Blood, Family, and Covenant

We’ve considered Jesus’ instructions for church discipline this morning which is really just another way of learning to care for each other as family. In Christ we are brothers, we are all the little children of the Father. And this means that living like family in the details always comes back to this table. We are family here. We gather around this table, and we partake of a common meal, and this is not only a meal that we share, but by the power of God this meal actually makes us relatives. We are not merely close friends; we are partakers of the flesh and blood of Christ and therefore, we are blood relatives. We have been engrafted into that family tree; we share a common DNA. And this is why we want to continue to cultivate this family life throughout the week. If we eat together here, we eat together out there. If we greet one another in peace here, we are seeking one another’s blessing and peace out there. If we are brothers and sisters here, that does not suddenly end at the door as you leave. And if we are family, this means that are called to cultivate familial care for one another. Of course this means help physically: meals and child care and financial assistance when things get rough. But this also means that we are seeking to watch out for one another spiritually. If your foot is infected, you don’t shrug and say, O well, none of my business. We are one body, one family, one in Christ, and therefore if you are experiencing challenges seek help, and if you notice a brother or sister in the middle of a challenge, go to their aid. Of course all of this must be done with care, with wisdom, and in humility, but we must do this. In fact, this meal is a covenant, Jesus said, in his blood, and a covenant always includes covenant obligations. In your baptism you were obligated to keep this covenant, and every time you partake of this meal, you are renewing those covenant vows and renewing your resolve to faithfully uphold your responsibilities. Among those responsibilities is the call to care for your brothers and sisters around you. And just as you hand the bread to your neighbor and proclaim Christ’s body broken for them, just as you hand your neighbor the wine and proclaim Christ’s blood shed for their sins, so too, you are obligating yourself to all of your neighbors throughout this room, promising to watch out for them, love them, defend them, and honor them. If this is the body of Christ broken for them, that means you are family, and that means you are called to care for one another as family. These are your mother, your sisters, and your brothers.