What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
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Thursday, April 14, 2022

"Remembering God's Gift" Revisited for Maundy Thursday

Note: I originally posted this when we were still under "lockdown" and unable to worship together in person.  Thankfully we are no longer under such restrictions, but not every church has a "Maundy Thursday" service.  Even so, we can still join together wherever we are, in a spiritual bond with our brothers and sisters around the world and observe this remembrance of our Lord's "Last Supper".  Here is what I shared in previous years on this date. I hope it will be a blessing to you:

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day we observe and celebrate "The Last Supper" during Holy Week. I have revised this post from a previous post regarding The Lord's Supper observance from our church, so that we can remember the Gift of Christ's sacrifice for us as He willingly gave up His life so that we might have eternal life with Him.  Whether or not your church observes this particular day or not, many will be joining together across the land to partake even if we are not able to assemble together physically. I believe God is using this time to draw many to Himself as we are focused on finding ways to participate in Holy Week/Easter services from our homes. May God be glorified and praised through these difficult days.



This is from a previous church service.  Please follow along and be blessed:


Our Scripture lesson is from Luke 22:7-20, but the following verses 14-20 were highlighted:

Luke 22:14-20
14.  "When the hour had come, 
He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.
15.  Then He said to them,
"With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you 
before I suffer;
16.  For I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

17.  Then He took the cup, 
and gave thanks,
and said,
"Take this and divide it among yourselves;
18.  for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine 
until the kingdom of God comes."

19.  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 
"This is My body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of Me."

20.  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood, 
which is shed for you." 


Our choir sang this beautiful song prior to the message today. It was so beautifully written and sung.
 
Refrain:
"Every time we eat this bread,
Every time we drink this cup,
We proclaim the death of the Lord
Until He comes.

Take and eat this bread,
This is My body.
Take and drink this cup,
This is My blood.

(Refrain)

"I am the bread come down from heaven.
Eat this bread and live eternally."

(Refrain)

"I am the vine,
and you, the branches.
You who live in me
will bear much fruit."

(Refrain)

"My command is love for one another.
This I pray so your joy will be complete."
(Refrain)


In the above passage in Luke 22, Jesus said He desired to eat this Passover with His disciples.  Passover was and is a very special time of remembrance of the great redemption of the children of Israel from the Egyptians.  You can read more about this in the Old Testament book of Exodus, chapter 12. Particularly verses 12-13, God is explaining to Moses what He is going to do to redeem His people...and providing the very first Passover through the blood of the unblemished lamb.

"12.  For I will pass through the land of Egypt on the that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: 
I AM the Lord.  
13.  Now the blood shall be a sign for you 
on the houses where you are. 
And when I see the blood, 
I will pass over you; 
and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

Fast forward to the New Testament and to Luke 22, where Jesus is explaining  to His disciples in essence that He is about to become their "Passover Lamb"...and so when we celebrate Holy Communion, we are to remember Christ's great sacrifice for our redemption.   This is much more than just a history lesson. It is a celebration on the hearts and lives of believers until Christ returns...It is only through the cross of Christ  and the shedding of His blood that we have redemption from our sins.

In Luke 22:16-20 Jesus is foretelling for all of us the glorious promise of when we will one day sit at the banquet table with Jesus at the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (see Revelation 19:7-10)

In partaking in Communion we are remembering the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins.  For a prophetic description of the sorrow and anguish and pain that He suffered for us, please read Isaiah 53.  This is a vivid description of the vicarious sacrifice of Christ. Jesus took on Himself all of our sins...and because of this our sins are forgiven when we choose to believe in Him.

Hebrews 9:22 tells us:
"According to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission."


In John's Gospel, chapter 6, Jesus tells His disciples in verse 56:

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, 
and I in Him."

And so we come back to the communion service, where we follow Christ's example given to the disciples at that Last Supper before His death.   


I Corinthians 10:16-17 
"The cup of blessing which we bless, 
Is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  
The bread which we break, 
is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 
For we, though many, are one bread and one body; 
for we all partake of that one bread."

