years ago I made Kenda a promise that I would never ask her to move again. I haven’t, and I will not. So for the first time in thirty six years we will not be living together. Fortunately my new appointment is only about thirty miles away so my church can become her church as well. I suppose really we will be living together part-time, a little here and a little there.

Now, in just a few weeks my life will change drastically. I move from two churches with a total of 17 years of time dedicated. In a few weeks I will have to take the pulpit in these two churches for the last time as their pastor. I will have to look out at people who I have shared sorrow and pain with. There has been great tragedy and tender moments. That is the hardest part of this situation.

Saying good-bye is hard, but God has called and I will follow.

It’s All About Discipleship: Being and Making

In the case of the disciples we get stuck in what they became and ignore what they were. We like to hear about the great multitudes that came to know our Lord because of their work.  That is precisely where we get stuck.  Let’s get unstuck.

There is a television show called “Before They Were Stars.”  It chronicles the lives of people who are now famous but weren’t always.  We see who they are now and forget what they were before.

Tom Cruise joined a seminary to become a priest.  He was also a paperboy.Kurt Warner was cut from the NFL and worked in a grocery store.
David Letterman was a stock boy at the Atlas grocery store in Indianapolis.

See what I mean about only concentrating on who they became rather that who they were.  We must like the end result more than the journey.

So, with that in mind, lets consider the disciples.

Simon Peter was a fisherman; as were Andrew, John son of Zebedee, and James also son of Zebedee. So four out of the twelve were common laborers.  Matthew was a Tax Collector. That makes five who became something but did not start out there.

The other seven we are not sure what they did but I am sure that it was not what they became.

These twelve were the paper boys, stock boys, gardeners or clerks of our day. And that brings me to me and you. When Jesus looks out at the crowds today he has picked you and me.

I am nothing special. Ask my wife. Before I was who I am I was a paperboy, stock boy, gas station attendant and a pool hustler.  Then I was a student, student pastor, seminary student, associate pastor, pastor, deacon and elder.  Then I spent the greater part of my ministry thinking that it was about me.  Me, climbing the denominational ladder.  Me, working my way to a “big” church.  Me, District Superintendent then Bishop. It was all about me, me, me and I, I, I.  And I was a miserable, wretched example of who I was supposed to be.

Then one day I turned around and it was all gone.  God spoke. “It’s not about you!”  That started my journey to find out what it is all about.  Several years later God spoke again.  It’s all about discipleship.

It’s about being disciples and making more disciples.  The twelve were not chosen because they were great or well educated or good looking. They were chosen because God could see what they could become rather than what they are. He equips those who are open to being equipped.

What about you?  What about you letting God develop what you are into what you can become.  What about starting a journey of discovering the disciple in you.