Good to see all of you. Patty and I always enjoy getting out here and being with our uh, PK community.
Uh, we had lunch with uh, with Jim and Janet Dennis at a last week, a couple of weeks ago, I guess.
And uh, they were obviously talking about you all and the great affection that they have for you and for this community and send their regards.
And uh, we just had that shared uh, uh, they were talking about how much this community ministered to them.
I know certainly that Jim uh ministered to you all and Janet and uh we both had that shared Uh, how God has used you to minister to us in our years after pastoring.
And so it's always good to be here. This is a communion uh, Sunday, always the first Sunday of each month is uh, our communion observance.
And it seems like, this isn't planned, uh, but it seems to always fall with me being here that we do communion.
And that that isn't planned. It seemed like in 2025, my, my defined role was to follow Joel Gregory every time I was here.
I'm actually glad to be away from that one that I'm not following Joel. Uh, that's like going from prime rib to a baloney sandwich.
you know, so uh, I'm glad to be out of that pattern, but um, I think the 29th I will not be doing communion.
Uh, I think Mark will have that the next week.
But what I want to do is, as we reflect upon this communion event and uh, have a message that is appropriate for the occasion, I want you if you have your Bibles, smart device, to open with me to Luke's gospel.
Uh, Luke chapter 22 and uh, we'll be taking apart of this narrative specifically, uh, from verses 7 through 22 as uh, we talk about uh, that particular evening and the significance of this uh, event, this um, this upper room, if you will.
And um, how we prepare for this and what it prepares us for as we go out into the world.
So Luke's Gospel chapter 22 is you're finding that passage.
Let me begin by telling you a story that I heard some years ago.
Uh, Bob Vernon was the gentleman's name. He was deputy police chief for LAPD.
He told a harrowing story of a, an account of a motor, motorcycle police officer who early one morning, just after sunrise, he noticed a pickup truck rolling through a stop sign.
And he had kind of determined in his mind, this motorcycle officer, he had kind of determined that this was some man going, probably making his way to work and uh was just not paying proper attention.
I already made up his mind, I'm not going to give him a ticket. I'm just going to give him a warning.
And pulled the truck over, unbeknowced to this motorcycle officer, this man had just robbed an all-night convenience store.
And when he saw the motorcycle lights on in his rear view, his thought was one of panic.
I've been found out. I'm caught and I'm not going back to prison.
He pulled over as the police officer came up behind him, parked the, the vehicle, the motorcycle.
And then walked to that driver's side and the window was down, and just as he said, "Sir, may I see your driver's license?" He never finished that sentence.
The man stuck out a Colt 1911 45 caliber, shot him square in the chest.
Knocked him 7 feet to the ground on his back.
The morning air rang with silence.
To the horror of that driver, that police officer stood to his feet slowly, pulled out his service revolver, fired two shots into the side of that truck, striking the driver in the leg, who immediately threw out his weapon and surrendered.
Well, the police officer, of course, was saved by his bulletproof vest.
3/8 inch material, Kevlar, layers after layer, very strong material.
It saved the officer's life.
Jump ahead several weeks later, Police Officer Ray Hicks was going in, his partner were going to serve a warrant on a known drug dealer in L.A.
Police Officer Ray Hicks knocked on that door when four slugs were fired immediately through that front door.
One of them finding Officer Ray Hicks, finding the center mass in his chest, striking him in the same place where that police officer, that motorcycle police officer some weeks earlier had been struck.
Officer Hicks' partner said he simply fell to his knees and said quietly, I've been hit.
And he died right there on that spot.
Police Officer Ray Hicks was 27 years old.
He left behind a wife and three kids and a bulletproof vest 30 feet away in the trunk of his vehicle.
There is not a police officer alive.
There is not an individual in law enforcement who does not believe in bulletproof vests.
They are a proven commodity.
And as much as Ray Hicks might have believed in the vest, he wasn't prepared for the task.
In verse 8, Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us so that we may eat it." They said to him, "Where do you want us to prepare it?" You will see a theme through here.
And he said to them, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters.
And you shall stay say to the owner of the house, the teacher says to you, where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with my disciples?
And he will show you a large furnished upstairs room.
Prepare it there.
And they left and found everything just as he had told them, and they uh, there it is, prepared the Passover.
What I want us to see this morning in our time is that preparation, being prepared is vital to the life of faith.
In fact, Jesus would say to his disciples in earlier chapter here in Luke, in chapter 12 and in verse 35, he would say these familiar words in this particular parable.
He says, be prepared and keep your lamp lit.
Be prepared.
And keep your lamp lit.
