1 Corinthians 11:20-22

When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is 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. RSV

What Paul is talking about here was the fact that, when the Corinthians gathered together for their communal meal (which included what we would also call communion), rather than giving preference to each other, each was more concerned about what he or she would get to eat, to drink . . . to the point of excess. To the point that some within the church would go hungry because all the food was gone.

I remember one church we attended. When we had potlucks, over half the church would bring tiny portions to share while piling their own plates with food. When those in the line finally got to the food tables, there was very little left to eat. It seemed that most of the people were more concerned about their own stomachs than sharing with their neighbors.

Sadly enough, we have become a society that is more concerned with ourselves than with those around us. We are petrified of being exploited, of being taken advantage of, of not getting our own rights. Paul is so disgusted with that kind of behavior that he’s saying—at the least—people should simply be willing not to gorge themselves until they get home. Shame on us that we are that greedy that we would think we need to have it all anyway.

We would like to think that we aren’t this way, but the fact is, American Christians are among the most self-centered and self-obsessed. We have millions of reasons (excuses) for not acting with sacrificial love, but scripture is clear. We are to be willing to pour ourselves out for others and depend upon God to supply our needs.

Are we?

We love to talk about how we are so sacrificial as Christians. But I think about the widow’s mite. She gave all she had. Not out of compulsion. Not out of believing that somehow it might do someone some good. But simply because she loved the Lord. She gave all she had, possibly the little she had to buy her next meal. She gave it without any hope or promise of more to come. She simply gave . . . willingly, easily, freely.

My prayer would be that I could return to that kind of faith, that kind of love for the Lord.