The Bread and the Cup

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. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

Luke 21:9-23 (NIV)

Blessed Jesus, you celebrate the Passover with you disciples. It is a memorial meal affirming the power of God to save. Centuries before the people of Israel in bondage in Egypt were liberated when the Angel of Death passed over the homes marked with the blood of the lamb.  On this night in the upper room you take those simple elements, bread and wine, and infuse them with new meaning. As John the Baptist declared, you are the Lamb of God. It is you who will be sacrificed. It is by your broken body and shed blood that our gracious God will once again demonstrate his power to save.

Lord Christ, there is a betrayer in the room, one whose hand is on the table with your hand. Who could it be? “Is it I?” they all ask. And well they might. All of them, every last one of them, had his hand on the table.

Tonight at a Maundy Thursday service I will again eat the bread and drink from the cup.

I will remember you; I will ponder your love; I will wonder at the gift of salvation; and I will ask, “Is it I?”

Amen