Mime
Originally scheduled for November 8
2 John 1:7 NASB For many
deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge
Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the
antichrist.
In 1976 the
comedian Mel Brooks made an unusual film. It was titled
Mel Brooks Silent Movie, and it was just that — silent. Silent,
except for one word spoken by one actor. So here’s your movie trivia
question of the week: what was the word, and who spoke it? The
answer is fairly simple: the word was “non” (which is the French
word for “no”) and it was spoken by the famous French mime, Marcel
Marceau. (A mime, for those of you who don’t know, is always
supposed to be silent.)
The art of
the mime is simply this: he tells the story, whatever it is, in
gestures, bodily movement — but never in words. You might ask of
what use is such a performer. The method has its uses:
·
It is excellent in telling the story to those of a different
culture.
·
It works pretty well with the illiterate, as well.
·
It is a technique which can be brilliant and simple at the same
time — which is a most intriguing way to tell a story.
In a way,
Communion bears a great deal of resemblance to mime. It needs no
words; it is simple and brilliant at the same time. For most of the
history of the church — at least before the Reformation — the
majority of Christians were quite illiterate. Unless you were part
of the upper-class, you were probably never educated in reading and
writing. Not that this would do you any good if you were, because
you would also need a great deal of money to purchase a copy of the
Bible — they were all hand written. And, since Christianity spread
across many cultures, we needed things that would tell the story
without words.
Communion
tells the most important story ever told. It teaches us a lesson of
the Incarnation. It is a central point of Christian theology that
Christ came in the flesh — in other words, he is totally and
completely human. But it is also equally true that he is totally and
completely divine — God in the flesh. The purpose of the Incarnation
was to provide the ultimate atonement sacrifice. After all, God
could drop off instructions in the form of any number of prophets —
and did. It is no accident that virtually all the classic heresies
of the Christian faith start with someone having “a new and special
addition” to the Bible. That special knowledge somehow or other
informed you that Christ was either not God or he was not human — or
both. The church has had to fight this since its earliest days.
So when you
take Communion this morning, remember that when you take the bread
you are proclaiming his body — silently, like a mime. You are
telling the world that Christ came in the flesh, that he is totally
human. Being totally human, he can sympathize with your problems and
your pains. But you also take the cup, which proclaims his sacrifice
on the Cross where he bled and died. To be an acceptable sacrifice
he had to be sinless, and to be sinless he had to be God. So you
proclaim his divine nature, fully and completely, when you take the
cup.
Therefore, do
this in a serious and sacred manner. Don’t take it lightheartedly,
but examine yourself before you do take. Then, in remembrance,
partake of his body and his blood. Be the silent witness to the
Incarnation.
