Transcript
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. In the name of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit. In this is love that you have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, and plenty of blessings on earth too. Bring to our eyes your eternal perspective that we might be both responsible and generous with your gifts. In this is love that you chose us before the world began,
that we might someday stand holy and blameless before you. You delight in us, each one. You enjoy us, your daughters and sons. You long to be close, to be trusted. In this is love that you have adopted us through Jesus Christ, made us your own, intending only kindness, showering us with the surprise of your acceptance. In this is love that you redeem us through the blood of your beloved Son, absorbing and nullifying our errors of omission
when we lose our way. Co-mission when we choose to stray, and remission when we refuse to pray. In this is love that you reveal to us the mystery of your plans for us and your world, how you long to fulfill your people and your planet. In this is love that we have received an inheritance, hints of your glory in us as we walk in accordance with your purposes. In this is love that along with these
promises you provide the down payment of your spirit to remind us of your faithfulness and to help us respond to you in faith. We are yours Lord, though your ways are beyond us, though your glory is too big for us, though our brokenness besets us. In this is love, not that we loved you, but that you loved us and sent Jesus your Son to make peace for our sins. May our thanks to you, O Lord, be
as evident in our actions as in our words. In Jesus' name, Amen. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Let us affirm our faith together by saying the Apostles' Creed. I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried. He
descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The birth of our nation, ye saints of the Lord, We pray for
your faith in His heaven and earth. My heart can be saved, and to you we have sent. To you, O heavens, we give some sacrament. Fear not, I am dead. I call me your dismay. For I am my God, and you still give me help. I'll strengthen this heaven and earth, be your temple for ever. By my body, just a little, and then I can cry. Then through the departures I call thee to God, The rivers
of hope shall not be overthrown, For I will be with thee, thy troubles to lessen, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. The Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. The birth of our nation, ye saints of the Lord, We pray for your faith in His heaven and earth. This lesson is taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the first chapter,
beginning with verse 3. It's found on page 1017 in your Pew Bibles. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him, He destined us in love to be His sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His
will, to the praise of His glorious grace which He freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished upon us. For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all
things in Him. Things in heaven and things on earth. In Him, according to the purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will, we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory. In Him, you also who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the guarantee
of our inheritance, until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory. Thanks be to God. And now I want to begin a new series of sermons with you. It'll probably last the next ten weeks or so. A series on what I've entitled it, The Seasons of Life. And if you want to open up the Old Testament text to get ready for this series, open to the book of Ecclesiastes. It's easy to find the
book of Ecclesiastes. You have to open to Psalms. Psalms is the easiest book in the Bible to find, right in the middle. And then right after Psalms is Proverbs. And then right after Proverbs is the book of Ecclesiastes. The book of Proverbs, as you know, many of the Psalms are attributed to David. And certainly David wrote a great number of the Psalms. So the book of Psalms is followed by the book by David's son. Proverbs was
credited to Solomon. Now, obviously, Solomon did not write all of the Proverbs. But many of the Proverbs were attributed to Solomon, the son of David. And this book we're going to look at now is also attributed to Solomon. This man who achieved so much, who had such great wealth, certainly the wealthiest man in the history of Israel, has to be not David, but David's son. Isn't that the way it often is? It's the son of John
D. Rockefeller, Sr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. was richer than his father. And it's the son of David, Solomon, who has this great wealth, builds the huge palace, builds the great temple. And it's Solomon who has the mines of Solomon, that many of them have been excavated by archaeologists, was extremely wealthy. The irony is, though, that before he died, the Egyptians had come up and pretty much taken all that wealth away and stripped it away from the
temple and everything. And he ends his life with the country in shambles and actually breaks out into civil war at the death of Solomon. So this is a very short period of greatness. But in his own lifetime, Solomon experienced everything. He had all the great wealth and power that anyone could have. And he writes a book from that standpoint. And it's the book we call the Book of Ecclesiastes. The word Ecclesiastes means preacher, and Solomon is
the preacher that's described in this book. Okay, open to the chaff. I'm just going to read you a little bit to give you a feeling of the book. The book is famous for its pessimism. It's been called a very pessimistic book, and you'll see it raises a whole lot more questions than it answers. And it is a pessimistic book. Notice how it starts. The words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of
vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. That's the way the book starts. By the way, that's the way it ends. Not the exact ending, but it's that way all the way through. The word schwa, or empty sound, hollow sound. Everything is a hollow sound. That's what the writer is saying. That's the word vanity means. Hollow sound. Everything is a hollow sound. In fact, even wisdom, for which Solomon is so famous, he calls a
hollow sound. Notice verse 16 in the same first chapter. He says, I said to myself, I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me. In other words, I'm wiser than my father, and I'm wiser certainly than Saul. And my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly, and I perceive that this also is but a striving after wind.
