James T. Cleland - "Of One Blood" Communion Meditation (October 4, 1970)
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| ♪ Alleluia amen ♪ | 0:06 | |
| ♪ Alleluia amen ♪ | 0:11 | |
| ♪ Let all with heart and voice ♪ | 0:15 | |
| ♪ Before His throne rejoice ♪ | 0:20 | |
| ♪ Praise in His gracious choice ♪ | 0:24 | |
| ♪ Alleluia amen ♪ | 0:29 | |
| (church organ playing) | 0:40 | |
| (church organ drowning singers) | 1:01 | |
| (church organ continues drowning singers) | 2:29 | |
| - | Beloved, the reason we are able to sing, | 4:32 |
| in Christ, there is no east or west, | 4:37 | |
| is that the scriptures tell us, truly, | 4:41 | |
| God hath made of one blood, all nations of men, | 4:45 | |
| for to dwell on all the face of the earth. | 4:51 | |
| That is one of the scriptures | 4:56 | |
| on which we base this service today of worldwide communion. | 4:58 | |
| There are others. | 5:04 | |
| "I am the living bread," said Jesus, | 5:07 | |
| "Which came down from heaven. | 5:10 | |
| If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. | 5:12 | |
| And the bread which I showed give | 5:17 | |
| is for the life of the world. | 5:20 | |
| And it is my flesh." | 5:23 | |
| Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God. | 5:27 | |
| And he who loves is born of God and knows God. | 5:34 | |
| In this, the love of God was made manifest among us, | 5:40 | |
| that God sent his only son into the world | 5:45 | |
| so that we might live through him. | 5:49 | |
| Christ our paschal lamb, is offered up for us, once for all. | 5:55 | |
| When He bore our sins on His body, upon the cross, | 6:02 | |
| for He is the very lamb of God | 6:06 | |
| that taketh away the sins of the world. | 6:10 | |
| Wherefore, let us keep a joyful and holy feast | 6:14 | |
| with the Lord. | 6:19 | |
| Let us now sing a joyful and holy hymn of adoration. | 6:23 | |
| (soft church organ music) | 6:30 | |
| (singing indistinctly) | 7:06 | |
| (singing indistinctly) | 7:57 | |
| The vision of who and what our heavenly father is. | 8:45 | |
| The vision of who by contrast, we are, | 8:51 | |
| makes us aware of our sins | 8:55 | |
| and makes us uncomfortable in our sin. | 8:58 | |
| We therefore realize our need of confessing them before God. | 9:02 | |
| Let us join our hearts and our voices together | 9:08 | |
| in our general prayer of confession, let us pray. | 9:11 | |
| Almighty God, | 9:15 | |
| father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, | 9:17 | |
| judge of all men. | 9:21 | |
| We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, | 9:23 | |
| which we from time to time, | 9:28 | |
| most grievously have committed, | 9:29 | |
| by thought word and deed against thy divine majesty. | 9:31 | |
| We do earnestly repent and our heartily sorry | 9:36 | |
| for these are misdoings. | 9:40 | |
| The remembrance of them is grievous onto us. | 9:42 | |
| Have mercy upon us. | 9:45 | |
| Have mercy upon us most merciful father | 9:47 | |
| for thy son our Lord, Jesus Christ sake. | 9:50 | |
| Forgive us all that is past. | 9:54 | |
| And grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please thee | 9:56 | |
| in newness of life to the honor and glory of thy name, | 10:00 | |
| through Jesus Christ, our Lord. | 10:05 | |
| Amen. | 10:07 | |
| In the first epistle of John, | 10:12 | |
| there are words which form a response | 10:17 | |
| to our prayer of confession. | 10:20 | |
| We ask the question, | 10:24 | |
| what happens when we confess our sins to God | 10:25 | |
| and ask His forgiveness? | 10:28 | |
| Here is the answer. | 10:31 | |
| If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the father, | 10:34 | |
| Jesus Christ, the righteous. | 10:39 | |
| And he is the expiation for our sins and not for ours only, | 10:42 | |
| but also for the sins of the whole world. | 10:47 | |
| This is what we mean by the word, gospel, | 10:53 | |
| because that means good news. | 10:57 | |
| The choir is going to sing about that good news. | 11:01 | |
| (soft music) | 11:08 | |
| ♪ I got a crown up in a that kingdom ain't that good news ♪ | 11:19 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 11:23 | |
| ♪ I got a crown up in-a that kingdom ain't that good news ♪ | 11:25 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 11:29 | |
