"Who Needs Pizza?" a Sermon by Phillip Martin from John 6:51-58

Summary

The speaker recounts a small, intimate Wednesday evening Holy Communion service that struggled to grow despite various attempts to attract more attendees. One memorable incident involved a pizza delivery interrupting the service, which humorously highlighted the essence of Jesus as the living bread coming down from heaven to offer eternal life. The sermon emphasizes that Holy Communion is a tangible reminder of Jesus' sacrifice and God's grace, contrasting this sacred meal with a casual pizza party to underline the depth of Christian faith and the importance of receiving Jesus' presence in everyday life.

Takeaways

• 🙏 The Wednesday evening Holy Communion service was intimate and designed to be short, typically lasting about 30 minutes with one scripture lesson and no music.
• 👥 The service had a very small attendance, averaging around eight people, and efforts to grow it by adding music or changing settings were unsuccessful.
• 🍕 A memorable incident occurred when a pizza delivery man interrupted the service, walking down the aisle with pizzas as the pastor was blessing the bread and wine.
• 🌟 The incident with the pizza delivery highlighted a key message of Christianity: Jesus is the living bread from heaven, who comes down to give life to the world.
• 🕊️ The God of Christianity is a God who comes to us, rather than expecting us to reach up to Him. This is a fundamental aspect of the faith.
• 🛐 Holy Communion is a way to keep faith grounded in real, tangible things and prevent it from becoming merely intellectual or abstract.
• 🍞 Jesus uses the metaphor of bread to convey that faith is not just about ideas but involves physical acts of communion and sharing.
• 🎉 The humorous pizza incident serves as a reminder that Jesus' story is about delivery, coming into our midst in real, tangible ways.
• ✝️ Holy Communion symbolizes Jesus’ self-sacrifice and the ongoing deliverance of God’s love, forgiveness, and grace to believers.
• 🌍 The act of eating in Holy Communion is a reminder of the sacrifices involved in providing food, paralleling Jesus' sacrifice for humanity.

Q & A

What was the format and duration of the Wednesday evening holy communion service?

The Wednesday evening holy communion service was an abbreviated worship service designed to last about 30 minutes. It often included only one scripture lesson and had a spoken liturgy, typically without music.

How many people typically attended the Wednesday evening service?

The average attendance was around eight people and it rarely climbed higher than that.

What efforts were made to grow the attendance of the Wednesday evening service?

Efforts included adding music occasionally, worshiping outside during warmer months, and trying various alterations and innovations to appeal to more people.

Describe the incident involving the pizza delivery during the Wednesday evening service.

During one Wednesday evening service, the women's retreat committee had a meeting and ordered pizza. The delivery man arrived during the service, and, unaware of where to go, he walked down the aisle with the pizzas, interrupting the service.

How did the pastor use the pizza delivery incident to illustrate a point about Christian faith?

The pastor compared the unexpected delivery of pizza to the way Jesus, the living bread, comes down from heaven to give life to the world. It emphasized that God comes to us, rather than us needing to reach God.

What analogy did the pastor use to explain the concept of Jesus as the living bread?

The pastor used the analogy of a pizza delivery to explain that Jesus, the living bread, is delivered to us from heaven, much like how the pizza was delivered to the church.

Why did the pastor emphasize that the act of eating in Holy Communion is important?

The pastor emphasized that eating in Holy Communion is important because it prevents followers from turning their faith into a mere intellectual exercise. It involves real, tangible things that symbolize Jesus' self-giving and sacrifice.

What does the pastor say about the significance of bread in the context of Jesus' time?

The pastor mentioned that in Jesus' time, and still in many parts of the world, bread is the main food. It is essential for eating a full meal and symbolizes how Jesus, as the living bread, sustains and nourishes us.

How does the pastor describe the sacrificial nature of eating and its relation to Holy Communion?

The pastor explains that every act of eating involves some form of sacrifice, whether it's the animal that was slaughtered or the labor that went into preparing the food. Similarly, Holy Communion involves the sacrifice of Jesus for the life of the world.

What final message does the pastor convey about the importance of Holy Communion?

The pastor conveys that Holy Communion is a reminder of Jesus' self-giving and sacrifice. It embodies God's forgiveness, mercy, love, and grace, and it calls for gratitude and worship through tangible acts of eating and gathering together.