As was mentioned earlier, we're thankful for everybody who is
here this evening and I pray that I can say something tonight
with that would help us in. Strengthening our faith and
understand how to move forward with the things going on in the
world right now. I really didn't know what to
entitle my lesson when I was putting it together and kind of
a last minute. Thought was one cup coronavirus
and Faith. It's just kind of what we're
going to touch on tonight. So it's not going to be a
lengthy sermon, but I hope and pray that something can be said
that edifying of the body of Christ a while back.
A few weeks ago. Kylie was talking to one of her
friends regarding services and and possibly coming to worship
service. And one of the questions that
came up to her and she asked me. Was can somebody be allergic to
grape juice? And I'd really never thought
about that and I thought it was a legitimate question.
And so I thought I would look into it and see what we can
learn from that because we all here follow, what's written in
the in the gospel and what Jesus instituted and that's that we
use one cup in one loaf in the Lord's Supper.
And in Matthew 26 verses 26 through 28, it says there.
And as they were eating Jesus Took bread blessed and broke it
and gave it to the disciples and said, take eat.
This is my body. Then he took the cup and gave.
Thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it.
All of you for this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.
You know, dad has a good lesson. I'm thinking maybe a couple
lessons that he has on the cup and the communion and really
good very extensively. Maybe he'll teach on it soon for
us again sometime, but we're not going to dive deep into that
this evening. But specifically, we're going to
get into. Results of panic that we are
dealing with right now and that dramatically change and have
changed the course of worship services in the past. and, We
use one cup, but we know that there are many denominations
that use multiple cups and the introduction of multiple cups in
the Lord's. Supper is really not that old.
When we, when you do some research on it.
During the 1860s scientists in Europe, landed on the idea that
diseases are caused by germs. And these microscopic hostile
agents, enter your body from objects in the environment and
make you sick. So the germ theory was a
breakthrough in those times and in treatment of diseases and it
was clear to all these doctors and scientists that in order to
go after disease. They have to go out her after
germs and during that time of Discovery, a group of Physicians
political activist on entrepreneurs and religious
Crusaders, took it upon themselves to go after germs,
and they called themselves sanitarians.
Well, these sanitarians targeted kissing as a source of patata
possible contamination among other things and, in 1888 in a
medical journal Journal, one doctor went after what he called
The Poisoned chalice. That's what he called his
article in, which he identified as a shared communion cup.
And during those times. It was really easy to scare
people. So soon after that, the idea of
having multiple cups was introduced into the communion
Services. It was reported to have started
around 1890. And some of these sanitarians
actually owned companies that sold individual communion cups.
And they were trying to make a little bit of a profit.
So there was ulterior motivation, 's everything beyond
what was written in the scripture is what they were
going after. Also there was reported reasons
for multiple cups during those times was also racism and whites
would partake first in the communion and then the blocks
and then that kind of grew and progress and led to further
racism where separate cups worth.
Limited. So races would not have to
partake out of the same cup. And dr.
Martin Luther King said, 11:00 a.m.
On Sunday mornings is the most segregated hour in Christian
America. so, All of those implementations all the reasons
why they implemented multiple cups.
Like I said, had no bearing on what is written in the
Scripture. It was all about their sanitary
is their want to be sanitary and racism and I'm sure there were
other factors, but I didn't get too far into that.
So Grape juice are we or can there be an alert allergy to
grape juice and the answer is yes, but it is extremely
uncommon very uncommon. And the cult causes of allergy
to grape juice allergic reactions to grape juice occur.
When our immune system, mistakes grape juice for foreign or
harmful food. And this misidentification of
grape juice makes our immune system produced immunoglobin and
antibody which Reacts with red grapes, the juice.
The next time we drink it, causing the allergy and we may
not be allergic to grape juice, specifically, but doctors and
scientists tend to agree that it is other elements in the grapes
that cause allergic reaction. And that might be triggered by
yeast mold or pesticides on the grapes used in making the grape
juice. Yes.