| ♪ I'm-a gonna lay down this world ♪ | 11:30 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up-a my cross ♪ | 11:34 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home-a to my Jesus ain't that good news ♪ | 11:36 | |
| ♪ I got a robe up in-a that kingdom ain't that good news ♪ | 11:42 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 11:46 | |
| ♪ I got a robe up in-a that kingdom ain't-a that good news ♪ | 11:47 | |
| ♪ I'm-a gonna lay down this world ♪ | 11:53 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up-a my cross ♪ | 11:57 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home-a to my Jesus ain't-a that good news ♪ | 12:00 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 12:03 | |
| ♪ I got a Savior in-a that kingdom ain't that good news ♪ | 12:06 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 12:10 | |
| ♪ I got a Savior in-a that kingdom ain't that good news ♪ | 12:12 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news ♪ | 12:16 | |
| ♪ I'm-a gonna lay down this world ♪ | 12:17 | |
| ♪ Gonna shoulder up-a my cross ♪ | 12:21 | |
| ♪ Gonna take it home-a to my Jesus ain't-a that good news ♪ | 12:24 | |
| ♪ Good news, good news ♪ | 12:28 | |
| ♪ Good news, good news ♪ | 12:31 | |
| ♪ Aint that good news, good news, good news ♪ | 12:40 | |
| ♪ Good news ♪ | 12:46 | |
| Let us again, hear the good news | 13:07 | |
| as it is recorded first in the Acts of the Apostles 17:22, | 13:11 | |
| the beginning of Paul's sermon in Athens. | 13:20 | |
| "So Paul standing in the middle of the Areopagus said, | 13:26 | |
| 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way, | 13:31 | |
| you are very religious. | 13:36 | |
| But as I passed along and observed the objects | 13:40 | |
| of your worship, | 13:42 | |
| I found also an altar with this inscription, | 13:44 | |
| to an unknown god, whom there for you worship as unknown, | 13:48 | |
| this, I proclaim to you. | 13:54 | |
| The God who made the world and everything in it, | 13:58 | |
| being Lord of heaven and earth does not live in shrines | 14:01 | |
| made by man, | 14:06 | |
| nor is he served by human hands | 14:09 | |
| as though he needed anything. | 14:13 | |
| Since he himself gives to all men, | 14:16 | |
| life and breath and everything. | 14:19 | |
| And he made of one blood, every nation of men | 14:25 | |
| to live on all the face of the earth, | 14:29 | |
| that they should seek God | 14:33 | |
| in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. | 14:36 | |
| Yet, he's not far from each one of us. | 14:41 | |
| For in him, we live and move and have our being | 14:46 | |
| as even some of your own poets have said, | 14:50 | |
| "For we are indeed, his offspring."'" | 14:55 | |
| And then in Paul's letter to the Galatians 3 | 15:00 | |
| verses 27 and 28. | 15:05 | |
| "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ, | 15:09 | |
| have put on Christ. | 15:13 | |
| There is neither Jew nor Greek. | 15:17 | |
| There is neither slave nor free. | 15:22 | |
| There is neither male nor female. | 15:27 | |
| For you are all one in Christ Jesus." | 15:32 | |
| Amen and may God bless onto us the reading of his word. | 15:39 | |
| On the first Sunday of October, that is today, | 15:49 | |
| more Christians celebrate the Lord's supper | 15:56 | |
| than on any other Sunday in the year. | 16:01 | |
| Why? | 16:07 | |
| Because the first Sunday of October | 16:09 | |
| has been recognized and observed since 1938, | 16:12 | |
| as worldwide communion Sunday. | 16:19 | |
| It is acknowledged by Christians of all races, colors, | 16:24 | |
| and sex, in remembrance of Jesus, the Christ, | 16:30 | |
| the Lord of the church. | 16:36 | |
| The church Catholic ecumenical universal one. | 16:40 | |
| Let us examine this theoretical though unrealized harmony, | 16:51 | |
| by looking together at the word, blood. | 16:57 | |
| One of the two central symbols of the Lord's supper. | 17:01 | |
| In one important manuscript, | 17:09 | |
| Greek manuscript of the Acts verse 26 of chapter 17 reads, | 17:11 | |
| "And God hath made of one blood, all nations of men, | 17:19 | |
| for to dwell on all the face of the earth." | 17:25 | |