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. So you can see the book is rather glum. And this is a very pessimistic book. You can't really call it a cynical book, though, because he comes to the very edge of cynicism. He comes right to that precipice. But just before he goes off that cliff into cynicism, Solomon does pull himself back. And for that, look at the very last chapter of Ecclesiastes
and look at the last lines of the last chapter. Chapter 12, notice a line starting with verse 11. The sayings of the wise are like goads. Now you know where that line comes from when Paul is on the road to Damascus, and our Lord speaks to Paul and says, Saul, Saul, it's hard to kick against the goads, isn't it? And now you can see where that comes from. The sayings of the wise are like goads. They're
like nails, firmly fixed are the collected sayings which are given by one shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books, there is no end, and much study is the weariness of the flesh. Certainly not a very good line for students, is it? I told you there's just nothing particularly optimistic in this book. But notice the last, right on the edge of the precipice, listen to what he says. The end of the matter,
all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments. Right at the very edge, just before he plunges into total cynicism, he decides he does believe in God, and that's what protects him from cynicism. It doesn't protect him from pessimism, but it does protect him from final hollow cynicism. He says, fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man, woman, for God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing,
whether good or evil. And so that's the book of Ecclesiastes. The heart of the book comes in a very famous passage, and it's the third chapter. So now open to the third chapter, because we're going to look at that today. When you try to understand what is this book up to, and what is really the theme of this book, what is Solomon up to with this role he's playing as the preacher and talking to us about
wisdom and all the things he's experienced in his life. The clue to the book comes in the third chapter when he describes life as a series of seasons. And this passage I'm about to read you is certainly the most famous passage in the book of Ecclesiastes, and you'll recognize it immediately. It starts out, for everything there is a season. Now the Hebrew word for season here literally means appointed time. It's the idea of appointed moment. The
Greek word in the New Testament that would be equivalent to this would be the word kairos. When we talk about a critical moment, the kairos moment, a moment for everything in life, he says there is a moment, a critical moment, an appointed moment, and that's what this word means. And a time for every matter under heaven. And now comes this famous passage you all know. A time to be born and a time to die. A time
to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time
to lose. A time to keep and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. And now the last one. A time for war, and a time for peace. It's moving to me that the very last word in this poem would be the word shalom. The greatest word, the most treasured word in the
Hebrew vocabulary. This word that means health and wholeness, fulfillment, shalom. And then he asks a question again. What gain has the worker from his or her toil? Now the next few lines are very key because they give us the closest thing to some sort of theological understanding of what the preacher is up to in this incredible book. He says, I have seen the business that God has given to the sons and daughters of man to be
busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Now I have to do a word study with you on that word beautiful. That word in Hebrew, the translators had a hard time translating. And in fact, if you had about five translations in front of you, which I always advise for Bible study, you'll notice about five different words to translate that word. Because everyone is struggling to really capture what the Hebrew word means. The RSV decided
to translate it beautiful. If you have the new RSV, which by the way in a few weeks will be in our pure acts, we've ordered them, and we always need new translations and you'll see why in this passage. Because the new RSV has helped to clear up these words. The new RSV translates it this way. What gain has the worker from their toils? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy
with. He has made everything suitable for its time. Suitable is the word the new RSV uses. The new Jerusalem Bible translates it everything apt in its time. The reason is that the Hebrew word itself means just right. Just right. See, apt or suitable. A good fit. And of course, that's the word translated beautiful. For instance, David, when David is identified to us, he is identified as a young man, ruddy, of comely appearance, a handsome man. And