This idea of preparation is vital to the to the life of faith, not just for a Passover meal, but uh but to the understanding and the pursuit of of the life of faith.
The prophets of old would say, uh prepare the way of the Lord.
Jesus even understood this and fulfilling the purposes of his father, he gave those disciples assurance in John chapter 14, he said, I go and what?
He said, I go and I prepare a place for you.
And so what we we come to understand is that is that preparation is vital.
Things don't just happen in life, do they?
Things don't just occur, things don't just get accomplished. We we have to be intentional, we have to be deliberate, we have to we have to prepare.
And that's what is being emphasized here.
Well, if we imagine this morning, if you will, with me, if you will imagine that this is our upper room, so to speak.
If we allow this to be our, our upper room where we, we share in a meal together.
As we prepare for this, what is it that what is it that we should draw from this account?
What is it that that adds meaning? What is it that helps us to to prepare well?
To have communion with our Lord.
What is it that prepares us well to go out into this world and to live the life that we are to be chasing after and pursuing in our, in our living together for the cause of Christ?
Now, I want you to notice, I'm going to share three things with you this morning taken from various passages within our, our text.
But I I want you to notice that first of all, our our coming together like, like this.
Our coming together as as a community of faith, a community of of believers. If you look at verses 15 and 17 and then verse 28, if we pull that in.
What we will notice about this kind of gathering, coming together for a communion, coming together for for worship, which we are to do.
Not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, which has become the habit of some, the writer of Hebrews would say.
But the first thing that I would draw our attention to is Jesus seems to draw attention to it for these disciples is that is that our doing of of this, that what we have here, what we share together is a this is a requisite association.
What we share together, this is a requisite, a required association.
It's it's an expectation for those who would be the people of God.
Notice here in verse 15, and he said to them, these disciples, I have I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you.
before I, before I suffer.
And then again in verse 17, we see this communal aspect of of the meal and when he had taken a cup and given thanks, he said, take this and share it among yourselves.
And then as we jump down to, to verse 28, he said, you, you collectively, you are the ones who stood by me during my my trials.
And so whether it's a traditional historic meal like like the Passover that that reminded and it wasn't a meal that was eaten in isolation.
It wasn't eaten alone, but it was eaten around a table to uh, as a part of a family and it was understood that that we are a part of a greater family.
We're part of of the people of God. We're a part of a unique and a distinctive community.
And what we do here, notice again in in verse 17, what we, what we do, we, we share together.
We have a kinship with one another.
And I think it's important that we recapture that idea of of association, of togetherness and kinship because it helps us if we embrace that, if that becomes our conviction about what it is to be the people of God, a community of faith.
It helps us to avoid that cultural Christianity.
And when you hear me speak of cultural Christianity, I hope we understand that is, that is something that stands in stark contrast to biblical Christianity.
Because the messaging of cultural Christianity is that this is something that you can do apart from the church.
It is something that you can do apart from the community and it's and it's developed this kind of solo act, this kind of lone ranger mentality that really has no biblical basis whatsoever.
And so we we find in scripture that that we are to identify ourselves as being part of a of a community of faith.
You remember back in the day when we took newspapers, and uh, I miss those days.
I always like just having a paper in hand with the morning coffee, you know, it's not the same as flipping through your iPad.
But you know, back back when you had a paper in hand, you'd have these, I guess filler space, you know, you'd have little uh human interest type stories.
And I'll never forget one particular human interest story. It's a little paragraph. It said, Bessie Smith whistles Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
Well, you don't whistle a symphony.
It requires an orchestra.
It requires a group of various gifts, various accomplishments to come together to to make that symphony, a symphony of sound, a symphony of music to make it into what the author intended.
Well, that's it. That's that's us, the church, the people of all backgrounds, diversity, uh, diversity of gifts.
And yet all of that God the author forges together to be a a unique and distinctive community of people for a place such as this at a time such as this.
I think it has to be asked, do you as a as a believer, do you have that sense of association?
Do you have that sense of identity? Do you have that sense of belonging?
Years ago, the first Dean of Chapel at Princeton University, Robert Russell Wicks, he had an interesting observation that he wrote of.
He said it was always intriguing to him to watch young men coming through the university and how they evolved from boys into men.
He said those who become men, those who became contributing adults to society.
He said there was always some profound cataclysmic event. There was conversion, for lack of a better term.
A conversion to the recognition of something greater than themselves of which they joined themselves and it became the very thing that gave foundation to their life, the thing that they would point to and say, I belong to that.
But those who continued through the university, graduate from the university who never have that kind of selfless experience.
He said they have a different worldview.
They spend the entirety of their lives in this emotional, immature rat race of trying to get things, of trying to gather insignificant things that, and and they continually say through their lifetime, that belongs to me.