| That's one sentence from the sermon preached in Athens | 17:29 | |
| by Saint Paul. | 17:32 | |
| It was one of his toughest assignments | 17:35 | |
| because he had been asked to explain | 17:40 | |
| the unusual story of Jesus, of Nazareth, | 17:42 | |
| to a group of Epicurean and stoic philosophers, | 17:47 | |
| the intellectuals of his day. | 17:53 | |
| He took as his starting point an altar | 17:56 | |
| dedicated to an unknown god. | 17:59 | |
| He had seen it on an Athenian street | 18:05 | |
| and early in that sermon, | 18:11 | |
| he stated that all men share common blood. | 18:13 | |
| Now for a Jew, blood was life. | 18:21 | |
| The seat of life, | 18:26 | |
| the very stuff of life, | 18:28 | |
| sacred to God. | 18:32 | |
| When a covenant was ratified between the Israelites | 18:35 | |
| and their God, blood was the visible instrument | 18:38 | |
| in sealing the compact. | 18:44 | |
| God and the Israelites were, if you like kin by blood. | 18:47 | |
| I asked the hematologist at Duke, | 18:55 | |
| if there were any truth to a statement like Paul's | 18:57 | |
| and he guardedly said, "Yes, if it be accepted poetically." | 19:01 | |
| He knew that there were different blood types. | 19:08 | |
| Yet he granted that the idea of all men being of one blood | 19:12 | |
| was more true than false. | 19:19 | |
| But we all know that this interpretation of creation | 19:24 | |
| is unacceptable to many people. | 19:29 | |
| They don't want to be brothers | 19:33 | |
| to anyone of a different skin pigment. | 19:37 | |
| Maybe Paul recognized that for he made another approach | 19:42 | |
| to the matter of human oneness. | 19:46 | |
| He mentioned it in a letter to the Galatian church. | 19:50 | |
| "There's neither Jew nor Greek. | 19:54 | |
| There's neither slave nor free. | 19:57 | |
| There's neither male nor female. | 20:01 | |
| For you're all one in Christ Jesus." | 20:05 | |
| There's no differentiation because of nationality. | 20:09 | |
| There's no discrimination because of economic | 20:14 | |
| or civic status. | 20:17 | |
| There's no distinction because of sex. | 20:20 | |
| You all must think that Paul belonged | 20:25 | |
| to an elderly female liberation society. | 20:27 | |
| He couldn't quite live up to it though. | 20:34 | |
| That just proves he was a man, that's all. | 20:38 | |
| But notice the important words in the verse. | 20:43 | |
| The last three words, "In Christ Jesus," | 20:46 | |
| that is in the church. | 20:50 | |
| In the church. | 20:55 | |
| In the world, there were still differences because of race, | 20:58 | |
| past, sex, but in the church, | 21:02 | |
| there was quality of status before God, | 21:06 | |
| it was confirmed in baptism. | 21:11 | |
| It was confirmed in the Lord's supper, | 21:14 | |
| when a loaf of bread and a shared cup, | 21:18 | |
| recall the broken body and the spilled blood of the Lord. | 21:23 | |
| A celebration of the Lord's supper became for them | 21:30 | |
| almost a blood transfusion. | 21:35 | |
| Their common blood through creation | 21:39 | |
| was enriched by their remembrance and acceptance | 21:43 | |
| of the sacrificial blood of Jesus, the head of the church. | 21:48 | |
| And folk like us, who celebrate the Lord's supper together, | 21:55 | |
| become blood brothers. | 22:03 | |
| We are kin in Christ Jesus. | 22:09 | |
| There should be nothing in the world, | 22:14 | |
| divisive enough to separate us from one another. | 22:17 | |
| Can we realize the fact about being at one with Christians | 22:25 | |
| all over the world, in Ireland and in Germany, | 22:29 | |
| in Palestine and in South Africa | 22:35 | |
| in India and in Vietnam, in Korea and in New Zealand. | 22:39 | |
| In Ghana and in Bolivia. | 22:48 | |
| Some bow down in Gothic structures like this, | 22:53 | |
| others worship in mission halls. | 22:59 | |
| Some are being (indistinct) | 23:04 | |
| from marble alters or wooden tables. | 23:05 | |
| Still others are receiving the bread and the wine | 23:10 | |
| from the back of a tank or the hood of a Jeep, | 23:14 | |
| some are in prison camps or in refugee camps, | 23:21 | |
| in military hospitals or on lonely outposts. | 23:27 | |
| And they, and we, are 20th century disciples of Jesus. | 23:33 | |
