Communion DEC

Luke 22

Good Morning-

My name is Zach Klundt, I’m one of the pastor’s here and I will be leading us through communion today.

Now I don’t know about you guys, but over the last week I had some of the best eating of the year.

On Tuesday I had a meal with our life group that surpassed all meals.

Dipsgiving, it was a large spread of dip and salsas, chip and cookies were used as dipping instruments in queso and in a cherry cheesecake dip.

I was looking forward to this day ever since we planned it.

Let me tell you there is something special about sitting together with your life group and sharing a meal.

It was special— and we all had a great time together.

And I am sure that there are times were we have a meal with our family or with other people where we eagerly excited to have.

Maybe it is thanksgiving, or a Christmas meal.

Or something else entirely.

We can all agree that all meals are not created equal.

Some meals just hit differently.

Some meals make us remember or at least count our blessing.

Breaking bread together is incredibly powerful.

Some of our best conversations happen around a kitchen table or at a restaurant.

And as Jesus was getting ready to go to the cross to suffer and die, we find him with his 12 closest friends, partaking in Passover.

In Luke 22, we read how Jesus had this earnest desire to eat this passover, this final passover with his people, his community, before he would go and suffer.

Jesus and his disciples gathered to eat the passover meal.

This meal that was establish long ago by Moses and the Israelites who escaped Egypt, because on the night that the angel of death come, Moses instructed, the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood over their door frames, so when the Angel of Death saw the blood it would passover that house because that home was covered by the blood.

It was fitting that Jesus desired to celebrate this final passover meal with the disciples as he would go on and be that lamb whose blood would cover a multitude of sins.

Jesus became that perfect spotless passover lamb for all.

And this morning as we turn to the cup and the bread it would be easy to just take it and then move on— but to understand the gravity of what happened that night is something that we need to pause and think about.

Jesus did— for he said Luke 22:15

Luke 22:15 ESV

And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

Why? Why this meal—

Luke 22:16 ESV

For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

This meal that is all about looking back shifts now into a look forward.

To when one day all who believe in Christ; past, present and future believers will partake in this meal together.

It is a look forward, to the coming day of Jesus— who will call us all home and will build his kingdom on earth and we will dine together.

But until this then we take this cup and this bread and we consume it together to remember yes, but to look forward as well.

Here at FW we practice open communion— if you are a believer in Christ we ask that you join us in remembrance of what our savior did for us on that cross and to celebrate what he will do in the future as he comes again.

In Luke 22:17-19

Luke 22:17–19 ESV

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.”

Church we take bread which is a symbol of Christ body, take and eat in remembrance of him.

Luke 22:20 ESV

And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Church we take the cup which is a symbol of Christ blood that was pour out and covered our sins, just as the first passover lambs had done— take and drink in remembrance of him.

Let us pray: