I shared this message on 4/10/16 with Zion Lutheran Church in Ferguson, MO as they enter a pastoral transition.
When our children were little, we loved to show them Living Books on the computer. This was early in the tech era and these books came on a CD. We could click on different parts of the page for some action to happen, like birds singing, the doorbell ringing, and so on. Our favorite Living Book was based on Aesop’s Fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
You know the fable, the Tortoise and the Hare engage in a race. The Hare is over-confident in his speed and he gets distracted during the race. He forgot to eat, so he stops to eat breakfast, he takes a nap, and he stops to tell on-lookers how great he is. Of course he’s so distracted and full of himself that the Tortoise crosses the finish line while the Hare is racing to catch up. At the end the narrator asks the crowd around the finish line, What is the moral of the story? The crowd pipes up with
• The journey is the reward?
• Don’t act like such a big shot?
• Always eat a good breakfast?
No, says the narrator, Slow and steady wins the race!
I think the disciples in Jesus' third resurrection appearance described in John 20:19-31, are learning some of the same lessons as the Hare in Aesop’s Fable.
Peter and the disciples are at a loss; they don’t know what to do. The resurrected Lord has appeared to them 2 times, Jesus has breathed on them the Holy Spirit and sends them out—As the Father sends me, so I send you. If you forgive the sins any, they are forgiven, if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.
There it is. There’s the call. The disciples are sent out, scars and all, with a Gospel to proclaim, sins to forgive, peace to offer, and a church to build—the only problem is they don’t seem to know how to get started. They’re at a loss for what to do, exactly. Following Peter’s lead, the disciples go fishing.
Ironic, isn’t it? It was not long ago that Jesus called them away from their boats to fish for people. But now, despite the miraculous resurrection of Jesus from the dead, the disciples have returned to their old way of life. They’re almost like the Hare in the fable—the disciples are easily distracted from the path that Jesus has set them on. Instead of sharing the incredible news of God’s power over death, they stayed hang up a sign that says, “Gone Fishing.”
As a congregation, you may feel like the disciples in this passage. You have a mission and ministry in this community, but now you’ve entered a time of pastoral transition, and you are still grieving the loss of a very beloved and key member. You may feel at loose ends—at a loss for what to do, what’s going to come next, what the future holds. What’s the next step and how do we take it?
We can feel this way in our personal lives as well. This last year, I have been unsure myself of what God wants me to do. My husband and I were working very hard at new mission development and we had to stop due my chronic migraines. I was at loose ends—I was not sure what to do, what was going to come next, and what the future was going to hold.
Our temptation in these situations of uncertainty is to join the disciples in going backwards—to re-tread the past—to go back to what we were doing before, rather pay attention to what new thing God might be doing. I would encourage you to resist this temptation because you’ll notice that this did not work for the disciples. They were experts at fishing –and they fished all night and caught nothing! They’re totally flunking. Going backward hardly ever moves us forward. We can learn lessons from our past, but our future is not there.
But then the story in John shows four practical ways to move forward on the path in front of us, even when we don’t know what to do, nor what the future holds.
1. Jesus gets the disciples set back on the right path by appearing on the beach that morning. He invites them to cast their net on the other side of the boat—we know that the sides of the boat are port and starboard, but I might call this the forward side instead of the backward side of the boat. And they caught 153 fish—it strained the net, but it didn’t break!
It’s an odd number- 153. It doesn’t appear anywhere else in the Bible, so why 153? One hundred fifty three is the known number of species of fish during the first century! Jesus did call them to fish for people, so perhaps this is John’s way of foreshadowing that the good news of Jesus is to be proclaimed to all “species” of people to the ends of the earth. Everybody’s in! The net won’t break because God can hold us all! You are in! Ferguson is in! The journey is the reward—and being part of God’s great plan to love and redeem the world is blessing enough! You may be in transition, or at a crossroads, but the mission is the same—reach everyone with God’s love no matter what. The journey is the reward.
2. Then the funniest part of the story comes—Peter is fishing naked, and when he sees Jesus, he puts on his clothes to jump in the lake and swim ashore. Don’t we usually work while clothed and strip down to jump in the lake? (In the first century the one who saw someone naked was dishonored, so Peter is actually honoring Jesus by putting on his clothes, but it seems all backward to us!) But the point is, Peter is naked. John wants us to see Peter in all his vulnerability. He denied Jesus three times, and even though Jesus has given him a new mission since the resurrection, Peter has reverted back to his old profession and he’s failing miserably at it.
