Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, has always been a holy and solemn event to me, thanks largely to my grandfather.

I would not say that Pastor Bill Henager (my mother’s father) and I had a good many bonding moments. Ours was not the kind of grandfather/grandson relationship that led to many fishing expeditions or trips to the ballpark. He was a pastor, sure, but he was a working man. If he was awake, he was probably working. And, let me tell you, he woke up mighty early. Consequently, if you got too close to him, he would likely put you to work, as well. So, as a kid I steered as clear of him as was humanly possible most of the time.

Big Granddad, as we Strother kids called him, had been a farmer before he became a minister. He grew things. He raised cattle. He knew how to grow it, breed it, pick it, pull it, skin it, clean it, and cook it up. He never quit on such things. He carried them right into the ministry with him.

One thing my grandfather did that made an early and lasting impression on me was he baked his own unleavened bread. While other churches served little squares (or wafers, if you were Catholic or Episcopal) that were mass-produced in some factory somewhere, the members of our little congregation were served broken, uneven, homemade bits of unleavened bread, lovingly prepared by our pastor.

There was something ominous to me about that. Holding that broken piece of cracker with its jagged edges and irregularities, while listening to my grandfather read a portion of the passion of my Christ and then read the story of the Last Supper, where Christ reiterated to his bewildered followers the awful suffering that awaited Him only hours thence, always brought tears to my eyes.

I felt as if I were taking Communion under the very shadow of that Cross.

I confess that I made a conscious effort not to take many of my grandfather’s ideas into my own ministry when I became a pastor. I did not see eye to eye with him on more than a few things. That didn’t mean I didn’t love and respect him. I did. I do. I always will.

One thing, however, I did want to continue was the way he put a holy emphasis on the Lord’s Supper. I wanted my people to feel what I had felt as a boy. So, when I took a church in east Texas, only an hour from where he was pastoring the last church he would serve before being called to his reward, I planned a Communion for our congregation and then a personal trip to Mount Pleasant. Easter was just a couple weeks away.

In my grandmother’s kitchen, where her famous rolls were made and where her even more famous monkey stories were often told, my grandfather and I bonded. The sweetest moment I ever had with him was the day he taught me to bake unleavened bread.

I will never forget that Communion the following week. Easter was only days away. I stood behind the communion table. The deacons had served the people the bread and the cup. I read a portion of the story of the Last Supper, and then I picked up a rather large, uneven piece of bread from the silver tray on which it lay and snapped it in two. In the holy hush that had settled over us, that breaking of the bread could be heard all over the sanctuary.

I remember the way this one kid sitting near the front winced when the bread snapped in my hands. I remember hoping that holy moment would stay with him the way those moments from so many years before had stuck with me.

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. ~1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Broken. His body. Broken. For me. For you.

(Part Four of a four-part series.)

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment…
If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; for
conciliation pacifies great offenses.
Ecclesiastes 10:1a,4

Contempt for authority! Just another fly in the ointment. Stand by the water cooler this week  and I am sure you will hear plenty of grumbling and complaining about the person in charge. He is too harsh, too narrow-minded, too unrealistic in his expectations, too out of touch with reality…ad nauseum. Grumbling about authority – whether it is our national leaders, coaches, teachers, or bosses – is a favorite American pastime.

But there is the person who allows himself (herself) to become so bent by his (her) boss that he (she) just ups and quits. They throw up their hands and walk away.

Solomon urges you to take a deep breath. Maybe count to ten, if you must. Get alone and pray for the strength and grace to deal with your unreasonable superior. But don’t make a hasty decision in a heated moment. Don’t do in a fit of rage what you may regret when the smoke clears.

Again, I like the way the New Century Version puts it: “Don’t leave your job just because your boss is angry with you. Remaining calm solves great problems.”

That is sound advice. Sure, it may mean swallowing a little pride. But it may salvage a relationship, or save your job, and thereby secure your future.

There may arise a situation from which you must separate yourself. But make your decision prayerfully and deliberately, not hastily or in anger.

God bless your week…and beware of the water cooler gang!

A Prayer for Today: “Father, it is not easy to remain calm in a situation that makes me so tense and angry. But I pray for the strength to do and be right regardless of what those around me – or even those above me – are doing. May the way I handle adversity bring honor to You and peace and security to me. Amen.”

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment…
Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone
that he is a fool.
Ecclesiastes 10:1a,3

Getting his strut on

Here’s another fly Solomon found in the ointment: the hypocrisy of a fool. The foolish person wants to seem self-sufficient, like he’s got it all figured out. He won’t ask for directions. He doesn’t need any one’s advice. He won’t seek input, even in the big decisions of life. In his mind, he convinces himself that he looks pretty smooth. He doesn’t know how transparent he is. He doesn’t know how foolish he appears.

I like the way the New Living Translation records verse 3: “You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!”

You can almost see the fool strutting in those words, can’t you? Putting on airs. Pretending to be what he isn’t. And maybe the only one he really fools is himself. How wretched the aroma of the hypocritical life! Just read how Jesus addressed such people in the gospels. He pulled no punches, calling the Pharisees “whited sepulchers,” pretty on the outside, but full of dead men’s bones.