the word here is youth, the same word. He's handsome. And when Absalom, his son, is described to us, he's called a very handsome man. And when Rachel is described to us, she's called beautiful. Same word. Now what does the word in Hebrew mean? It means just right. And by the way, isn't that the definition of beauty? A beautiful person doesn't have a nose too long, but just right. Eyes are just the right spot. Ears are not
out like, you know, taxi cab doors out. In, just right. Just the right amount of hair. Just the right height. And that's the definition of beauty. It's just right. See, apt. Just suitable. Not too much. Like Pascal has this great joke. What a tragedy to have only one eye. But he says, I'll tell you a worse tragedy than having only one eye. Having three eyes. Because then you wouldn't be just right. He uses that as an
argument against selfishness. Selfish people, he says, are people that want three eyes. And they look ugly. Because they want more than is apt. See, more than is just right. And it would be a great tragedy to have three eyes. You could see better, but it would be a great tragedy. Because you would not be beautiful. You would not be just right. You're only made for two. And so that's the word. So he says, for everything, everything
is, the time is just right. So that's the word he's using there. I've seen the business that God has given the sons of men to be busy with. He's made everything just right in its time. Also, and now here comes the antiphonal side. Also, he has put eternity into man's mind. Now here, the RSV has badly translated the Hebrew word. And that's why I thank God for the new RSV to clear up this word. In the
Hebrew language, there is no idea of eternity. That's a Greek idea of the eight on its side. Eternity. Infinity. That's not a Hebrew idea. The Hebrews always think of time coming to a conclusion. They think of fulfillment. And so that's not the word that's used here that should be translated eternity. And if you have a new RSV, they have cleared up that word. They translate it this way. He has made everything suitable for its time. Moreover,
he has put a sense of past and future into their minds. Yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. See, that shows that that's what he means. Eternity is the wrong word here. He has put a sense of the past and the future in your mind. But you can't figure it out. And that's why Solomon writes his book. I can't make heads or tails out of it. It's in my
head, and I can't figure it out. And that's why he says, even the wisdom I get makes me vexatious and brings me sorrow. Because I cannot figure it out. Remember the great line from the king in The King and I? Is a puzzlement. And that's what this book is all about. He's got two things going, and I want to work with these two things for the next few weeks with you. I want to work with the
seasons of your life. I want to work with them and see them in these two senses. And I want to explore the seasons, the critical moments of your life, my life. And these two fascinating ideas that the preacher, Solomon, puts before us. And they're not only here, but they're all through the Old and New Testament too. On the one side, there is the sense in which things are just right. There's a rightfulness. There's a beauty about
everything. And there's a beauty at every single stage of your life. And we'll look at that, we'll try to understand. There's a sort of a just-rightness. Next week I want to talk about your birth as the newest one alive. And there's a sort of a just-rightness about birth. And there's a just-rightness about adolescence. Oh man, isn't adolescence wonderful? Perfect. And yet, on the other hand, there's this vexation of not being able to figure
it out. Why does acne come in adolescence? It doesn't seem to make sense. When you need to be as beautiful as you can be, then you have that problem. And why do you have to cope with parents in adolescence? Or parents have to cope with adolescence too. But notice there is this wonderful just-rightness about adolescence. When all these tremendous surges are occurring in a person's life. And they're becoming man, becoming woman. And then on the
other hand, there is this sense that I can't figure out the beginning from the end. There's that sense of ennui, the sense of vulnerability also. And then take middle life. Middle life, oh man, that's where all the power is in middle life. That's why, by the way, the old people and the young people hate the people in the middle. Because the people in the middle have all the power. All right, if that's true, then why do
