The Meal I Served……Was Satisfying & Nourishing

Still in the season of Easter for a couple more weeks until we recognize the time when Jesus ascended to heaven, I am still pondering His great love for us. After I had served Holy Communion yesterday morning at church, I heard in my heart “You just served Jesus.” Yes, I did, but then I thought about two connotations of those words. We say “I served Jesus by feeding the hungry at the local food pantry”, or “I served Jesus when I gave to the poor”, or in yesterday’s setting, “I served Jesus as I served Holy Communion.” That’s what we do when we take on the servant nature of Jesus in loving, giving, serving others. Jesus gave the greatest example of servitude when He fed the hungry, healed the sick, cared for those in need, washed His disciples’ feet, AND gave them to eat and drink His body and blood in the bread and the wine, and then gave them the command to continue doing the same.

Matthew 26:26-18 “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Luke 22:19 “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

I am always overwhelmed in those moments with how much I want to help feed hope and pour love into the souls of those dear people. It’s a diverse crowd – culturally, ethnically, young and old — who make their way up the aisle to the “distribution center” to receive a meal of Jesus. Each one comes with a look of gratitude to receive nourishment again of He Who said “As often as you do this, you are remembering me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25). I see faces of joy and wonder and sometimes faces with deep furrows of sadness, and I offer up a silent prayer for them to be healed of whatever it is that is troubling them, and at the same time, I am offering to them God — the ONE Who yielded Himself to become one of us and to be sacrificed as a lamb on the altar, but this one and last time became the sacrifice that takes care of all our failures and shortcomings from now through eternity.

I am always overwhelmed in those moments with how much I want to help feed hope and pour love into the souls of those dear people. It’s a diverse crowd – culturally, ethnically, young and old — make their way up the aisle to the “distribution center” to receive a meal of Jesus. Each one comes with a look of gratitude to receive nourishment again of He Who said “As often as you do this, you are remembering me.” I see faces of joy and faces of wonder and sometimes faces with deep furrows of sadness, and I offer up a silent prayer for them to be healed of whatever it is that is troubling them, and at the same time, I am offering to them God — the ONE Who yielded Himself to become one of us and to be sacrificed as a lamb on the altar, but this one and last time became the sacrifice that takes care of all our failures and shortcomings from now through eternity.

This meal is satisfying, nourishing and never serves up indigestion or heart burn. Well, on the other hand, maybe there is a little heart burn, as when the two disciples said, “”Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32. Please, Lord, may my heart burn with passion for You as Your heart burned with passion for me enough to give me YOU!