And that is documented. Dr. Vincent Vincent, astellas
from the University of Valencia in Spain said allergy to grapes
only become apparent in some cases.
When fruit ingestion is combined, with other concurrent
factors such as exercise or alcohol.
So, basically, an allergy to grapes or two grape juice is
only apparent when human modification is present.
And we know that we have unfermented fruit of the vine
that is Untouched by humans or Modified by humans.
I should say that we use here for the communion services.
So how risky is it to share the communion cup with somebody
else? We use and have used over years
as long as I can remember, a silver cup that we drink out of
and looking into. It, silver is known to kill
bacteria. It is used to treat wounds in
The Old Ship captains were known to put.
Silver coins into storage, barrels to keep water fresh,
while I sailed the Seas and hospitals, use silver in
bandages, for treatment on burn victims to combat.
And also to combat superbugs that have come resistant
tradition to traditional antibiotic drugs.
And a new study led by The Faculty of science.
Biological scientists at the University of Calgary helps
enhance understanding of Silver's antibacterial
properties. The research team performed a
chemical genetic screen on a number of about 4,000 mutant
strains of bacterium of E.coli, 4,000 strains of E coli that
they tested this on in which a unique Gene.
In each strain was known to be knocked out or deleted.
So, the use of silver on in Collide, killed e-coli.
Charles Garba an infectious disease specialist at the
University of Arizona. Said this, even though a person
may be ill and put some virus on their the antimicrobial activity
of the silver in these cups. That seems to largely reduce the
risk. In other words were more likely
to contract. Germs on the door handle leading
into the church or shaking, somebody's hand after service,
then on the lip of the community cup. but, Beyond all that
scientific evidence. We as Christians choose
something far greater is at work.
And that is our faith and God. And even if we do not fully
understand how that all works. That's okay.
And that's where our faith kicks in.
So what is our faith? If we do not believe what Jesus
instituted and that God's Providence will take care of us.
How is our faith measured. If we don't believe that job?
We remember, Joe MIT old story of faith in the Old Testament
where God allowed him to be tested by Satan, and job
suffered great losses, terrible grief and bodily distress and
could not understand why God would allow evil people to
prosper, while good people suffer, but finally job accepted
that this is the part of the mystery of God.
Not not to be explained by human logic and in the end job was
okay with that. And Joe 42, after he had gone
through all of these trials and went back and forth with God and
God, finally gave him the, what, for Joe, finally, understood
what was going on in Joe. 42 verses 23.
It says, this is job speaking. I know that you can do
everything and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from
you. You asked who is this?
This who hides counsel without knowledge.
Therefore. I have uttered.
What? I did not understand things too.
Wonderful for me, which I did not know, job came to the
acceptance that things were at work that he did not understand.
And that's our faith to there. Are things that are happening.
That we don't understand how it happens.
But it happens and that's God's Providence working, and we have
to have faith in that. So the risk of infection from
the communicable isn't significant?
Significant enough to change a ritual defined by Jesus and
upheld by Christians for thousands of years.
So that leads me to my next point that we are dealing with
in the world right now. And that is, of course the
spread of coronavirus. And we as Christians need to
understand how and the way that Christ would have us to respond.
If there is to be an epidemic. We have a duty to respond.
The way Christ would have us to respond.
The Christians response to plagues begin with some of Jesus
most famous teachings. Jesus said, do unto others as
you would have them do unto. You love your neighbors as
yourself. Greater love has no man than
this, that he should lay down his life, for his friends, but
put plainly The Christian ethic in a time of plague considers
that, our life must be always regarded as less important than
that of our neighbor. So we have a responsibility to
look out for others who may be sick or elderly or be more
susceptible to any type of disease.
That is our responsibility looking after people.
In first John, three verse 17, it says, but whoever has this
world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his
heart from him. How does the love of God abide
in him? If we have something in our
possession or some skill that we possess that we can help
somebody else in need and we decide to be selfish and hoard
it, and not give it and not help.
God's love is not envious. That's pretty plain.
That's pretty simple stuff. You ask me.
