​Week 30, Day 4

​Week 30, Day 4
July 28, 2022
Scripture: Luke 22
 
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19–20)
 
I try to highlight a part of our reading each day and draw out a thought for your encouragement. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it, I just read and pray and hope for the best. Narrowing down today’s selection is a bit difficult. How many volumes of books have been written on what transpires in Luke 22? Peter’s denial, Jesus’ arrest, what did Jesus have the disciples use the two swords for and so much more! There’s so much going on in this chapter!
 
I won’t solve any theological debate in my devotions. That’s not the aim. It’s simply an encouragement. A nudge down the road in our faith. While there are countless topics to be explore and expounded on in today’s reading, I’ve settled on the Lord’s Supper.
 
We are a part of a movement, a tradition that partakes in the Lord’s Supper every week. Many traditions do not partake in the Eucharist weekly, but rather quarterly or on special occasions. Some believe it is symbolic, and others believe that it is the actual blood of Jesus and body of Jesus itself. Whole teachings have been developed around the topic of the Lord’s Supper. It’s as divisive of topic as any. Which is terribly ironic given the intent of unity that drives the whole thing. I digress.
 
I wrote my church history class a paper titled, “From Supper to Snack: Tracing the Lord’s Supper and its Practice throughout Church History.” The computer I wrote it on broke and I couldn’t save it in the cloud, so don’t ask for it. Sore topic there. Anyways, the gist of the paper is that the early church practiced the Lord’s Supper within the context of the Agape meal/feast. It was a large meal for the church family that came together and cared for one another and the poor.  It was in the evenings when the church gathered. Over time several factors caused the Lord’s Supper to shift from the context of a meal to a snack-sized portion outside of a meal. One influence that caused the shift was persecution against the church. Persecution caused the church to have to meet in different times, particularly in the morning and in different places. Along with persecution, there was the cultural influence of eating only one meal a day, so when the church gathered in the morning, it became the snack we are accustomed to. It was typical that people in the ancient world only ate one meal a day, and it was in the evening. They weren’t going to cook a big meal for everyone in the morning when they gathered. Another impact was the discontinuation of the Agape meal in general. When the church changed its gathering time and place, it shifted away from the context of a meal. Without the meal, it was reduced to simply the small portion of bread and wine. Eventually, when God ordained it to be, Welch’s became the official drink of the church.
 
Now with all of that going on, and centuries later, we have a completely different looking gathering. One could look over all of history and reflect on what Jesus was doing in the upper room and say that we are a far cry from what Christ intended when he instituted the meal. That’s true.
 
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19–20)
 
Yet this scripture still holds true, doesn’t it? For as often as we eat the bread and cup, we show the Lord’s death, right? While everything around the meal has changed, the substance of it remains.
 
The substance of the supper is not in the size of portions we eat, the substance of this meal is in the person of Christ. We partake weekly because when we come together, we honor Christ and remember his life, death, resurrection and reign. We take the Supper because this is the central focus of our worship. I have yet to take the cup and bread and forget why I’m taking it. In the context of a meal or not, the practice of it always draws me to Jesus’ words, “Do this in remembrance of me.” I may not always be as reverent as I need to be. I often have distractions, and rushing thoughts of things to do. I have yet to find this practice something that I do too often at a weekly occasion. The problem is not the portion, nor is it the proportion of times I take it.
 
So, I encourage you, to take the Lord’s Supper often. If you’re predisposed to say that I’m wrong on this, I haven’t done much to move the needle. But if you do already take it weekly, know that we take this meal in remembrance of Christ and this new Covenant. This is his body and blood, broken and shed for us, for forgiveness and new life. The substance of this meal is in the one who instituted it. Not in the portions of the meal, or the proportions and frequency of taking it, but in the person who has given it. Jesus is Lord and Life. Let’s remember him.
 
The life of the church dramatically shifted under persecution. It adopted new ways of gathering for worship. Yet as it stood, the Eucharist was always a part of the gathering. The church came together to break bread and remember Christ. No matter how difficult, it remained important to the church to continue its practice of the Lord’s Supper. That should tell us something!
 
It is why we do what we do. Portions are small. The frequency is often. The substance is Christ. The importance is essential.
 
Remember Christ in the Lord’s Supper, his body broken, and his blood shed, for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of new life in the kingdom of God.
 
Grace and Peace,
 
Jordan