Please read I Corinthians 11:23-34 for the order of Communion, and where we see again how the Lord gave thanks, and then said to His disciples, 

"Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you;
do this in remembrance of Me."
In the same manner He took the cup after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

  • We need to rejoice together in Communion. I want to live my life in such a way that I can one day stand before Him.
Remember the great gifts He has given us:
  • Promise of eternity
  • Promise of sins forgiven
  • Partaking in the remembrance of Christ Jesus through this ordinance of the Lord's Supper.

(we sang the following song during the Communion service:)
In Remembrance 
(Ragan Courtney and Buryl Red)
"In remembrance of Me eat this bread
In remembrance of Me drink this wine
In remembrance of Me pray for the time
When God's own will is done 
In remembrance of me heal the sick
In remembrance of me feed the poor
In remembrance of me open the door
And let your brother in, let him in

Take eat and be comforted
Drink and remember too
That this is my body and precious blood
Shed for you, shed for you

In remembrance of me search for truth

In remembrance of me always love
In remembrance of me don't look above
But in your heart, in your heart
Look in your heart for God

Do this in remembrance of Me
Do this in remembrance of Me
In remembrance of Me"


Have YOU decided to follow Christ? Take time to remember His great sacrifice for your sins as you celebrate communion with Him and His body, the church.

After partaking of communion  today we closed the service with the following song, (one of my favorite hymns):  "And Can It Be?"  I hope you will sing along with me here:

VERSE 1
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
VERSE 2
He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace
Emptied Himself of all but love
And bled for Adam’s helpless race
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free
For O my God, it found out me!
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shoudlst die for me?
VERSE 3
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light
My chains fell off, my heart was free
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou, my God shouldst die for me?
VERSE 4
No condemnation now I dread
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine
Alive in Him, my living Head
And clothed in righteousness divine
Bold I approach the eternal throne
And claim the crown, through Christ my own
Amazing love! How can it be
That Thou my God, shouldst die for me?
2/3/2019: Personal notes from me (Pam) here:  I don't know if your church observes Holy Communion once a month, once a quarter, or every Sunday, but I know for me when we started coming to this particular church at first I was a little uncertain about the necessity for taking communion every Sunday.  But then I remembered that the early church "continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42), and that the believers were encouraged to "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (I Corinthians 11:26)  I find the time of communion at the close of our service to be a personal time of worship, prayer, and introspection as I examine my own heart and seek God's will and direction for my life.  It is a cleansing time, where I can once again remember how Christ sacrificed His very blood for me so that I would be washed clean from all my sins, and therefore  I want to surrender my life to Him for service  in whatever way He leads.  Sometimes we get complacent and lazy in our faith walk, and we tend to forget why we are here and what we are supposed to be doing in God's kingdom.  The communion service is a stark reminder to me that my life is not my own. I belong to Christ, and therefore I want to serve Him fresh and new  every day. I am very thankful for this time of remembrance each week. It has been life-renewing to me.  I hope this has been meaningful for you as well.  


20 comments:

  1. Our church also takes Communion every Sunday and it is always a special time for me. Thank you for this post!

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    1. Thank you, Jan. Yes, I truly believe it is a very personal time of worship between me and the Lord. I don't ever want it to become just another "ritual" that we do.

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  2. Jesus, the Passover lamb...amen.

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    1. We are so loved and cherished by Jesus, Our Passover Lamb. What a privilege and joy.

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  3. Thank you so much. I love it. I print it out to read it again and again.

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    1. I am so glad you appreciated this today. I believe we as believers need to gather around this table more often and glorify our Lord, as we see His day approaching.

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  4. What a precious post about the Lord's Supper. When we do this at our church it is a very passionate time for me. I cannot partake of it without shedding a few tears. I don't think a lot of people and not even Christians realize in the depths of their hearts the message here with the taking communion. When I think about what He has done for me and still doing.....Well, I could go on and on but thank you for sharing. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. One day we will all be seated at The Marriage Supper of the Lamb, and we will see Him face to face...what a glorious day that will be. Until then, we remember His passion for us as we eat this bread and drink this cup...until He comes...

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  5. I know I've mentioned this before, but something I so miss at the church I currently attend is that we only have communion once a month instead of every Sunday. Yes, a time for prayer, reflection, and re-commitment to the Lord.
    Blessings, Pamela!