But those who contribute, those who have the greatest contribution to society are those who say have come to a place of saying, I belong to that.
You see, that's when we understand the power of our association together, when we point to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and you say, I belong to that.
That is what defines me. That is what motivates me. That is what awakens me on a daily basis. That is what gives me my purpose. I belong to that.
It's a powerful thought, isn't it?
That when we leave here individually, that by our actions, our words, our deeds, our attitudes, individually, collectively, we are having an impact to the world, in the world as to what it means to be the church of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Morris Massey was a professor of marketing at OU when I was there and I read an account of Morris Massey talking about being on a commercial flight with United Airlines and a stewardess tripped and stumbled as she was serving drinks and dropped an entire tray of drinks in in his lap.
And he said for the next 30 minutes, that stewardess, that flight attendant, he said, she was United Airlines.
He said, I didn't care anything about their advertising. I didn't care anything about their, their slick branding, their slick marketing.
He said all of that was meaningless to me.
That woman, she was United Airlines in the next 30 minutes and how she responded to this unfortunate circumstance.
You see when when we walk out these doors, each one of us individually.
People watch us. You know, people that never go to church, they'll watch you.
People that never read their Bible, they'll read you.
And they're going to make valuations, they're going to make judgments about what it means to be a follower of Christ.
They don't care anything about our branding as a church. They don't care anything about slick programs.
But when they encounter you, me, then they're making judgments about what it is to be the church and to be the body of Christ.
Oh, I hope we leave here today. If we leave with anything that we understand the power of our association.
But there's something else in our preparation here in the in the upper room. It's not just our understanding our requisite association with one another.
But I I would also hope for us that that we would also find a a reassuring affirmation.
That what we're doing, that in this very thing in which we are participating, I hope it is for you this morning.
a reaffirming affirmation.
Notice, Jesus certainly offers that in verses 19 and 20.
And when he had taken some bread and given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them saying, this is my body, which is being given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
And in the same way, he took the cup after they had eaten, saying, this cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in my blood.
In other words, what what Jesus is emphasizing to these disciples, what he doesn't want them to miss is that what I'm doing and certainly they didn't understand what he was doing at that point.
But what he, what I'm going to do that that this is sufficient in accomplishing this great salvation that God has prepared and offering to you.
That my death, that my sacrifice is sufficient for your salvation.
It's not your merit.
It's unlike every other system, man-made system in this world. This is not merit-based. This is grace-based.
This is based upon the sufficiency of my sacrifice in accomplishing the salvation that God would desire for you.
It's far more about God than it ever is you or me.
And I would hope that this would be for you just, uh, especially in this day of culture that imposes up upon us this idea that we're not good enough, that we don't measure up, that we're undeserving.
I hope that we can hear a word of reassurance and affirming reassurance that his death is sufficient.
You know that was one of the things that captured my heart and mind as a new believer at the age of 21, not growing up in church, but when I, but when I started my mind and heart became heavy for the things of God.
And as I was seeking that out, trying to find out what that meant and how that was to be understood and how that was to be experienced.
The thought that that Jesus died for me.
That he gave his life as a sacrifice. I I just had this compelling, this compelling thought, this compelling conviction that if someone died for me, then why would I not live for him?
Why would that not become my life pursuit that if someone was willing to to lay down their life, why would I not live for him?
March 15th, 1985, Wayne Alderson was on the today's show.
He was a successful labor negotiator in Pittsburgh, but it was the 40th anniversary, the reason he had been invited to be on the today's show.
This was the 40th anniversary of the first American uh, that crossed the Siegfried line into Germany during World War II.
It was Wayne Alderson. He was injured. In fact, he still has a crease in his head from the injury that he sustained.
The woman interviewing Wayne Alderson asked him, as you recall that event 40 years ago, what is it that stands out in your mind?
What is it that comes to the forefront of your mind?
His eyes welled with tears.
And he said it was a redheaded friend of mine.
He said I'd been confronted with a German shoulder and he threw a grenade. I happened to shoot him at the same time.
But that grenade exploded, knocked me to the ground, face down.
I had a head injury, it knocked me face down into a puddle of mud and at that same time, there was a German pill box that exploded with machine gun fire.
He said if the grenade wasn't going to kill me, the machine gun fire certainly would. But my friend threw his body over me after rolling my body over so that I wouldn't be submerged in the mud.
Rolled me over, laid his body on top of mine, and he was killed.
And he paused and he said, not a day goes by that I don't see the face of my redheaded friend in my mind.
And that I live my life every day for him.
Well, that's, that's the call of Christ upon our lives.
