"The Last Supper" ~ Revisited 4/6/2023

 I have shared this post a couple of times before, but since today is "Maundy Thursday", I find I cannot improve upon this particular post, so am sharing it again, this time without all of the previous comments.  Our country is in so much turmoil right now, due to horrific storms and also storms of both political and world events.  We need this time to come together around the table of our Lord and find solace and peace for our hearts and minds once again. I pray this observance of the Lord's Last Supper will be a comfort to you today.

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.  

Postscript 4/6/2023:  Since I originally wrote this post and comments above in 2019, I wanted to add that now I am blessed and humbled and honored to be able to actually participate in serving Communion alongside my husband in our weekly service at our church. We take the bread and the cup to members of our choir, our Pastor and his wife, and any of those who are unable to get up and walk forward to be served communion in the service. It is a sweet and humbling experience to serve those who are seat-bound, and to extend this blessing of Christ's sacrifice of His body and blood for our sins to each one by name.  It makes these hymns above and the words of Christ's blessing to us so much more meaningful to me personally. All because of God's Amazing Grace.  

Praying that this Holy Week is especially meaningful for you.  Amen.

It's a Beautiful Day for a Beautiful Day

It's a beautiful day for a beautiful day!! 

From the Psalms of David, 

"A Psalm of Unmixed Praise" (per my NKJV Bible)

Psalm 103:1-5

1.  "Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2.  Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits;

3.  Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4.  Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5.  Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

We took a little ride in our own neighborhood. We had kind of forgotten this beautiful place was there, practically within walking distance....(but not quite yet for me)

 Hubby is on the lookout for a quiet, safe spot to have our own personal Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday Morning.  Since we can't gather in crowds or groups, we are looking for a  secluded spot where we can just sit and praise the Lord at sunrise on Easter.

 Although this is a public boat ramp in our neighborhood, there was no one there today. So we are hoping perhaps it will be the same on Easter Sunday morning, and perhaps we can go there

to spend that quiet time rejoicing in the Risen Christ.

We shall see. If it doesn't work, then we will do our time of rejoicing here at our own home, but

we were kind of hoping to see the sunrise from a special location.

Maybe people from all over will also be rising early wherever they are to celebrate

the risen Christ at sunrise on Easter Sunday.

Perhaps something to think about, if you haven't already.

We would be celebrating together across the land, even if it is at different times for the different time zones, but it might be a special way to celebrate together.  

So, why not set your alarm clocks next Sunday morning to be sure and rise early enough to watch the sunrise wherever you are...and spend that time rejoicing in the fact that Christ is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Meanwhile, back at home, I am preparing for another special "celebration." Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Our Pastor will be speaking to us online, and he has also promised that we will be sharing Communion (The Lord's Supper) together, since it is also the first Sunday of the month.  So we are each to prepare our own elements for observing this wonderful Sacrament together.  

I decided this was a good reason to bake some bread.

Yes, I know, I do cheat a little by using this bread machine. It was a gift from my parents many years ago, and I honestly don't use it often enough anymore...but felt this was a good opportunity to put it back into service...to prepare bread for our remembrance of the Lord's Supper.

For a complete personal Communion Service Please click HERE and share in this service with me.

So, what special plans are you making for the observance of this Holy Week? It will be largely up to us as individuals to set apart a special time to worship and remember the Lord's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, His Last Supper, His brutal death on the cross, His burial in the tomb, and His glorious Resurrection three days later.

If nothing else, during these difficult days, let us remember what Jesus said to the sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night He was betrayed:

"What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  

The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Matthew 26:40-41

May Jesus find us awake and watching, for we do not know the hour that He will be returning to take us all home.

Have a wonderful, beautiful, blessed Holy Week.  Remember, it's not really about the Easter Bunny, or the eggs or the baskets  or the dresses...It's all about Jesus. Let us never forget.

A New Week...A Most Significant Week...

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to your desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"  Matthew 23:37-39

As we begin this most significant week, better known as Holy Week, or the week of Christ's Passion...our world is still in great turmoil.  Our country is in great turmoil, and for many, our homes are even in great turmoil.  As Jesus entered Jerusalem that day, He wept, because He had come to save them, and they did not realize how very near their salvation had come.  Although on this particular day, they hailed Him as their Savior, and spread palm branches before Him, just a few days later those same people were hurling stones and crying out "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!".  They did not know Who He was...they did not realize how close their long awaited Messiah was to them at that very hour.  They rejected Him, and in so doing, they missed the blessing of what God had prepared for them.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to be guilty of missing the blessing that God has prepared for me.  I want my ears to be ready to listen, I want my heart to be open to His message of love and forgiveness, and I want my feet to be ready to go wherever He might lead me. As we enter this week, I pray that God will attune my ears and heart to connect with His heartbeat...  I pray also for our nation, that we as a people would put aside our feelings of hatred and anger and take time to stop and listen to the voice of the Savior as He cries over our "Jerusalem"...I hope we don't miss out on this opportunity to be gathered together under His wings and be sheltered and protected...and saved.

May your week be blessed...and holy.