| Knowing that, believing that, | 23:41 | |
| committed to that, | 23:46 | |
| let us come to the table, spread for our benefit. | 23:49 | |
| Those who serve us in his name are of different races | 23:55 | |
| and places and even sex. | 24:00 | |
| But in this place, we are all of one blood, | 24:06 | |
| of his blood. | 24:13 | |
| Let us pray. | 24:19 | |
| Oh God, who in the common things of daily life, | 24:22 | |
| givest to us thy very self. | 24:25 | |
| Making of bread and wine | 24:29 | |
| the sacrament of thy sustaining presence, | 24:31 | |
| strengthen and refresh us | 24:36 | |
| that we may remember thee faithfully | 24:38 | |
| seek thee eagerly, | 24:42 | |
| find thee surely and serve thee joyfully. | 24:44 | |
| Through Jesus Christ our Lord. | 24:50 | |
| Amen. | 24:54 | |
| (soft music) | 24:59 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 27:02 | |
| ♪ To make the wounded whole ♪ | 27:12 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 27:23 | |
| ♪ To heal the sin-sick soul ♪ | 27:33 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 27:39 | |
| ♪ To make the wounded whole ♪ | 27:51 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 28:02 | |
| ♪ To heal the sin-sick soul ♪ | 28:12 | |
| ♪ Sometimes I feel discouraged ♪ | 28:21 | |
| ♪ And think my work's in vain ♪ | 28:30 | |
| ♪ But then the Holy Spirit ♪ | 28:38 | |
| ♪ Revives my soul again ♪ | 28:48 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 29:04 | |
| ♪ To make the wounded whole ♪ | 29:13 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 29:24 | |
| ♪ To heal the sin-sick soul ♪ | 29:33 | |
| ♪ If you cannot sing like angels ♪ | 29:42 | |
| ♪ If you cannot preach like Paul ♪ | 29:50 | |
| ♪ You can tell the love of Jesus ♪ | 29:59 | |
| ♪ And say, He died for all ♪ | 30:08 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 30:24 | |
| ♪ To make the wounded whole ♪ | 30:33 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 30:43 | |
| ♪ To heal the sin-sick soul ♪ | 30:53 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 31:02 | |
| ♪ To make the wounded whole ♪ | 31:12 | |
| ♪ There is a balm in Gilead ♪ | 31:24 | |
| ♪ To heal the sin-sick soul ♪ | 31:36 | |
| (church organ playing) | 31:52 | |
| ♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 32:36 | |
| ♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪ | 32:42 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 32:48 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 32:50 | |
| ♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host ♪ | 32:54 | |
| ♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪ | 33:00 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 33:06 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 33:09 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 33:12 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 33:15 | |
| ♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 33:18 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 33:27 | |
| Almighty God, | 33:36 | |
| we all focus our attention here upon this altar, | 33:39 | |
| the symbol of thy presence here in this service | 33:43 | |
| and in our hearts, | 33:47 | |
| for the purpose of dedicating this money, | 33:49 | |
| which the congregation has given, | 33:51 | |
| for the purpose of dedicating these communion elements, | 33:54 | |
| which the congregation has prepared. | 33:57 | |
| And yet, oh God, | 34:01 | |
| the dedication of these things would be meaningless | 34:03 | |
| without the dedication of ourselves. | 34:06 | |
| And so we pray for the grace of thy Holy Spirit | 34:09 | |
| to make our own dedication meaningful | 34:13 | |
| along with the dedication of these elements | 34:17 | |
| and this money for thy glory and the good of Jesus Christ. | 34:20 | |
| Amen. | 34:26 | |
| Lift up your hearts. | 34:29 | |
| - | We lift them up unto the Lord. | 34:32 |
| - | Let us give thanks unto the Lord. | 34:34 |
| - | It is indeed right that we do. | 34:37 |
| (church organ playing) | 34:39 | |
| (church organ drowning singers) | 35:05 | |
| Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins | 36:44 | |
| and are in love and charity with your neighbors | 36:48 | |