Jesus sees right through Peter—he can put his clothes back on, but none of us can hide ourselves from God. Jesus sees us and knows us in all of our failings, fears and falling backwards. So stop trying to hide. Don’t act like such a big shot. You’re not so bad God can’t love you and you’re not so good you don’t need Jesus! Peter gets to Jesus as fast as he can—he got this part right! Come to God in prayer, talk with Jesus throughout your day—rant and rave if you need to, cry if you feel it, dance when you’re moved—just don’t run the other way from Jesus because he already knows all of who you are and all of what you need and all of what you’re capable of. Don’t be such a big shot—join Peter and come to Jesus as fast as you can. Take it all to the Lord in prayer.
3. In the midst of this complete, stark-naked-knowing, Jesus invites Peter and the disciples to join him for breakfast on the beach. Jesus feeds them, body and soul with the physical food and the spiritual relationship they need to run with perseverance the race he has set before them—to carry the good news of God’s love throughout the world. Always eat a good breakfast. We can’t survive on this journey of faith, this mission of good news without proper nourishment. We need to be fed and loved at this table, where Jesus appears to us in Communion—our breakfast on the beach—to be loved, forgiven and strengthened for the day, even and especially when we don’t know what’s coming next. Always eat a good breakfast physically as well. We can’t carry out the mission of peace and love when we do violence to our own bodies by over-functioning as if the kingdom depended on us while not taking care of ourselves! This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn.
4. Jesus re-establishes a relationship with Peter and all the disciples based not on their good behavior, not on getting everything right, but based on love. Peter’s 3-fold denial is redeemed when he affirms that he loves Jesus 3 times–which he can do only because Jesus has already loved and nourished and forgiven and blessed him. It’s not just about how much Jesus loves us, it’s about how much we love Jesus! Slow and steady wins the race. Take time to experience Jesus’ love and let Jesus know you love him! Slow and steady wins the race. You don’t have to rush to prove yourself. You don’t have to rush to find an interim. You don’t have to race and around and make sure everything is done just so. It’s about love; it’s about being as much as doing. Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep. Order your life around love: love of God, love of each other, love of all 153 species of God’s people, love of your community, love of Ferguson.
Even when we don’t know what to do, our faith gives us the daily and weekly practices we need to remain faithful in the in-between times of transition. I was off work for a year—but I knew I wasn’t forgotten, because like all of us, I ‘m part of God’s mission in this world, part of the 153 species! I came to Jesus in prayer, I ate a good breakfast and came to worship and Communion, and because church’s like you asked me to preach, I knew God still loved me, so thank you, Zion! Thank you for helping me.
God loves you Zion as an important and valuable part of God’s mission in this world. The repetition of your faith practices will serve you well as you use them to discern the next task, the next month and the next chapter of your life together! All you have to do is the next right thing. So fear not, Zion! And remember that
- You are part of the 153 species that God loves, so the journey is the reward!
- God knows you fully and completely, so come to Jesus in prayer and don’t act like such a big shot!
- Nourish yourself in worship, Communion and in your physical well-being - always eat a good breakfast!
- Your mission is all about love-how much God loves you and how much you love God, so remember that slow and steady wins the race!
Can you imagine being called a Doubter for 2000 years? Thomas was also a Twin, but no one calls him that. Can you imagine showing off the family photo album? This is Laura, who married a nice boy from Bethany; here is Terrence—he runs a sheep-shearing business in Jerusalem; and that one’s Terrence’s Twin, Thomas —well… He’s a Doubter. What does a guy have to do to get a new reputation? Well, maybe Thomas' time has finally come.
The other disciples (in John 20:19-21) have experienced a miracle—Jesus, risen from the dead in the flesh and speaking to them. But Thomas wasn’t there—Scripture doesn’t tell us where he was, but I suspect that he was working.
Tradition holds that Thomas was an architect and a carpenter - a discipline that requires, not just that one talk about what he can build and what will look good, but proves it in reality with buildings that hold together, that withstand storms, and stand the test of time. In other words, in order to get new clients, Thomas had to “show his work.” I bet every student here has heard their teacher, especially in math, to “show your work!”
I’ve lived in Missouri for 23 years and the first thing I learned was that this is the “Show Me” state. Missourians are people who say, don’t tell me – show me!
And isn’t this the very nature of our tradition as Lutherans? Martin Luther himself said to the Roman church in the 16th century: Show me! Show me where indulgences, purgatory, & popes are in the Scripture? Instead, Martin Luther showed that we are saved by grace through faith and not by our own work or merit.
All of which is to say, that Thomas is not a Doubter – he’s a Lutheran from Missouri!
Thomas doesn’t want to be told what to believe—he wants to experience it for himself. He doesn’t want to take something as serious and life-transforming as Jesus resurrected from the dead on the word of someone else—especially when those someones are too scared to leave the house. He wants to touch, see and hear Jesus himself—“show me!” Thomas says. Thomas needs a real relationship with the risen Lord.
