TAKEN, BLESSED, BROKEN, GIVEN
1st Corinthians 9: 19-23
Matthew 25: 31-46

           The spiritual life has often been referred to as a journey; as people of faith we do not remain in one spiritual place our entire life. As with most journeys, the spiritual journey has different stages, milestones, markers, etc.; they are “places of being” along the way to the destination.

           The late 20th century theologian Henri Nouwen examined the spiritual journey in his volume “Life of the Beloved”. What Nouwen does is describe the spiritual journey using words from the liturgy of Communion; words that are based upon the actions of Jesus during the Last Supper. As we take a closer look at those words and actions, we see that they follow where we have been in our Lenten journey; a journey that will eventually take us to the cross.

           If we focus our attention to the Table of Communion and recall the events of that night, the first thing Jesus does is “take” the bread from the table. In that world, bread was (and still is) a common and ordinary element; a loaf of bread was present at every meal. Yet Jesus takes this ordinary element and uses it for extraordinary means. In the same way, you and I are taken, in all our commonness and ordinariness. It is God’s acceptance of us. It is God’s way of saying, “yes, I will have this one”. We are taken not because we are the best, the richest, the prettiest, etc. Instead, we are taken for no other reason than our preciousness in God’s sight, because we are a creation of God. God accepts and takes us for God’s purposes because we exist!

           Jesus’ next act is to “bless” the bread. Often we use the word bless (or some variant) to describe something that is joyful or to describe the “good times”—we could talk about the blessing of family/friends, the blessing of experiencing healing, of having work—the list could go on and on. I want to offer a different definition. To be blessed can also mean “the ability to see and name God”. In other words, we are blessed when we name where we have seen or experienced God! It is a blessing to be able to see God at work in the world. Understandably, those times may not always be the happiest. We can be blessed even during the troubling and difficult times. Just because difficult times arise (and they will!) doesn’t mean that God is hidden from us. Our blessing in those times is to see the workings of God.

           Next, Jesus “breaks” the bread. The broken bread is a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice—a reminder that Christ’s body was broken because of his love for all of creation. Just as the bread is broken, so are we. We are broken people…whether we want to admit it or not. Our brokenness exists in many different forms—it is our sins, it is our struggles, it is our trials, it is our difficulties in life. Brokenness is part of the spiritual journey—we are going to experience brokenness, at one point or another. Some of us, admittedly, may have experienced more than our share of brokenness. As difficult as it might be to live with at the moment, this brokenness is part of our journey in growing closer to God.

           Can you see how this describes where we have been the past few weeks? We are taken when we experience the indescribable grace of God, like the younger son in the parable of the prodigal son, regardless of where we’ve been or what we’ve done. We are blessed when, like the Israelites, we see God providing for us in the middle of the desert when we have no idea when we are going to get what we need. And we are broken when we find ourselves in the wilderness and feel all alone.

           Thus far, the focal point has been on the self…I am taken, I am blessed, I am broken. It’s all about what’s going on with “me”. There comes a time, though, when the focus must turn outward in order for the journey to reach its destination. We meet that moment in Jesus’ final act in the movement of the Lord’s Supper. After the bread is taken, blessed, and broken, it is “given” to the disciples. The purpose of the taking, blessing, and breaking of the bread is so that it might be given to the disciples. And so it is with each of us. We are taken, blessed, and broken by God so that we might be given to a hurting world. Our purpose in life is to give to others. Jesus gave his life “as a ransom for many”, Paul became “all things to all people” so that the gospel might be proclaimed. We are able to do this, to give and be given, because God has already taken us, blessed us, and allowed us to be broken. We give, though, not in our own strength. It is the strength of God that comes from what has been done that allows us to give ourselves away. For the past four weeks, we’ve been talking about how God provides the “bread in the wilderness”; nourishment we need throughout the stages of life and the spiritual journey. However, God is able to use us to be the nourishment for others as they are in the wilderness of life—as we allow ourselves to be given to a world in need.

           As people who have been taken, blessed, broken, and given to the world, let us offer thanks to God…(lead into Communion)

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