men and women have midlife crisis? Why should you have a midlife crisis when you've got all the power? Because all the power belongs to the people in the middle. Not the people at the end and certainly not the people at the beginning. And then why a midlife crisis? And then old age. You come to old age. What a wonderful time that is. Those wonderful streaks of gray hair or gray hair to honor you. And wisdom and
all the achievements of the past. Well then why is the cosmetic industry doing so well? Why do we have a problem with old age? So that we have such a hard time allowing ourselves to be old. Isn't it interesting? For every season there is the sense of just rightness and vulnerability. Ennui. Is Solomon right? He's describing our lives. There's this sense of the beauty and the just rightness. And there's also that sense that within us is
the past and future in our minds that we cannot understand. By the way, the Apostle Paul picks up this same idea in 1 Corinthians 13. Two years ago when I preached on 1 Corinthians, remember we did that whole sermon on 1 Corinthians 13. And I told you that wonderful word that Paul uses when he says, Now we see in a mirror dimly, the RSV says. And I pointed out that that word that Paul uses there is
the word enigma in Greek. We look in a mirror and we see an enigma. And the RSV and the King James were not wise when they translated that dimly. Because the word really means riddle or puzzle. And that's what Paul's saying. When I look in the mirror now I see a puzzle. An enigma. A riddle. I cannot figure it out. Thank God. When I see God I'll see him face to face and it'll clear up. But
now I see in a mirror enigma. I see a puzzle when I look in the mirror. Do you? When you try to make sense out of the story of your life, do you have that incredible mixture of on the one hand the just rightness, and on the other hand the enigma? Well that's what we want to talk about. Can you live with both? And can you find resolution for both? Solomon couldn't. It's true at the very
end he finally says, Well I can't figure this out but trust God. Solomon has a lot more questions than he has answers. Believe me, this book is not a very encouraging book. He doesn't have encouragement from anything that he's experienced. All the wealth, all the things he experienced, and you can see he goes through everything. All the people who loved him. All the people who treasured him. All the people who fawned over him. All the money,
all the women, everything. He had concubines, he had many, many wives. And all this he still, when it was all over he said it was empty. I couldn't figure it out. And yet there is a just rightness too. And he says it here. There is a just rightness. And yet I couldn't figure it out. Have you ever had one of those conversations like that in your front room or in your kitchen where you've had, maybe you've
talked about the Gulf War, you're talking about maybe religion or you're talking about something in your life and you're able to have one of those conversations when it's all over you said, Well we certainly did raise all the issues. Or you know we usually put a good face on that and say, We certainly helped to focus the issues. You know that's when diplomats say they had a frank discussion. That's what they mean. They could not come
to any agreements. But they had a frank discussion. And you've had those experiences. It's like you feel when you read this book. This book doesn't leave you with hope. This book leaves you very glum. At least though you saw all the issues. He helped to focus them for you. And then you had to find some place else to get the answers. Well thank God there's a place to find answers too. And there's a place to find
a fulfillment of this awkward mystery that Solomon is so sure of. Well but both of these track with us all our lives. We are on the one hand wonderfully made. And I don't want to deny that. Boy I want you to see that. And I hope these next weeks we'll see that. We have been wonderfully made. There is a just rightness about us. I'm going to try to help us understand that. And on the other hand
we're limited and vulnerable. We are confused precisely at the points where everything is just right. Think of the wonderful way God made us. Think for instance of our sexuality. I'm going to have a whole sermon on our sexuality. Sexuality is a part of the just rightness of the way God made us. And yet we have so many problems with our sexuality. Sexuality is a stormy part of our lives. In almost everybody's life. It's where so many
people feel so inadequate. They feel so sad. They have such problems. And yet that's part of the just rightness of the way God made us. It's the way it is through all of life. We already made fun of our midlife crisis. But there is a just rightness at midlife. And yet there is a vulnerability. It starts right out when you're very young. My daughter is a pediatrician. Anne and our daughter. And she was here for Easter.