| and intend to lead a new life, | 36:51 | |
| following the commandments of God | 36:53 | |
| and walking from henceforth in his holy ways, | 36:56 | |
| draw near with faith and take this holy sacrament | 37:00 | |
| unto your comfort, meekly kneeling upon your knees. | 37:03 | |
| (soft music) | 37:15 | |
| (singers singing low) | 37:40 | |
| (singers indistinctly singing) | 38:24 | |
| (singers singing low) | 39:04 | |
| (singers continue singing low) | 40:28 | |
| (singers humming) | 41:06 | |
| The body of the Lord, Jesus Christ | 41:41 | |
| was broken for thee. | 41:45 | |
| Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, | 41:47 | |
| and be thankful. | 41:51 | |
| The blood of the Lord, Jesus Christ was shed for thee. | 41:58 | |
| Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for thee | 42:03 | |
| and be thankful in thy heart. | 42:06 | |
| (soft music) | 42:23 | |
| (soft music continues) | 44:31 | |
| (soft music continues) | 46:35 | |
| (soft music continues) | 48:40 | |
| (soft music continues) | 50:15 | |
| (soft music continues) | 52:27 | |
| ♪ Let us praise God together on our knees ♪ | 53:30 | |
| ♪ On our knees ♪ | 53:44 | |
| ♪ Let us praise God together on our knees ♪ | 53:49 | |
| ♪ On our knees ♪ | 54:03 | |
| ♪ When I fall on my knees ♪ | 54:08 | |
| ♪ With my face to the rising sun ♪ | 54:18 | |
| ♪ O Lord ♪ | 54:29 | |
| ♪ Have mercy on me ♪ | 54:35 | |
| In spite of our sins and wickedness of the past, | 54:52 | |
| our Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven us | 54:58 | |
| and invited us to come to his table, which we have now done. | 55:00 | |
| And having feasted on the spiritual food | 55:06 | |
| of our Lord Jesus Christ in fellowship with one another. | 55:09 | |
| In a fellowship, which is of the blood | 55:15 | |
| and knows no race or nation. | 55:19 | |
| We do have very much to be thankful for, don't we? | 55:23 | |
| So may we unite our hearts and voices | 55:27 | |
| in our unison prayer of thanksgiving and dedication. | 55:30 | |
| Let us pray. | 55:34 | |
| Almighty and ever living God. | 55:37 | |
| We most heartedly thank thee | 55:40 | |
| that thou dost vouch (indistinct) to feed us | 55:42 | |
| who have duly received these holy mysteries | 55:45 | |
| with this fresh spiritual food, | 55:49 | |
| the most precious body of blood, | 55:51 | |
| thy son our savior, Jesus Christ. | 55:53 | |
| And dost assure us thereby of thy favor | 55:56 | |
| and goodness toward us. | 55:59 | |
| And that we are very members in corporate | 56:01 | |
| of the mystical body of thy son, | 56:04 | |
| which is the blessed company of all faithful people | 56:07 | |
| and are also heirs through hope of thy everlasting kingdom | 56:10 | |
| by the merits of his precious death and passion. | 56:15 | |
| And we humbly beseech thee oh, heavenly father, | 56:19 | |
| so to assist us with thy grace, | 56:22 | |
| that we may continue in that holy fellowship. | 56:25 | |
| And here we offer and present onto thee oh Lord, ourselves, | 56:28 | |
| our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, | 56:33 | |
| holy and lively sacrifice unto thee. | 56:37 | |
| Humbly beseeching thee that all we who are partakers | 56:41 | |
| of this holy communion may be filled with thy grace | 56:45 | |
| and heavenly benediction | 56:48 | |
| through Jesus Christ, our Lord, | 56:50 | |
| by whom and with whom in the unity of the Holy Spirit, | 56:53 | |
| all honor and glory be unto thee, | 56:58 | |
| O father almighty, | 57:01 | |
| world, without end. | 57:03 | |
| Amen. | 57:05 | |
| Let us stand and receive the benediction. | 57:06 | |
| Now may the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, | 57:13 | |
| keep our hearts and minds and the knowledge | 57:17 | |
| and love of God and his son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord. | 57:20 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 57:30 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 57:40 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 57:49 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 58:09 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 58:22 | |
| ♪ Amen ♪ | 58:39 | |
| (bell ringing) | 58:59 | |
| (upbeat music) | 59:15 | |
| (footstep thuds) | 59:39 |