Thomas’ desire to experience Jesus for himself gives us a crucial window in how to be the church and carry out mission in the 21st century. Since the Reformation in the 1500’s, we have lived in what historians call the Modern Era—the Age of Enlightenment, the Age of Reason. Scientific understanding and methods, the power of logic, and tools of discovery have fostered the belief that that we can not only gain knowledge, but we can know THE truth—Truth that has authority in our lives. We trusted the authority of denominations, government institutions, scientific experts—we sang, Jesus Loves Me This I Know, for the Bible Tells Me So and that was good enough!
But now, as we began the 21st Century, we are leaving the Modern Era and entering the Post-Modern Era, even a Post-Christian Era.
• Truth claims no longer have the power they once did.
• Authority, including the authority of Scripture, is questioned,
• institutions are mistrusted,
• and the church no longer holds a central place in our culture and in people’s lives.
Those who identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious” is growing. That is, they believe in God and have a spiritual life, but do not express it by attending a church. Pew Research tells us that among the Millennial generation, especially those ages 18-34, a full 1/3 of them are religiously unaffiliated or are the so-called, “Nones” (not Catholic Nuns!) because they check the box, None, when asked about their religious affiliation. Is it any wonder? They have come of age in a time of
• dramatic climate change,
• war and terrorism,
• fewer job opportunities,
• rising costs and
• increased college debt.
Younger generations today are very much like Thomas—they say to us, Don’t tell me what to believe, show me! Don’t tell me about God and your faith, I want to see, feel, hear and experience it for myself. I’m not going to believe because the church or a book of ancient texts tells me to, Show me! Show me—not in a building or in an institution—beautiful and wonderful as it may be—show me out in the world—show me in your daily life.
Notice in our Gospel story, that Jesus offers Thomas exactly what he needs in order to believe in him! Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. The resurrection is real, Thomas, you can believe! I am here to make a relationship with you!
Jesus also shows up for the other disciples too-even though they still seem to be locked in a room with door shut! Whether we’re locked up inside and afraid to go into the world, or whether we are like Thomas, saying, “unless I experience it myself, I won’t believe”—the good news is that Jesus appears to us to show us the resurrection is real. He loves us into a relationship with him.
Then Jesus says, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And he breathes on us the Holy Spirit—all the power we need to go out through the doors and into the world, helping people experience that the resurrection is real! Church tradition tells us that Thomas brought the Gospel through Syria, all the way to southern India where congregations in the state of Kerala trace their beginning back to the witness of Thomas!
Far from a Doubter, Thomas is the Patron Saint of our Post-Modern Era! The world will continue to change around us, but remember, we are Lutheran Missourians! Millennials, the Nones, the Spiritual but not Religious—that doesn't intimidate us. We’re all about that Show me-faith, Show me-resurrection, Show me-Jesus in the world. That’s our bread and butter!
Jesus calls us to follow him in giving the Thomases of today, the relationship with God that they seek, and the experience of the risen Lord that they crave. And that relationship begins with you and me. For this generation, the need to have a relationship and sense of belonging (which is not the same as "membership!") first and then they begin to believe (whereas in my generation, we believed in God and then found a place to belong). Young people today want to be involved in hands-on mission and service in the world and they seek authentic community. Terrific! We're experts at this! The congregation I'm serving as an Interim Associate Pastor has a community garden, they're taking youth on a mission trip this summer, they have a school that builds a relationship with Jesus as well as teaches knowledge, they give out sack lunches for members to give to people in need, they serve breakfast to the homeless every month, they have a Service Day coming up on Saturday, April 23rd with a group called Congregations in Service and the list goes on!
All we need to do when we encounter young people waiting on us at the Starbucks or the Jiffy Lube, or when we talk with our kids or grandkids’ friends, is to build a relationship with them. Get to know them and what they’re passionate about, what worries them and what they want to do about it. Then invite them to participate in the community garden, or serving the homeless breakfast, or Service Saturday or whatever interests them. They’ll enter into a relationship with Jesus and come to believe in God, when we love them and show them how faith gets lived out in the real world.
Then this new generation will join us and Thomas with the bold confession, “My Lord and My God!”
We have all heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, but who you know.” This was certainly true for Mary Magdalene in the Easter story in John 20. For until she met Jesus, she didn’t know anyone who took her seriously—who listened to her, who valued her, who loved her. Mary Magdalene was streetwise and independent. She knew how to survive in a man’s world. She knew how to make things happen.
But it didn’t matter what she knew in the eyes of the privileged and the powerful of her day—she was a nobody. Mary did not know anybody who loved her just for her until she met Jesus. For Mary Magdalene, it really was true—it wasn’t what she knew, it was who she knew that made the difference in her life.
But now that “who”—Jesus—was dead, and her life was turned upside down. This is why Mary went to the tomb so early that morning. She couldn’t imagine life without knowing Jesus—without the one and only meaningful relationship she had ever had.
