Examine

We are making our way through a letter Paul wrote to Jesus followers in Corinth. Today, Paul requests an attitude check.


1 Corinthians 11
23 For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread 24 and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” 25 In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people - an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. 27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died. 31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world. 33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other. 34 If you are really hungry, eat at home so you won’t bring judgment upon yourselves when you meet together. I’ll give you instructions about the other matters after I arrive.


Examine. When I was in elementary school, the church our family attended offered “Junior Church” for 3rd through 6th graders. Once you entered junior high, you had to move upstairs to “big” church. Every week, one of the leaders would randomly yell, “Attitude check”. We would yell back, “Praise the Lord”. I don’t know if it was a true reflection of our current attitude as much as a learned response. Paul’s contention, when it comes to the Lord’s Supper, is that we need an “attitude check” because it is so easy to go through the motions. The reality is, my attitude toward that moment is really a reflection of the current state of my relationship with God. So what would your response be ... apathetic ... distracted ... humble ... grateful? “Attitude check?”