We had such a wonderful time. I had some wonderful conversations with Anne about pediatrics. And I realized some things I never really thought of. I saw how important it is to have that whole branch of medicine. That's devoted to pediatrics. To children. Because children's medicine is different than adult medicine. In this church we have Mike Cooper who's a child cardiologist. It's a special field. It takes special kind of specialization. And my daughter was helping me see
something that I'd never thought about. Did you know she says a child is really very tough? We baptized two little tough children this morning. They're very tough. We did one at the 10 o'clock service too. Tough little kids. They're so tough. Did you know, for instance, my daughter just finished her rotation in infant intensive care and infant emergency. She did both rotations together. Infant emergency and infant intensive care. At the Children's Hospital in Seattle. And
she said, you know when you bring a child into intensive care or into emergency. You rarely have heart failure to ever cope with with little children. Now if that was an adult hospital you're bringing in. That's what you're having most of the time is heart failure. All these old timers. The old ticker is giving out. You don't have that with little children. Those hearts are so tough. They're going to pump billions of gallons yet. And they
rarely give way. So we don't worry about cardiac problems because children's hearts are very, very strong. But on the other hand a child's respiratory system is more vulnerable. That little tiny air track. And the thing a pediatrician has to be reading a specialist in is how to keep the air passage clear. The air passage is the big thing in pediatrics. And keeping that air passage clear. Where adults that's not such a big thing because we have
a bigger air passage. All that talking we've done is open up that air passage. And so a child on the one hand a child can take a higher fever than most of you can and I can. You just try having a pediatric fever of about a hundred and four and see how you feel when they stick you in the bathtub. But a child can take it. A child can handle diseases you could never handle. Try getting
mumps at 30. Or get chicken pox about 45 years of age. See how you feel. And yet little children just plow right through those childhood diseases sometimes. It's amazing isn't it? On the other hand one of the biggest things and the biggest fears a pediatrician has. Especially my daughter when she was in the intensive care is a little child brought in where they might be septic. And becoming septic. Which means that infection is raging so fast
in that little body that the body cells begin to leak. And that's very very dangerous. It rarely happens in adults because adults have more body mass. And they can handle infection better than a little child can. So again notice the marvel of the way God made a child. The marvel of the season of your life. Aptly perfectly made and yet vulnerable. And that's the amazing mixture at every stage of your life. There's a sense of vulnerability
and there's a sense also of aptness. They both go together. At each time of our lives we have that mixture. The mixture of the aptness and the mixture of the vulnerability. And now we come to the Lord's table. How appropriate to begin this series of sermons at the Lord's table. Did you realize that when we come to the communion both of those themes come together in the Lord's Supper. Have you ever thought of it that way?
That on the Thursday night when Jesus gave this Supper to the disciples. Both of those realities that Solomon was so worried about converge in the Lord's Supper. One, on the one hand our vulnerability is focused sharply in the Lord's Supper. Because what Jesus is saying to us when he gives us this broken bread and this wine. This life spent for us. Is he's letting us know that what we need most to make sense of our lives
we cannot find within ourselves. Not even in our wisdom. And that's something Solomon saw a thousand years earlier. You cannot feed yourself with what you need most to make yourself alive. You need Jesus Christ to forgive your sins. You need Jesus Christ to give you life. You need Jesus Christ to fulfill the aching empty spot that Pascal saw. That empty vacuum. Which wisdom and all the other things cannot fill that schwa. That empty hole. Only Jesus
Christ himself. Only the one who breaks himself at the cross. Who's broken at the cross. And who conquers death and conquers sin and conquers the devil. Can fulfill the deepest need in your life. You and I are so vulnerable. And at the Lord's table we discover our vulnerability. We need to be fed. And that's why you can't come to the Lord's table unless you need to be fed. Notice the only requirement to come to the Lord's
table is to admit your need. Ask God to forgive your sins and to admit your need. To come and say Lord I need. What I need most to make my life complete I cannot confirm myself. It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said we cannot confer forgiveness on ourselves. It has to be conferred on us. We're going to sing Isaac Watts's great hymn when I survey the wondrous cross in just a moment. And the opening stanza. Read that
stanza closely when you sing it. Where Isaac Watts sees that all the wealth and all the riches. It almost sounds like Solomon. He says all the riches I had I count as refuse as loss. When I think of Jesus Christ because I need from him something that all those riches could not give me. Okay that's one side of the Lord's Supper. But now look at the other side of the Lord's Supper which you might not think
of. And that is this. You must be very important that Jesus Christ would search you out to have this Supper. Like he said I want to have this Supper with you. And remember last Sunday on Easter Sunday I told us about the road to Emmaus seen in the book of Luke. Where our Lord not only is found by the disciples he finds the disciples. He's able to find you. Well the fact that he's able to find
you. Think of it for a minute. He wants to find you. You're that important to him. You mean that much to God. I mean that much to God. That he looks for me. That he searches me out. That he knows how to find me. And then he treasures me. And gives me this food. That's why I had the Ephesians text read. And Lois read it so beautifully to us just a few moments ago. Let me just
read a couple lines from the Ephesians text. This is how Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians. He says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who blessed us in Christ. With every spiritual blessing. In the heavenly places. He wants us to see that our lives are on a very grand and noble platform. Not just the earth. But there's a mystery about our lives. That's what he wants them to know. Now listen
to Paul. Even as he chose us. Almost sounds like the road to Emmaus. He chose us. He found us. In him. That's God. God chose us in Christ. Before the foundation of the world. That we. That's you and me. Should be holy and blameless. That means just right. Before him. He destined us. In love. And then a little later in this great song. He says he forgave us. He redeemed us. And he destined us in love.
