Sermon for April 21, 1996

Pastor Gunnar L. Anderson

"Broken Bread"

We have a church camp called Koinonia. Henriksen's, I know, love it and camp there often. And I believe you keep your trailer there year 'round? And Alice, I know that you had wonderful experiences at the camp both as a camper and as a counselor, and have attended a reunion in recent years.

Well, I've been to Camp Koinonia too. When I was 18, Jane, my 16 year old girl friend, invited me to go on retreat there with her Luther League during Christmas vacation. And so I remember the lake. I remember the canoes. But, I guess, most of all I remember Jane! But do I remember koinonia ? Do we? That is the question of the morning.

For koinonia means more than a church camp. But when I tell you the definition of the word, you'll understand why it is a great name for a church camp. koinonia means, and I looked it up here in my Greek-English Lexicon or dictionary; it means association, communion, fellowship, close relationship. In the material our confirmation class is studying, koinonia is described as "a close and caring fellowship in which people roll up their sleeves and pitch in to work together."

"Early Christians used the word koinonia to mean the community in which they lived, because they believed that God's Holy Spirit had called them out of their ordinary lives and into a new way of life marked by their fellowship with God and with each other."

And today in Acts we hear of what such Christian community, such Christian koinonia was all about:

And all who believed were together and had all things in common; and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

"That's what's so great about belonging to a church," I've heard it said, "you have this community of caring people around you no matter what!" I just finished writing a newsletter article about what's happening in my life right now because I wanted to share it with my "church family."

But is it always that way in the church? Do we always experience extended family? It often seeems different today from what scripture describes, doesn't it? Surely in the world around us. Cold. Callous. Me first. "Save yourselves from this crooked generation," even Peter preached.

Have we lost much of the sense of koinonia ? Then how do we recapture a close, caring fellowship? By becoming channels of the awesome presence of the risen Christ! by becoming "little Christs to our neighbor," as Luther said. By realizing, as he also said, that we are part of the "priesthood of all believers!" By understanding that even though you don't wear one of these funny white collars, you are a priest, a minister; and that "to minister" means to bring the presence of Christ to others!

And the presence of the risen Christ, and that some recognise it and some don't, is the subject of this morning's Gospel story. Two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they are talking about the events of Good Friday, about the cross and that Jesus of Nazareth had been crucified and that he had died. And they spoke also of some of the women finding the tomb of Jesus empty early on Sunday morning. And while they were talking, the risen Lord joined them walking down the road, "But their eyes were kept from recognising him," even though he explained to them all that the cross and the empty tomb were about: God's love and forgiveness and the wonderful promise of eternal life. And he may well have added the essence of koinonia , about loving each other as Christ has loved us!

But these two travelers do not recognise the presence of the risen Jesus with them. Not until they reach Emmaus, and Jesus accepts their invitation to "stay the night," and they sit at table with him. Then Jesus "took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him."

And our eyes can open as well, at the rail this morning, eating and drinking. Our eyes can open as well, kneeling before the cross "ransomed from the futile ways inherited from (our) fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." Our eyes can open as well as the wine is poured and as the bread is broken. For in these actions along with the words "given and shed for you," we believe that Christ, the risen Lord Jesus Christ is "really present" here this morning, present and coming to each one of us. Each one of us loved. Each one of us died for. Each one of us risen for. Each one of us, then, with Christ in common which relates us together as brothers and sisters in Christ, into extended family, into koinonia.

Jesus "took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him." As I have read, bread that is blessed must be broken because, until it is broken, it cannot be shared, and until it is shared, it cannot be received, and until it is received, it cannot produce a blessing." And "the church is meant to be" such "broken bread through which the world comes to see," through which each one of us comes to see through the other, the presence of the risen Christ!

So, do we remember koinonia is the question of the morning? "Love isn't love until you give it away," it says on a sampler on my kitchen wll. "The church exists to give itself away," I was taught and have often preached to you. We are to break off pieces of ourselves, "as any have need ... with glad and generous hearts." We are to devote ourselves to the breaking of bread, to sharing, to suffering together, to rejoicing together, to close, caring fellowship, to koinonia !

I like this quote from John Maxwell:

I want our church to be a place where

God is seen,

Love is felt,

Lives are changed!

AMEN

Copyright © 1997 Gunnar L. Anderson. All Rights Reserved.

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