Bartlesville First United October 4, 2026 "Real. Presence

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When the Table Makes Room for the Stranger

A church’s open door becomes Christ’s open arms. The story of a double-church Sunday reveals how a community’s radical hospitality—scooting over, inviting newcomers to Sunday school, and expecting them before they arrived—transformed wanderers into family. Communion isn’t about perfect rituals but about people who say, “We’ve been waiting for you.” Jesus’ presence shines brightest when the table stretches to include those still finding their way.
[54:11]

“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?” (1 Corinthians 11:20–22, ESV)

Reflection: When have you felt “expected” by a community, not just tolerated? How might your presence at the table actively make space for someone feeling unseen?

Day 2: Broken Bread and the Body That Holds It

The messy, shared hunger of the Corinthian church mirrors our own fractured gatherings. Paul rebukes not their theology but their failure to see Christ in each other’s needs. Communion becomes a mirror: do we come for personal comfort or to become nourishment for the hungry? The bread breaks so we might break open our circles, our resources, and our pride.
[59:14]

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant.” (Philippians 2:5–7, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you prioritized ritual over relationship in your faith? What “emptying” might Christ ask of you to feed another’s hunger?

Day 3: The Five Looks That Heal a Fractured Church

Communion demands more than a glance—it requires seeing. Look inward to confess, upward to Christ, backward to the cross, outward to the room, and forward to the feast where all divisions dissolve. These “looks” turn a meal into a mission: to spot the one still standing at the door, the one ignored, the one needing a smile that says, “You belong here.”
[01:05:52]

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23–24, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the “five looks” feels most challenging to you today? What might the Holy Spirit be urging you to notice?

Day 4: Baja Oklahoma and the Unlikely Communion

A jalopy racing between churches holds a truth: Christ’s table transcends tradition. The Methodists didn’t win converts through perfect liturgy but through a Sunday school class that refused to let visitors leave. When our practices become more about defending “how we do things” than making room, we risk missing Jesus in the scramble to be right.
[48:34]

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26, ESV)

Reflection: What traditions in your faith journey have shifted from life-giving to limiting? How might you hold them lightly to prioritize people?

Day 5: Scoot Over—The Future Feast Starts Now

The table isn’t a monument but a rehearsal. Every “scoot over” here echoes the coming feast where all nations gather. Today’s crumbs of connection—a shared smile, a saved seat, a prayer whispered for a stranger—are dress rehearsals for eternity. Communion reminds us: we don’t wait for unity; we practice it now, one scooted chair at a time.
[01:06:54]

“And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.’” (Revelation 19:9, ESV)

Reflection: Who needs you to “scoot over” physically or emotionally this week? What small act could mirror heaven’s welcome today?

Sermon Summary

The Lord’s Supper is more than bread and juice, furniture and liturgy, or getting the techniques exactly right. Communion carries the real presence of Jesus in the whole thing: the people, the moment, the welcome, and a community that makes room at the table. A United Methodist communion story shows how a church became home not simply because of its practices, but because people made a beeline for newcomers and acted as though they had been expected all along.

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11 come in the middle of a hard conversation with a church that had gotten a lot wrong. The Corinthian table had become a place where status showed up: wealthy people arrived early, ate the good food, drank the wine, and left working people with little or nothing. Paul sees poor people going hungry while others have more than enough, and he says that kind of meal is the very opposite of Jesus.

Jesus took the form of a servant, poured himself out, washed feet, and gave his body and blood for others. The bread and cup therefore call Christ’s people to become visible signs of his presence in their life together. Paul’s warning about receiving communion worthily is not a threat that broken sinners should stay away for fear that God will get them. The table is a gift precisely because sinners need what Jesus offers. Worthy receiving means discerning Christ’s body, recognizing that Jesus is present not only in the elements but also in the people gathered around them.

Communion cannot become a private Jesus moment detached from the stranger, the lonely person, the wound in the room, or the divisions that need healing. The Holy Spirit uses the table to ask whether someone needs a smile, a prayer, a word, or a place where another person will scoot over and say, “Come on in.”

