But this time it was different. He took the bread and he said, "Take, eat; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying "Drink of it , all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26: 26-28).
What were they thinking as they sat around that table? Did they just take Jesus at his word? Did they understand the incredible gift of hospitality that had just taken place?
In Luke, we read, "Do this in remembrance of me" (22: 19). He has transformed and yet kept the essence of the Passover. God had saved the Jews just as Christ was about to save the world through the power of the cross. A holy, insistent, pursuing God who continues to invite us to the table to remember. To. Remember. Him.
The Lord's table is the place where we remember and relish in our relationship with Christ. We remember his atonement. We give thanks for our redemption and we look forward to the final feast in the kingdom of heaven.
He restores our dignity. The marks and marr of life become a palatable clay in God's hands. He has created a space. He has opened a space and made room for more of Him.
"And he took it, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them" Luke 22:19
He took the bread, gave thanks, and then broke it, giving it to others. He broke it and then gave it.
There is a breaking and a giving. In it, there is a miracle that He wants us to repeat. We are to thank Him for this gift of life. It is often a broken life that we are to share with others. In the sharing, we are healed, becoming whole.
As we share our shattered places with other broken people, we are nearest to the broken heart of God.
Somehow...the miracle happens in the thanking, the breaking, and the giving. There is a miracle of communion, oneness, abundance that comes.
The simple elements, the bread and the wine, have become sacred. They invite us in to more of him. Enjoy the meal. Savor it. Share the bread. Spread the joy of God's invitation to more of Him.