Encounters with Jesus.

(Posted September 29, 2022)

By Rev. Pat Kriss

One of the heartwarming things that we encounter when we gather for the Lord’s Supper like we do this Sunday, is the sense of sharing. This Sunday in particular we’re aware that the Family of God is far and wide, since it’s World Communion Sunday. We are called by Jesus to work toward the unity of all who recognize that Christ is our Lord no matter where they live or their belief system.

Where You Encounter Jesus

That means that our eyes need to be open to the presence of Christ when we encounter him in our average day. I especially agree with the great Christian theologian and writer, Frederick Buechner. He has told us to be on the lookout:

“Jesus is apt to come, into the very midst of life at its most real and inescapable moments. Not in a blaze of unearthly light, not in the midst of a sermon, not in the throes of some kind of religious daydream, but...at supper time, or walking along a road...He never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life and the questions that real life asks.”

Some other things that Jesus expects of us are some of the harder ones to achieve: Forgive, even it means forgiving again and again. Perform acts of goodness, and do not expect that you will receive praise for your work.

The Lord’s Work and Other Thankless Tasks

Some years ago, before I was called to First Church Danbury, the church I pastored housed the Berkshire Food Project. Every weekday we served a hot, sit-down lunch on real dishes and with real silverware to as many as 150 people. The people we fed included not only seniors alone in this world, but disabled veterans, alcoholics, drug addicts, single moms with kids, homeless people, and those with mental illness. Almost everything we accomplished was the result of volunteers, in the kitchen and in the dining room.

But one day a new volunteer arrived who apparently had never met people in need before. After she had served plates of food to a number of guests, she left in a huff into the kitchen. When we went to check on her, she said, “WELL… at LEAST they could do is say ‘thank you’ when I give them some food.”

We asked her to think about what it must be like to be in their spot – with no money and unable to rub two pennies together to buy their own lunch. Did she think they would be happy, or perhaps a little embarrassed to be in that position? Ultimately, we explained that we served people not for the thanks, but because that’s what people following Jesus did for others, without fanfare.

Love Without Expectations

That’s what is at the center of this week’s worship: doing what is right without expecting reward. We feed one another at the communion table as a remembrance of the way we should seek out and find Jesus in the faces of others at “supper time,” or on the road, in the lowly tasks of breaking bread.

One of the heartwarming things that we encounter when we gather for the Lord’s Supper like we do this Sunday, is the sense of sharing. This Sunday in particular we’re aware that the Family of God is far and wide, since it’s World Communion Sunday. We are called by Jesus to work toward the unity of all who recognize that Christ is our Lord no matter where they live or their belief system.

Where You Encounter Jesus

That means that our eyes need to be open to the presence of Christ when we encounter him in our average day. I especially agree with the great Christian theologian and writer, Frederick Buechner. He has told us to be on the lookout:

“Jesus is apt to come, into the very midst of life at its most real and inescapable moments. Not in a blaze of unearthly light, not in the midst of a sermon, not in the throes of some kind of religious daydream, but...at supper time, or walking along a road...He never approached from on high, but always in the midst, in the midst of people, in the midst of real life and the questions that real life asks.”

Some other things that Jesus expects of us are some of the harder ones to achieve: Forgive, even it means forgiving again and again. Perform acts of goodness, and do not expect that you will receive praise for your work.

The Lord’s Work and Other Thankless Tasks

Some years ago, before I was called to First Church Danbury, the church I pastored housed the Berkshire Food Project. Every weekday we served a hot, sit-down lunch on real dishes and with real silverware to as many as 150 people. The people we fed included not only seniors alone in this world, but disabled veterans, alcoholics, drug addicts, single moms with kids, homeless people, and those with mental illness. Almost everything we accomplished was the result of volunteers, in the kitchen and in the dining room.

But one day a new volunteer arrived who apparently had never met people in need before. After she had served plates of food to a number of guests, she left in a huff into the kitchen. When we went to check on her, she said, “WELL… at LEAST they could do is say ‘thank you’ when I give them some food.”

We asked her to think about what it must be like to be in their spot – with no money and unable to rub two pennies together to buy their own lunch. Did she think they would be happy, or perhaps a little embarrassed to be in that position? Ultimately, we explained that we served people not for the thanks, but because that’s what people following Jesus did for others, without fanfare.

Love Without Expectations

That’s what is at the center of this week’s worship: doing what is right without expecting reward. We feed one another at the communion table as a remembrance of the way we should seek out and find Jesus in the faces of others at “supper time,” or on the road, in the lowly tasks of breaking bread.