John Wesley’s confidence rests in Christ’s promise, not in bread and wine that somehow glow in the dark. Christ meets his people there, making these ordinary gifts means of grace and giving strength to become more together than they could ever be apart. World Communion Sunday stretches the imagination toward Christians in Bethlehem, Palestine, Iran, Ukraine, China, and every difficult place where faithful people gather.

The five looks of Holy Communion invite a searching gaze inward, a gaze upward to Christ the servant, a gaze backward to the cross, a gaze outward toward others, and a gaze forward to God’s future feast. The table finally asks one plain question: does the life together of Christ’s people resemble Jesus? Connection matters more than decorum, because there is room at God’s table for all and for each.

Key Takeaways

1. The table reveals Christ among people. Communion does not isolate a person in a private spiritual experience. Christ promises to meet his people in the gathered body, in the bread and cup, and in the ways people receive one another. A church’s welcome can become a living witness to the real presence of Jesus. [55:08]
2. Jesus opposes status at his table. Paul sees the Corinthian meal as a contradiction when some have abundance and others go hungry. The crucified and servant-shaped Christ does not permit social rank to define belonging among his people. The table calls every advantage into question when it keeps another person from being fed, seen, or welcomed. [59:14]
3. Broken sinners are invited, not excluded. Communion is not a reward for people who have cleaned themselves up enough to approach God. Christ gives this meal because human beings are sinners who need mercy, grace, and strength. Worthy receiving means recognizing Christ’s body and refusing to treat others as invisible. [61:43]
4. Look outward before leaving the table. The Holy Spirit may draw attention to a person who needs a word, a prayer, or simple human notice. Communion forms eyes that see strangers, wounds, divisions, and empty places at the table. Christ’s presence becomes visible when his people make room instead of protecting their own space. [62:39]
5. God’s future feast has room. Communion points beyond the present moment to God’s promised table where all are welcomed. That future does not excuse indifference in the present; it gives shape to the life Christ’s people practice now. The church resembles Jesus when connection matters more than decorum.

## [66:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:16] - A Communion Story
[47:05] - Searching for a Church Home
[49:33] - Two Churches, Two Communion Tables
[52:49] - Making Room at the Table
[55:28] - Paul’s Hard Words to Corinth
[57:13] - The Divided Love Feast
[59:14] - Jesus Opposes Table Inequality
[60:59] - Discerning Christ’s Presence Together
[62:18] - Communion Is Not a Private Moment
[63:14] - Wesley and the Means of Grace
[64:02] - World Communion Sunday
[65:25] - The Five Looks of Communion
[66:54] - Does the Church Resemble Jesus?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
“But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.” [55:28]

Philippians 2:5-8
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” [01:00:00]

John 13:1-17
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, do you wash my feet?' Jesus answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.' Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.' Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.' For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.' When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” [59:48]

Observation questions

What problem does Paul identify in the Corinthian church’s shared meal, and who is being harmed by it? [59:14]
In John 13, what does Jesus do for his disciples, and how does that action show the kind of leader he is?
According to Philippians 2:5–8, what choices did Christ make that reveal his humility and servant-hearted love? [01:00:00]
What are the five directions of “looking” connected with Holy Communion, and what does each one draw attention to? [01:05:32]

Interpretation questions

Paul says that the Corinthians’ divisions mean their gathering is no longer truly the Lord’s Supper. Why does the way believers treat one another matter so much at Christ’s table? [01:00:22]
What might it mean to “discern the body” in 1 Corinthians 11 when the gathered church—not only the bread and cup—is included in Christ’s presence?
Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, and Philippians describes him as taking the form of a servant. How do these passages help explain why status, privilege, and self-protection contradict communion?
Paul’s warning about receiving unworthily is sometimes heard as a reason for struggling sinners to stay away. How does the context of Corinth suggest that the warning is aimed instead at ignoring, excluding, or harming others? [01:01:28]

