Maunday Thursday

The Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Expectation

Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurs to God? Our Lord has everything under control, no matter what our circumstances, He is Sovereign. It is no coincidence that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (i.e. House of Bread) and that He “is the bread of life” and that as He institutes the Lord’s Supper after He breaks the bread He says: "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Bread represents sustenance even as Jesus taught us to pray “give us this day our daily bread” but it Jesus who sustains us in all things.

It is also no coincidence that “according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Jesus knew what lay before Him as he met with the disciples in the upper room and so as He blesses the cup He says: "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." By His blood we are forgiven and we have new life in Him.

So as we approach the Lord’s Table we are to both remember what Jesus has done for us and to abide in the fact that He is greater than any circumstance, be it health issues or loss of income or the odd pandemic. As we celebrate Maundy Thursday let’s reflect on the meaning. "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus' words "I give you a new commandment." That commandment is to Love one another and as we do that we reflect the very love of God. Maundy is also the name of the Christian rite of foot washing which reflects God’s command that we serve one another in humility. Love and Service, these are at the epicenter of a Christian’s walk with God.

So as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday, we do it expectantly, knowing that God’s promises are already accomplished and we can rest assured that: “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.” Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Maranatha

• Ken Hunt

Holy Wednesday

We pause and catch our breathe in the story of Jesus and in our week. The toll of the events before: the emotion of the death and raising of Lazarus and cleansing the Temple, the energy required to confront the leading religious leaders of his day and preach to the masses. The anticipation of what was yet to be: looking forward to his own death, and greater still, his “becoming sin for us.” These things weighed heavily on Jesus and he needed rest.

So…Jesus stopped. All around him activity was taking place. Jerusalem was a-bustle with preparations for the Passover. People from all over the Roman Empire were converging on the city for this significant festival. There was buying and selling. There was the ordinary pressure of daily life and the extraordinary pressure of a holiday (which never goes quite smoothly and always carries additional expectations). And there was Judas and the Sanhedrin plotting and scheming. The world was busy, but Jesus rested.

We believe that Jesus is our Savior; dying and rising again to offer us forgiveness and eternal, righteous life. We also believe that Jesus is our Example; showing us how to live in an intimate trusting relationship with God the Father. Let’s focus on this latter for a moment. Our right now, as we approach Resurrection Sunday, 2020, is shaped in a context of COVID-19, economic pressures, constantly rubbing shoulders with our loved ones (or being separated from our loved ones), disrupted routines, not to mention all the other challenges we would be facing without the Coronavirus. Let’s follow the example of our Master and heed the words of the Psalmist with renewed urgency, “Be still and know that I am God!”

What does it look like for you, today, to not merely be still, but to be still with the purpose of knowing that God is indeed God? To rest, not in the physical sense of sleeping (though you may need that too!), but in the spiritual sense of offering your deepest trust to God in this time of uncertainty? We can rest because God says, “I will be exalted in the earth!”

Grace and Peace, Pastor Jeff