God demands and deserves honesty. Let’s avoid the hypocrisy of fools.

A Prayer for Today: “Father,I am not everything I ought to be. I am probably not everything many people believe me to be. But I pray that the one thing I might be is honest. I commit to living honestly and openly before You. Amen.”

NOTE: This is part three of a four-part series:

Part One: Flies in the Ointment

Part Two: Shoo Fly, Shoo!

Dead flies can make even perfume stink.
In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.
The heart of the wise leads to right,
but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.
Ecclesiastes 10:1,2

In a recent post, I talked about how a little bit of foolishness can unravel a lifetime of wisdom. This current post is part two in a four-part series on that subject.

Like dead flies in perfume, a little folly may alter and putrefy an otherwise honorable testimony. This is Solomon’s thesis, But he does not stop there. He goes on to identify a number of “flies” that if allowed to remain in our lives may bring ruin. I think it prudent to camp here a few days and examine them one by one, as they will provide instruction, warning and enlightenment.

In verse two, Solomon contrasts the heart of the wise and the heart of a fool. The heart, we know, is the seat of our emotions, passions, and desires. It is also representative of the will of a person.

The NKJV records the verse this way: “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart is at his left.”

Now, that is not a shot at left-handed people—at least, I hope it isn’t, since I am one. The right hand was always used to speak of power and control. In the New Testament, we read that the glorified Christ is seated at the “right hand of the Father.” That is a place of honor, prestige, and power.

The wise person controls his passions, rather than being controlled by them, but the fool is often led by every fleshly whim. Uncontrolled passions are flies that will spoil the fragrance of any life. If left unchecked, sin will become habit, and habit will become obsession. The foolish person will ultimately find himself the slave of his fleshly cravings.

Paul urges us in the New Testament, “Do not be drunk with wine…but be filled by the Holy Spirit” [Eph.5:18]—the implication being that each of us will be controlled and driven by something or someone. Our decisions and direction will be influenced by the force(s) at work in our lives. To walk in the Spirit, we must be constantly yielding ourselves to Him. Otherwise, we may become drunk with whatever wine our flesh is most susceptible to craving.

A Prayer for Today: “Father, I yield myself to You. I pray that You will
fill me with Your power and presence. Give me victory over the sinful
tendencies of my flesh today. Help me, Lord, to keep my passions under
control. Amen.”

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. ~Ecclesiastes 10:1 [NKJV]

Imagine presenting your lover with the gift of the latest, most exquisite perfume on the market. Imagine the look of anticipation as she tears the wrapping paper away to reveal the ornate bottle of precious ointment. Imagine as she squirts a bit of the precious liquid onto her neck, expecting the sweet, scintillating aroma to waft on the air.

Imagine, instead, the horrid stench of death, the foul odor of decay. Imagine her trying not to puke. Imagine the sudden change of expression. Imagine you grabbing the bottle and holding it to the light…only to discover the ointment is filled with a hundred dead, decaying, dirty little flies.

I can’t help but wonder if the royal apothecary had not suffered just such an indignity. Perhaps he had toiled away for months— maybe years— perfecting a new scent, one fit for the wealthiest and most glorious king on the earth. He may have waited weeks to gain an audience with the king and present his new fragrance. But when the box was opened, rather than the sweet scent of his triumph filling the air, there was a foul, putrid odor.

Somehow, after taking such care to perfect his perfume, the silly apothecary left it unattended – with the lid off! It must have been some time before he placed the lid on the box. And he must have done so without checking to be sure all was well with the ointment. Such a careless act for such an otherwise careful man! And now his great achievement was ruined. What ought to have been the sweetest scent in the kingdom instead had become a putrid substance, destined to be tossed out with the rest of the garbage.

Solomon drew the comparison to the damage a little foolishness can do to the life and reputation of a person otherwise respected and honored. He didn’t have to look far to illustrate his point, either. All he had to do was remember the circumstances of his own birth.

Solomon’s father David was Israel’s greatest king. He was a man who loved and served Jehovah with all his might. He was a famous warrior, poet, musician, and leader. But one great act of foolishness brought destruction to his home and dishonor to his life. His tryst with Bathsheba caused such sorrow and suffering for himself, his family, and even the nation he loved and led.

It is remarkable – and sobering – how one moment of foolishness can taint a lifetime of honorable living. But it can. I speak from experience. I know how a little folly can foul the fragrance of a life. I know how the greatest accomplishment of one’s life can so easily become his bitterest failing.

So, I urge you: Be on guard against the foolish whims of the flesh. Guard with care the sweet-smelling ointment of your lives, the perfume you are perfecting to present to your great King.

A Prayer for Today: “Father, I know that I have been foolish many times already. I am so grateful that You are a loving, forgiving and gracious God. I pray that I will be cognizant of how important and weighty my actions and words really are. May the things I do and say, the places I go, the way I conduct myself today bring honor and glory to You. Amen.”