W. W. T.

Reading: Psalm 137, Luke 17:5-10, Lamentations 1:1-6, 2 Timothy 1:1-14
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, on October 3rd 2010

Every time I surf the cable TV channels it seems there’s always at least one that is showing wrestling. Usually more. The different organizations go by abbreviations – The W.W.F - the W.C.W. This morning I don’t want to talk to you about the A.P.W, N.W.A, E.C.W, or even the W.O.W; but the W.W.T – the World Wide Table.

Today is World Communion Sunday and all around the planet people will be gathering around tables laid with bread and wine to recall in a vivid way, that God sent Jesus Christ to be our Savior, that His broken body hung on the Cross of Calvary to free us from sin and that His love was poured out to the world in order that we may live today in the power of His resurrection Spirit.

Our readings this morning gave us two pictures of people who were wrestling, not in a stadium for entertainment, but wrestling with the situations that life had bought their way. Our first reading dealt with the struggle of a nation that had lost its way and was in captivity in Babylon. Our second reading spoke of Paul’s young friend Timothy who was losing courage because Paul was in prison.

The book of Lamentations is a lament that seeks to hold up a mirror to the soul of the people who had become enslaved in Babylon. In the original language it’s an acrostic poem, each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The poet is weeping over the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. The people are far from home and feel greatly distanced from the love of God.

Second Timothy is a letter of encouragement to one who had the potential to be a great leader in the emerging church. Paul writes at a time when he suspected his days on earth were numbered. He is greatly concerned that his protégé, Timothy, will lose faith or not press forward with his spiritual journey because of what he was going through.

The verses we read are full of exhortations to ‘rekindle his faith’, to move on in “A spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline”, to not be ashamed of what had happened to Paul because of his faith in Christ, but Timothy is told “Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.” It’s fighting talk!

Where are you in your spiritual journey this day? Are you experiencing a pumped up, ready for anything, take the world by the scruff of the neck and get things sorted kind of faith? Is this just a pit stop, a rest break, a quick service to get the tires changed and get back out on the track?

That’s how the people of Israel were back in David’s day. When King David was in charge, the sky was the limit. Then Solomon comes along and they build a temple like nothing the world had ever seen. But that was all a long time in the past. Since then they had gone from bad to worse and had now hit an all time low, the city in ruins and the people in captivity.

Timothy had started out his Christian journey in great style. Bold. Confident. A born leader. No problem. But then the doubts had started to come. The criticism. The reality that service could be tough. The lonliness of always going against the flow of things. And now his mentor and guide Paul was in jail and his own future looked bleak.

Maybe in your spiritual journey this day you are not at the high point, but the low point. Maybe you started out well but have been on a slow decline ever since. Maybe the road has been rough and you feel defeated and are struggling to carry on. Could be things have got a hold on you and they won’t let go. You’re not in the place you want to be – not in the place of freedom, but that of or dependence.

Could be you are faltering like Timothy. You just need a word, a little push to get that confidence going. Things haven’t turned out how you expected. Events of recent days have left you flat and cold. You’re worried. You can’t put your finger on what’s wrong but it sure is getting you down.

Faith can often be a wrestling match. Sometimes we believe in a God who is big enough to knock down giants yet still fail to trust that He can handle our lives. It’s not always easy. We all have doubts. We all have things that come along and cause our faith to waver. Sometimes it’s our own fault, we should have listened to that voice, we should have trusted that word, we shouldn’t have done this or done that.

Friends, we’ve come to the right place. We’re here around the W.W.T. – The World Wide Table. We are here in the company of hundreds, thousands, millions around the world. We are here to ‘make memorial’ of Jesus Christ, here to remember God’s powerful love in such a way that the love comes alive to us as we break bread and drink wine together.

We are not alone. We have a God who knows how it goes. A God who when Jeremiah cried, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” made it quite clear that He stood with the people in their tears. A God whom through Jesus Christ was willing to come and bear all the pain this world could inflict, receiving the full force of hatred and prejudice and hard heartedness in His person when Christ was nailed to the cruel Cross of Calvary’s hill.

We who are sometimes broken are now to break bread. We who sometimes feel that our life is being poured out for no apparent reason are to share in poured out wine that speaks of the life of God and the covenant God enters into with God’s people.

God’s covenant is a covenant of hope that brims over with possibility. Around this world wide table is a chance to invest our lives in the thing that really counts for something, the eternal love of God.

Here and now is a chance to place our lives into the hands of One who is prepared to bless, to come to a Saviour who invites us to share in His Risen life, to seek a Holy Spirit who will dwell in our hearts, renew our lives and rekindle the embers of faith.

I remember in Wales attending a lengthy Synod meeting, (Association that is for any Welsh readers!), during a particularly trying year. There had been troubles in one of my churches, disputes in Presbytery and the General Assembly had been a dismal affair. The day was dour. The atmosphere was decidedly grey and gloomy in outlook.

The final afternoon was started with a communion service that I really struggled to attend. I’d just about had enough of pews and sitting in them listening to endless debates arising mostly from out of our inability to get along with each other. Items of procedure, amendments, points of Order, that stuff can drag you right down when you’re already feeling low.

The Scripture reading was from Isaiah 42 and words from verse 3 jumped out at me. "A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish”. The thing about a wrestling match is that you do receive bruises. And the opponent does try to put your lights out. As I came to the table that day I simply remembered that it was O.K to be bruised, that it was a sign of still being in the game when others tried to extinguish your light.

As I watched the pastor break the bread I remembered how Jesus was broken for our brokenness. As he poured out the wine of the New Covenant I recalled that the fight wasn’t over. That God was still in the business of helping God’s people through the darkest valleys. “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish”. “There is a balm in Gilead that makes the Spirit whole”.

So I invite you to now take your place around the W.W.T – The World Wide Table. No matter if you are rejoicing or struggling, if you are ready for the fight or still stinging from the bruises of the last battle, no matter – there is a place here for You. Jesus invites you to think of Him in this fashion, to come break bread and drink wine and do so in such a way as you realize He is sharing in this feast with you, just as He desires to share in your life, it’s joys, it’s struggles it’s future and it’s past.

The Feast of God for the People of God.
Taste and See that the Lord is Good.
God is good- all the time
All the time – God is good.

Adrian Pratt