Slices
Prepare
Pray not to be lured away from your wholehearted Christian commitment.
Bible passage
Idol feasts and the Lord’s Supper
14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Explore
In sport, you can usually tell which side a player is on from their shirt or the direction of their play. Though sometimes an ‘own goal’ or a bad mistake can make you wonder!
When we drink the wine and eat the bread in the Lord’s Supper, we are showing ourselves to be stakeholders in the death and resurrection of Christ. We are taking part with his followers down the centuries (vs 15,16). The familiar words for this, such as ‘fellowship’, ‘Communion’ and ‘sharing’, need to be understood dynamically; like being a ‘shareholder in’, or being ‘in solidarity with’ Christ and his people. Receiving Communion in bread and wine is making a big statement of oneness with Christ’s people (v 17).
Corinth in Paul’s time would have staged lots of feasts and festivals with sacrifices to idols. So isn’t this just harmless fun? An idol is nothing really, is it? Paul is definite. Active participation in such pagan sacrifice is a line not to be crossed (v 14). He gives three reasons:
- It can be dangerous for your spiritual life (v 20).
- Whose side are you on anyway? Partaking of Christ and partaking of idol worship are incompatible (v 21).
- You could be making the Lord actively jealous over your disloyalty (v 22).
Respond
Are there aspects of your world which seem harmless enough, but it makes sense for someone on Christ’s side to observe as lines not to be crossed? What are your lines?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 1 Samuel 10,11; Psalms 46,47
Pray for Scripture Union
Over 1200 volunteer places need to be filled each year to allow our holidays and missions programme to run. Please pray that volunteers will come forward and will be excited to serve in this way this summer.
Bless a Year 6 child with a copy of It’s Your Move
Approximately 650,000 Year 6 children across the UK will begin preparing for their move to secondary school over the coming months. It’s Your Move is a brilliant guide that helps to smooth the transition. Filled with top tips, advice, and Bible-based reflections, this little book has become a backpack essential over the last 24 years!
Could you bless a child with a copy of It’s Your Move?