So during actually during the plagues in the Roman Empire,
Christians actually made a name for themselves and historians
have suggested that the terrible and to and taunting plague of
the second century, which might have killed off a quarter of the
Roman Empire actually led to the spread of Christianity as
Christians cared for the sick and offered a spiritual model.
But also, a more famous epidemic is a plague of cyprien name for
a bishop who gave a colorful account of this disease in his
sermons. It was probably a disease
related to Ebola and the plague of cyprien help set off what is
called the crisis of the third Century in the Roman world, but
it did something else, it also triggered an explosive growth of
Christianity during that time. So, For us as Christians, it is
better that we should die serving our neighbor than be
surrounded. In a pile of masks that we never
got to use. so this brings us to one of the more controversial
elements that we see happening today and that is Canceling
church, we do not do that. That is a form of panic that is
happening. And we see religious
organizations that are considering doing that or have
actually implemented in doing that for at least a couple weeks
in order to minimize the outbreak of the virus that is
going on today. And although those intentions
are, maybe logic in our human minds and the intentions may be
well and good with Human understanding canceling, the
Assembly of the body of crisis, in direct contradiction to the
instructions made in scriptures that we are clearly to assemble
on the first day of the week in order to commune teach, pray,
sing praises to God and give of our means.
I also heard today that the governor of our state is also
being considering Banning Assemblies of 250 people or more
and although I don't think we meet that criteria of that
number here. I guess it's a potential where
it could go beyond that and come to smaller groups.
Both think about this. What do we normally and
regularly? Pray for here?
We pray that. If any government issues, any
kind of law that would hinder us from worshipping that we would
worship regardless of the cost. Now, do we believe what we pray
for? We have to believe that we're
going to do that and we will do that.
Now whether we can't do it here at this building or not.
I can guarantee you that. The people in this congregation
will have the strength and the faith to worship regardless of
the cost. Now.
We also not need to forget who was in control, and that is God.
God is in control all the time. The Lord knew what he was doing
when his plan of communion was implemented.
So where's our faith live? When we are susceptible to the
pressures from the world to be sanitary, which we've been
sanitary here. We have gone beyond what we
normally do too. Disinfect surfaces and all that,
but we don't want to compromise the Lord's supper supper by
having multiple cups or by canceling corporate worship
Services altogether. Jesus instituted it.
He meant it, and we follow it now.
Do we believe God or not? Do we have great faith?
That he will carry us through this?
And I believe that we do. Now, does that mean that we are
careless with our life, of course, not.
Absolutely. Not.
We all do, physically will do all that.
We physically Clan can in this life that we are capable of
doing without compromising. The instruction of the word of
God. And at the same time, we pray,
like, God to God, like he's the only one who can fix it.
That's great. Faith.
We work hard as much as we can on our side and we have great
faith in God, that he's going to take care of it on his own.
As Christians, we must act in faith along with caution and
wisdom. We must remember who our true
protector and sustainer of life is.
We should continue living functioning and ministering as
we would on any given day. While being cautious of wise, we
can only trust in the Lord even as this virus reminds us that
humanity is fragile. And in Psalms, The hundred third
chapter verses 15 through 16. It says as for man, his days are
like grass. He flourishes like a flower of
the field before the wind passes over it and it is gone and it's
Place knows it no more. So as Believers, the fragility
of life, does not drive us to despair, rather.
It should drive us nearer to Christ nearer to the one that
entered into a virus infected World nearer to the one that
lived and ministered to the sick, nearer to the one that has
given us an antidote for the gray would greatest virus and
that is the virus of sin. We need to hear Jesus's words
where he said, I am the resurrection of Life.
Whoever believes in me, though. He die, yet shall he?
Live and everyone who lives and Believes In Me, shall never die.
Do you believe this? Let's not miss an opportunity
for us to show the world what faith looks like in this time of
panic. It is our responsibility.
It is a great opportunity for us.
And again, what is our faith? If we do, not trust in God, in
his design in Proverbs 3 and verse 5, through 6.
It says, trust in the Lord, with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He
Shall Direct. Pass.
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