LIVING BREAD

Sermon preached by Fr. Tony Noble

On Corpus Christi, 2007

John 6.51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; whoever eats of this bread will live forever.”

On Trinity Sunday I referred to the doxology at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer as a declaration of our belief in the Holy Trinity. Similarly, the collect at every Mass usually ends: "throgh Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen." This is not only a Trinitarian formula - but you note it says that Our Lord Jesus Christ liveth and reigneth.

Jesus lives! This is the great Easter proclamation.

Yet - despite the fact that we hear this every Sunday - there is a danger we might think of this as a past event. When the collect says: who liveth and reigneth, it means NOW.

So when Jesus says: "I am the living bread" He means He is the living bread now. Not just on that day when he taught the disciples about the Eucharist. Indeed, if He only meant it for that day, then His promise that whoever eats this bread will live forever was only a promise to those standing around on that day. But we know that is is for everyone - including us 2,000 years later.

Therefore we know that every time we celebrate the Eucharist He is present here as the living bread which came down from heaven. And when we receive Holy Communion we who eat of this bread will live forever.

An ancient title for Holy Communion is the medicine of immortality. That is why the Church wants us to receive Holy Communion just before we die - as the medicine of immortality, and as the food for our journey to the eternal life that Jesus has promised.

In John chapter 6 we find great teaching about the Eucharist. St John has no record of the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday - just the washing of the feet of the apostles', and Jesus' long discourse with them. However, his chapter 6 contains the clear teaching of Jesus about the Eucharist.

It is considered that by the time John came to write his gospel the Eucharist was so normal and common for christians that He saw no need to repeat an account of the last Supper. He obviously thought it more important to impart Our Lord's teaching about the significance and meaning of the Eucharist.

When we read I Corinthians we can see that it was very necessary. St Paul writes to the Corinthians criticising them for neglecting the Eucharist, and over-emphasing the fellowship meal, which was called the Agape feast. In chapter 10 he reminds them that in the sacrament we receive the Body and Blood of Christ. One can only imagine the free-for-all of their Agape feast, complete with an extended greeting of peace!

In our own day this is still the problem. How many Episcopalians today really understand John chapter 6? Go to your average Episcopal church (which you don't - that's why you are here!) and you will experience something more like a Corinthian Agape than the offering of this holy sacrifice.

St John wrote his chapter 6 to remind the early church of the significance and meaning of the Eucharist. Anglocatholic parishes have continued this teaching. Indeed, the daily Mass celebrated here reminds us that in churches like All Saints' the Mass is at the heart of our life every day - not just Sundays. A day can not go by without the offering of this wonderful sacrament, and your priests have no better work to do.

At what is called High Mass we surround the simple celebration of the Eucharist with traditional ceremonial, rites and music; with acolytes, processions, bells and incense. To some this is extravagant. Extravagant? Well High Mass is extravagant! And certainly today when we conclude the Service with solemn procession of the Host and Benediction - a ceremony not found in many churches anywhere.

And why not? For such extravagance is but a reflection of the extravagance of God. And our God IS extravagant!

- God is extravagant in his beautiful creation

- God is extravagant in love

- and in the Church, as he welcomes sinners like you and me to his banquet

- and extravagant in his relationship with us

Our God is extravagant. And we, who worship God in this sacrament, are also called to be extravagant.

- extravagant in our love

- in our service of God

- in our worship of Him.

Some might say that it is extravagant to have Corpus Christi as a special feast after Easter. Surely Maundy Thursday's commemoration is enough?

Just as St John found it necessary to devote a special chapter about the Eucharist apart from the account of Maundy Thursday - so the Church saw the need to have a special celebration about the Eucharist apart from Maundy Thursday. Away from the shadow of Jesus' night of agony and his impending crucifixion.

So today we celebrate the meaning of that night with glory and spendour - with extravagance. And at the heart of this extravagance - at the heart of Corpus Christi - is our gospel from John chapter 6.

"I am the living bread" said Jesus. The Eucharist is alive! And you and I do not presume to come to this sacrament unless we act as is this is true. The Eucharist is not a thing that we receive, or parade around in a monstrance. It is the living presence of Jesus, our Lord and our King.

Even as we wait in line for Holy Communion, or hold out our hands to receive it, what is on our mind? Do we really want to unite ourselves with Our Lord, who is alive and present in this most wonderful sacrament?

And because the Eucharist is alive, it changes us. Are we ready to be changed today?

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven", says Jesus, "whoever eats of this bread will live forever".