On Sunday the Lord’s Supper Will Be Served
Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT)
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Matthew 26:26-28 (NLT)
Pastor’s Blog
At the last meal of Jesus’ life he told his friends to do something to remember him and his life mission. He told them to eat bread and drink wine. He said breaking off pieces of bread would cause them to remember his broken body on the cross and he said the wine would cause them to remember his blood shed on the cross.
Early Jewish and Roman authorities persecuted early Christians for having cannibalism parties.
Far from that, the early Christians were recalling that following Jesus required far more than simple obedience to a bunch of commandments, rather they need in themselves the life that He had within himself. In eating the bread and drinking the wine they were taking the power, mission, love and life of Jesus into themselves.
Christians have continued this practice for 2,000 years.
The apostle Paul added one more thing. Don’t do this practice without preparing for it. Make sure you know what you are doing. How? Simply ask yourself, “am I willing to let Him lead, regardless of where he leads?”
It wrong to say that for Jesus it lead to the cross. It is right to say that his willingness lead him through the cross to the resurrection, where “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, mind has not conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Like the Jewish people themselves, Paul understood that the taking of communion or the Lord's supper was a act of rememberence that when they came to Christ they had entered into a covenant. Covenant is not like a contract, in a contract the benifits of both parties are spelled out as well as the obligations with no repect to relationship. In a covenant it is through the relationship that the responsiblities to each other are given. There is no such thing as a covenant without relationship. The identity of each party is pulled into one new idenity. You are no longer your own and you can not operate indepentant of the concerns of the other. If we are truly in covenant with Christ we can not say we have no concerns for the things that concern Christ. Christ came to save a lost and dying world of which we are a part. I believe it is true that if I were the only unrighteous person on this earth He would have died just for me. The truth is I was not the only one, there are a few more and His death paid the price for all of us. Then it must be true that because I am in covenant with the Savior I must be concerned with the things that concern Him, like a lost and dying world. What gift could I bring my God and Savior that would please His heart, the gift of an honest and broken spirit that says Lord I am not concerned as I should be about the things that concern you, I confess I need to change my priorities but find myself powerless to do so, but I am willing that you make me willing. Teach me that stepping into the "flow" may mean stepping out of other things so that your heart and mine are made one. Lord remind me that this life is now about you and not the old me. If this life is really all about Him and He and I are one then our concerns would be alinged. Sadly mine are not and too may things are obstructing the flow of His grace into my life, the cares of this world which we are all warned about. When I lose sight of His concerns it is usually because I have lost sight of His heart and the basis for our relationship. Jesus, Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Thy presence, and do not take Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Thy ways and sinners will be converted to Thee."
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