Augusta
Originally scheduled for October 4
Ask any golfer if he has ever heard of Augusta,
Georgia. You will soon find out that one of the premier golf clubs
in the United States is the Augusta National Golf Club. Established
in 1933, it is by golf standards not a particularly expensive club
to get in — but it is extremely exclusive. It is a club which is
highly driven by tradition, with an eye towards pageantry. There is
no application form for entrance into the club. You must be invited
by the club to join. Currently, there are around 300 members. As a
practical matter of fact to gain entrance in the club somebody has
to know you. More than that, you must be regarded as a success in
this world. How exclusive is this club? The last president of the
United States to be a member was Dwight Eisenhower. Barack Obama, a
well-known golfer and president of the United States, seems to have
been overlooked for membership.
In the same city of Augusta, Georgia you will find an
institution named University Hospital. Interestingly enough, despite
the name, it is not affiliated with any university. The name is a
leftover from previous times. The hospital itself was established in
1818 and has gone through many changes since. It is probably the
best hospital in that part of the world, repeatedly winning awards
in a variety of specialties. Unlike the golf club, admission to the
hospital seems to be a very non-exclusive event. All they seem to
want to know is what’s wrong with your body? The fact that you are
socially well-known or a rich, worldly success really doesn’t seem
to have anything to do with it.
The church, in many ways, resembles both of these
institutions. Like the golf club, the church is a highly traditional
organization. For example, we have been celebrating communion in the
same way (bread and cup) for almost 2 millennia. It’s not
particularly expensive by charitable organization standards; indeed,
depending upon your circumstances you may find it quite inexpensive
indeed. And like the golf club, membership is by invitation only.
Unlike the golf club, the invitation is open to anyone who is a
sinner.
The church is also like the hospital. You have to be sick
to get into the hospital; you have to be a sinner to get into the
church. Who you are and who you know are essentially irrelevant. The
one person you really do need to know is Jesus Christ. He’s the
founder of the church and he designed it to do good for you.
The church precedes both the hospital and the golf club. It
was established about A.D. 33 at a tremendous cost — the price tag
was the body and blood of our Lord and Savior. This is what he asks
you to remember at communion. Your particular congregation may be on
the right side of the tracks or down in a ghetto; it does not
matter. The value of the church is not a matter of social
exclusiveness nor even the help that it tries to provide its
members. The value of the church is in salvation by the grace of God
through the blood of Christ. As you partake this morning, remember
that you are in the church; the very body of Christ in the world.
Take communion, in remembrance of the price Christ paid for you.
