I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you ...

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And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

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What comes to mind when you hear the words "Holy Communion"? Perhaps you remember the part of the church service where people stand in line waiting to partake of a morsel of bread and sip of wine or grape juice? Or maybe your church uses those little plastic cups? Regardless the means, those expressions seems pretty alien to the warm and friendly last meal that Christ shared with his disciples. I love how his last hours are filled with intimate fellowship.

Even so, however we choose to remember Jesus in communion, we should always remember that, for Christ, the wine and bread were symbols of his life that would be poured out for us in just a few hours. We look back when we eat the bread and drink the wine but he and his disciples were looking forward at the last supper. Perhaps communion involves a bit of both - we look back to the cross but we look forward to our own resurrection. Each image creates hope in us.

We remember Lord. And we give thanks for our salvation and our hope of being with you in heaven.

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