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    1. Perhaps it is something that you can gather with loved ones and friends and share the Lord's Supper more often if all are in agreement. As we draw nearer to the Day of the Lord's return, we will be needing to "remember" Him more and more often.

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  6. Pam, thank you for sharing about Communion--it's so important and meaningful, yet one that we can take lightly (if we're not careful). In my church (United Methodist), we generally observe Communion on the first Sunday of the month (if the pastor is there). We didn't have Communion yesterday due to our pastor being away due to TWO deaths in his family the previous week.

    It's frustrating to me to see how carelessly people approach Communion. In the past, I've had adults (old enough to know better) have a full fledged conversation in the pew behind me after we've returned to our seats (there are still people going forward to receive the bread and juice.

    Personally, I know that I need to approach Communion with more care--truly seeing the significance in what I'm doing.

    Love and blessings!

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  7. Yes, always remember what He sacrificed for me!

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  8. Beautiful music selections, Pam, helping my spirit to settle and focus on this special day. Thank you.

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  9. I so loved revisiting this post, Pamela. Communion is a time for reflection and thanksgiving for all Jesus willingly did for us and our salvation. May our return to this scene during Holy Week cause us to recommit and submit to Jesus, our Lord and Savior.
    Blessings!

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  10. Hi Pamela, just stopping by to wish you and your family a very blessed Easter weekend. Easter is one of my favourite holidays besides Christmas when we can reflect on what the Lord has done for us.

    Things have been rather busy for me and I don't seem to have the same ability to do it all as I once did so I haven't had a chance to keep up with many posts. Just know you are on my mind along with many other blogging friends. God bless you and your family.

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    1. I hope you have a blessed and wonderful Easter as well. We are so loved...such amazing love that Jesus would suffer and die for us. Please don't fret over not getting around to posts, etc. I understand that perfectly. I run in fits and spurts these days it seems. I can't keep up with so many things and people that I would love to spend more time with, whether here or in person. I think this past year of "isolation" has changed me and made me more introverted, which I don't like. (Or it could just be that I'm getting older). Anyway, we all do the best we can. I pray you will take care of yourself and have a blessed and wonderful Easter and spring season.

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  11. I find this week - and Maundy Thursday in particular - so moving. It's been many years since mother and I'd attend church services, but I remember getting an overwhelming sense of dread when they turned out the lights at the conclusion of service and everyone quietly walked out.

    Love your thoughts on communion. The church in which I was raised only observed it the first Sunday of every month. And what a surprise, when I began attending the Methodist church and discovered the cup didn't contain wine! That, and even little children were welcomed to the altar. Different, yes -- but I like it!

    BTW, Closed Doors, Open Windows isn't showing up in my reader. (I came looking for you from Lily's place.) Silly blogger ... sorry to be late!

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    1. You aren't late...it didn't get posted until last night, and it may be because it is a repost of an old post that it doesn't show up. I don't know. I did another one today for Good Friday...did that show up? (Not Lily's, but Closed Doors...) I also love that the little children are welcome at the altar for communion, and they really take it seriously. They are so happy to be welcomed...and that is the way Jesus would want it I am sure. As far as the grape juice/wine issue, we've always had grape juice, except when we visited a Lutheran church for a while and we were surprised to find wine in the cup! LOL. Jesus probably got a good chuckle watching our expressions. Especially our son, who was in college, but had never had wine, and his eyes got so big and he was so shocked he wasn't sure whether or not to swallow or spit. Meaning no irreverence here, but when you are raised one way or the other, and then it gets "switched" unexpectedly, it can be a surprise to say the least.

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    2. I was raised in the Lutheran Church, too. Oh, I can just imagine seeing your son's eyes when he realized that wasn't grape juice. Swallow or spit? LOLOLOL. Ya, I like to think our Lord has a sense of humor.

      Sorry, your Good Friday post still isn't showing in my reading list. But now I know where to find you!

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  12. Beautiful music and such a nice post on communion . My husband and I spend much time in study witht he aScriptures. He is so much more knowledgable but I have learned some valuable ways to get deeper into the Word and often time gets away from me. My husband is doing that as I write this. Thank you for your beautiful posts and always being such a wonderful friend. God Bless you and yours .

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