You see, we're we're a part, he sacrificed his life for you, he sacrificed his life for me.
We we are the church. We are the body of Christ, the one who sacrificed for us.
It's a powerful image, like Lycurgus, the Spartan lawgiver, once in a conversation with the reigning monarch, and what was unique about Sparta, this great warrior state is that they had no defensive walls.
Other countries had walls, defensive walls, not not Sparta.
And when this particular monarch was was saying how vulnerable Sparta was, he like Lycurgus pointed to his soldiers.
And he said, these, these are the walls of Sparta. Every man a brick.
You see, we, we are the walls of the kingdom of God.
We are the walls of the church, each and every one of us, a living stone in Christ Jesus.
That is our association. That is our affirming assurance as the people of God.
The final thing that I hope that we would consider as we prepare properly for this, is that for you and I that as we come to the table and we experience communion, that that you and I would have a, a readied anticipation.
That what Christ did isn't all there is, but that you and I would have a readied anticipation regarding the kingdom of God.
Yes, the kingdom of God is here and now, but also it is it is to come in that same sense.
Notice what Jesus says in verse 18.
We get this idea of what God is doing. He says, for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.
Jesus has this anticipation of more that that is to come.
Verse 29, and just as my father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and you will sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel.
You say there's, there's always more to come.
You can never be satisfied with what we've known, with what we've experienced, what we've accomplished.
There there has to be this readied anticipation knowing that there that there is more to come.
Jesus on the cross saying it is finished.
That's just a statement that it's the end of the beginning, to borrow a line from Churchill.
It's just the end of of the beginning.
That there is more to come and as you live the the life of faith, we are to do so with this readied anticipation of of the Lord who is coming again, where the kingdom of God will be established once and for all.
Not not with all of its frailties and shortcomings because we are seeking to live it out each day, but in finality, the kingdom of God will be established once and for all when the Lord comes.
And we're not caught unaware.
That we're ready, that we're prepared.
Final story, I'll tell you it was a few hours after his 30th mission, having flown his 30th mission over Iraq, that uh, that Lieutenant Robbie Robbins was awakened by a young airman, was told that the CEO wanted to see him.
After rousing himself, going to see the CEO, the CEO asked him, do you want to fly your plane home?
He said, absolutely.
The orders were cut the next morning, he took off, landed in Greece for for refueling.
Next leg of the flight was Wiesbaden and then uh the UK and then Greenland and then uh Otis Air Force Base, I believe, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Called ahead, had a rental car waiting for him on the on the flight line after doing all the proper paperwork.
He took off and drove all night to Warren, Pennsylvania.
He's going to surprise his family.
Walked into his home that morning, but when he pulled up to the curb, there was a sign there said, "Welcome home, daddy." He walked through the front door. The kids are dressed for school. They're screaming, Daddy, daddy, daddy, running and jumping in into his arms.
Hugs the kids. He looks down the hallway. His wife is approaching. Hair is perfect. Makeup's flawless. She's in this crisp yellow dress.
He sees past her into the bedroom. There's a vase of fresh flowers on the dresser.
The bed is is made.
It had only been 44 hours since the hour since, since the orders had been cut.
Thousands and thousands of miles.
He asked his wife, he said, how, how'd you know? I wanted, I wanted to surprise y'all.
She said, oh, when the, when the conflict was over, when the war was over, we we knew you'd eventually come home.
And we knew you'd want to surprise us.
And so we got up every day and got ready so that we would be prepared when you got here.
That's a readied anticipation.
And the coming of the Lord need not be a surprise.
I'm often times asked when I was a pastor, they say, Pastor, what what would you do differently if you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow?
Well, I wouldn't do anything different. I do what I do every day, but I'm doing everything, I hope, everything I'm doing every day to the glory of the Father.
That there's not some set kind of behavior that I need to be doing before the Lord comes.
I I want to be prepared. I'm anticipating his coming.
I don't want it to be a surprise. I want to be ready.
That's how we prepare for our communion.
Let me lead in a word of prayer and as I pray, our those that are going to help us with passing out our communion, you guys go ahead and come forth.
Our Father, how grateful we are to be a part of this unique association with you, with one another, with what it means to be a people of God, to have that identity, to have that association, to have that kinship, to have that shared partnership with brothers and sisters in Christ, and not just here, but but around the world.
And that in this, we find such reassurance and affirmation that we are children of God.
And it gives to us that readied anticipation of more to come in all that you have in store for us.
So Father, as we partake this morning of these elements, I pray Lord that as we feel them, as we taste them, that they would be that they would be a present reminder of the indwelling of our Lord and his presence in our lives.
In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
All right, you can go ahead.