And then he even gave us the promise of the Holy Spirit. To assure us. Of our worth. That's in the Lord's Supper too. Jesus Christ loves you so much. He gives this to you. Free of charge. He wants you to have it. He washed the feet of the disciples. Before they celebrated the Lord's Supper. So they would know how much they were treasured. By him. And when you come to the table today. I want you to
remember both of those. That's why in the table of the Lord. We always have two moods. One is solemn. Because we remember the costly grace of Christ. And we're unworthy. The other is celebrated. You know the word Eucharist means the Thanksgiving. It's celebrated. Because we remember. That we must be worth so much. That Jesus Christ. Would give himself to us. Both together. Do you believe in both? I tell you. That they're the only way you can
solve. Solomon's puzzle. We're going to spend the next few weeks. Trying to solve his puzzle. About the seasons of life. Heavenly Father. Thank you for this text. And thank you that we can come to the Lord's table. Not because we're. Worthy. But because of your worthiness. And the fact that you have. Imparted upon us. A worth. A wonderful worth you've given us. We are. Just right in your sight. And we're beloved. Lord we thank you for
that. And now prepare us. As we come to the Lord's table. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. We practice an open communion. In this church. All who humbly put their faith in Jesus Christ. If you're truly sorry for your sins. That qualifies you to come and receive. These elements from the Lord's. We practice communion in this third service by. Intention. Which means that elders will be standing. Here at the front in these various aisles. One elder
will be holding a cup. And the other elder will be holding bread. And you'll. Other elders will let you. And deacons will release you. Row by row. You'll come down. Take the piece of bread. You'll dip it yourself. And then you'll take the. And have a communion. Stop for a moment of meditation if you'd like. And then come back to your row. And then sit again. And then when all have been. Served. Then we'll stand together.
And sing amazing grace together. During the time of the celebration. Of the Lord's Supper. Our organist Joe Rodriguez will be playing at the organ. And I know in the first two services. He played wonderful familiar. Songs that maybe some of you know. And if you want to sing along. While you're waiting. And worship in that way. Or just silently meditate. You may sing or meditate while. He plays these wonderful songs. To us while we have the
Lord's Supper. If you're unable to walk to the front. Signal one of the deacons. That are at the rows. And I'll come. And serve you at the place where you're seated. So now. Let's hear from the Apostle Paul. The words of the institution. I receive from the Lord that which also I delivered to you. That the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed. Took bread. And when he had given thanks he broke it. And
said this is my body. Which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way also the cup after supper. Saying this cup is the new covenant. In my blood. Do this 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. Until he come. We take these elements. These common elements of bread. And grape juice. And this
bread broken. Our Lord's body broken for you. His life. Spent for you. For me. For the forgiveness of our sins. Because he treasures you so much. Heavenly Father prepare each of us. For the Lord's table. None of us is worthy. In our own merits. To receive these signs. We thank you that you. Have given them to us. And now Lord we receive them from you. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. First the elders will serve. I'll
serve the elders. They will serve me. And then they will invite you to come forward. This body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Broken for you. For God so loved the world. He gave his only begotten son. That whosoever believeth in him. Should not perish. But have everlasting life. God sent not his son into the world. To condemn the world. For that the world through him. Might be saved. This is my body broken for you. It's the
new covenant. And hidden in his blood all your grief. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Body of our Lord Jesus Christ. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and this is my blood, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you,
and this is my blood, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. I thank you, sir. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for
you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it.
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is
broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink
of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you, and all of you drink of it. The body of our Lord Jesus Christ is broken for you.