Application questions

Think about a time when a church, group, or individual made you feel as though you were expected and welcomed. What specific action made the difference, and how could this group offer that same kind of welcome to someone new? [54:10]
Are there ways that busyness, friendships, unspoken social groups, schedules, or preferences can leave certain people unseen in the church? What would “scooting over” and making room look like in a practical way? [01:00:42]
Communion is a gift for sinners who need Christ’s mercy, not a reward for people who have earned their way to the table. Where do you most need to receive that grace rather than trying to prove yourself worthy? [01:01:43]
Before or after worship, who might need a smile, an introduction, a prayer, a meal invitation, or a simple word of encouragement? What is one small step you could take this week to notice that person? [01:02:39]
World Communion Sunday reminds Christians that believers gather in places marked by war, pressure, and hardship. How might remembering Christians in places such as Bethlehem, Palestine, Iran, Ukraine, and China change the way you pray and live as part of Christ’s worldwide church? [01:04:07]
Which of the five looks—inward, upward, backward, outward, or forward—comes most naturally to you at communion? Which one do you tend to neglect, and what could help you practice it more faithfully? [01:06:21]
Does the life we share resemble Jesus the servant? Where might connection need to matter more than comfort, routine, or decorum in our relationships and church life? [01:06:59]

Sermon Clips

33s

#CommunionGrace

“We all need what Jesus offers in this meal. That's why it's offered. Not because you earned your way here, but because it's a gift that Jesus knows we need. What Paul means is to say, we don't just come thinking of this as my own private Jesus moment. We come seeing that we are Christ's presence together in the world. He now lives and works and hurts and loves and reaches out through us.”

44s

#ChristInCommunity

“Paul expresses then in his language that actually the presence of Jesus is really present in that and it's actually present through them. That they need to become the kind of people who think about if Jesus is going to become visible, he's gonna become visible in our life together. In how we treat each other, in how we wait for one another, in how we reach out to the newcomer, and how we are looking out for others to say, hey, we've been expecting you. Come on in, here's room at the table, we'll scoot down, we'll scoot over, we'll make room.”

43s

#HolySpiritReminders

“What would it mean like for be like for me to come every time for communion to allow the Holy Spirit to challenge and direct my thoughts? Is there somebody here in this room today that I need to reach out with? Did I notice somebody today that that could use a smile or a word, a touch, a prayer? Do we have these reminders every time we come for communion that Jesus is present in this whole thing, not just in the words, not just in the bread and the wine, but in us, in all of us, in each of us together and in this whole moment.”

44s

#WelcomeAtTheTable

“It's worth pointing out as well that in the past fifty years or so we've crossed a line where most Christians now live South Of The Equator, not North. The world has changed in two thousand years, but I don't think Paul's advice would be any different. Do you see what's really happening when you come and receive the bread and the cup? When you really see that, you'll be reminded that all are welcome and each of us are welcome. Do we really see this meal that makes us one is the same thing that can make us whole in our life together?”

47s

#FaithCommunity

“that moment we realized the United Methodist Church had claimed us. Not so much because of how it did the techniques of the bread and the juice at communion or the sanctuary built in the round with the table in the center or or any of that. We realized it was a much bigger picture than that. That faith community had been the real presence of Jesus to us in a new way. They went out of their way to make room for us at the table.”

46s

#RealPresence

“And Paul urges and warns them that in one of the most misunderstood verses, set of verses about communion, He urges them and warns them about perceiving Christ's presence. He says, a worthy keeping of this meal means that you perceive the real presence of Jesus in us and in this moment and in this time. That's really important. I've heard this these verses in Corinthians all interpreted as if somehow or another you better be careful if you come for communion because God's gonna get you. Lightning bolt's gonna strike you. You don't come down here with any kind of sin or brokenness in your life.”

32s

#CommunionForAll

“But for the church at Corinth and likely other places as well, it was becoming a place where the lines of status and division were becoming clear. And people would group off and and it would be pretty clear that some of these people were poor. Paul even suggests a verse later from what Wayne read that there might have been some people who were so poor that they depended on this very meal for some of their sustenance. So some of them were ill because they were not getting enough to eat.”

43s

#ServantOfAll

“And Paul looks at this where poor people aren't getting enough and other people are getting more than enough and he says, this is exactly opposite of what Jesus had in mind that night. So let me tell you again what he did. This Jesus who took a towel, you remember, and washed his disciples feet. This Jesus whom I I told the people at Philippi that about this Jesus and I said of him he was God in the flesh, but he emptied himself, he poured himself out, he became obedient even to the point of death on the cross. That Jesus who is the servant of all,”

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