Mary Magdalene rose before the sun on that first day of the week to go to the tomb to grieve the one she had lost. Mary gingerly picked her way through the darkness of the pre-dawn, with tears in her eyes and grief in her heart.
But when Mary arrived at the tomb, she was met by an astonishing site. The stone that sealed the tomb had been rolled away. Jesus’ body was gone and only grave cloths remained. Mary stood at the tomb weeping, thinking someone had taken Jesus’ body away. Mary couldn’t imagine that Jesus was alive—raised from the dead. It didn’t matter that Jesus had mentioned it so many times. Mary knew intellectually about the possibility of resurrection:
• she knew Jesus raised the widow’s son at Nain;
• she knew Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead;
• she knew Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb after he’d been dead 4 days;
• she heard Jesus himself say a number of times that the Son of Man would be killed and 3 days later rise again.
And yet, there she stood at the empty tomb with Jesus’ body gone—and she was more distraught and dumbfounded than ever because the resurrection was not real for her. Even a conversation with angels didn’t make it real for her! As Mary wept, she turned around and there stood Jesus himself--living and breathing and speaking! Mary sees Jesus with her own eyes. Mary hears Jesus’ voice with her own ears: “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
Mary has all the information she needs to trust that Jesus is actually alive: in addition to an empty tomb, folded grave cloths and angels; Jesus himself stands before her and speaks to her.
But the evidence before her isn’t enough. It’s not what she knows about resurrection, and now it’s not even who she knows, since Jesus is right in front of her. Mary is more confused than ever, thinking Jesus is the gardener!
So what is it that finally makes the resurrection real for Mary? I did not fully understand what it was until my husband’s Grandmother had a series of strokes and we traveled to Philadelphia to visit her. We learned that Grandmother wasn’t doing well—her memory had been damaged and her activity was severely limited. Dan knew he couldn’t expect much, if anything from this visit. He didn’t know if she would even know who he was.
As we walked into the room, his worst fears were confirmed. Grandmother was lying in bed asleep, and this woman who baked bread and turned the world over every day, didn’t even look like herself. She looked all of her 93 years with her jaw slack and her skin, pale. With tears in his eyes, and grief gripping his heart, Dan touched her gently and woke her up. He said, “Grandmother, it’s me, Danny.” She opened her eyes and looked over at him. In a familiar voice—
• a voice that had read him stories
• a voice that had said prayers and tucked him in bed at night
• a voice that had called him to the dinner table
In that familiar voice, Grandmother looked at Dan and with the delight of recognition, she said, “Oh, you sweet boy.”
In that moment, it didn’t matter what Dan knew about her condition; it didn’t matter who she had been for him. What mattered was that he was known—known by someone he thought he had lost forever.
And that’s what happened to Mary. It didn’t matter what Mary knew. It didn’t even matter who she knew. What mattered on that first resurrection morning was that her Lord—the one she thought she had lost forever—Her Lord looked at her and in a very familiar voice—
• a voice that had said, “your sins are forgiven;”
• a voice that had prayed with her
• a voice that had called her to the table
In that familiar voice, Jesus looked at her and said, “Mary!” Only when she was known by Jesus, did the resurrection become real for her.
For the resurrection to be real in any of our lives, it’s not what we know—it’s not even who we know—it’s Who knows us. On this resurrection morning, our Risen Lord is standing before each of us and says in a familiar voice—
• a voice that has said, “your sins are forgiven;”
• a voice that has prayed with us and for us;
• a voice that has invited us to the table with the words, “This is my body….This is my blood”
In that familiar voice, Jesus calls each of us by name: Dan, Daniel, Jacob, Leah, Tom, Brenda, Rick, Carol, Steve…
We’ve all come to Easter looking for something. We have all come hoping to make sense of Jesus’ death, hoping to discover some truth about God, hoping that, for us, the resurrection might be real.
But we're really looking to be found—to be completely known by the Savior who calls each of us by name. We came to restore a relationship that we feared was lost—perhaps we haven’t been praying or haven’t been to church in a long time, and we thought our chance with God was gone. Or perhaps we go to church every Sunday, but never really believed Jesus died for us.
We each came today to be known intimately by name, by Jesus. And strange and wonderful things happen when we’re known by the Lord. We’re filled with a deep and exuberant joy!
• A joy in knowing the relationship we thought we had lost has been restored as Jesus calls out our name;
• A joy that makes fear and trembling and loneliness melt away;
• A joy that lets us know we will never, ever be alone again, no matter what;
• A joy that helps us to trust that our Savior walks with us even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death;
• A joy that makes us run with Mary to go and tell others that Jesus Christ is indeed alive!
It’s a joy that enables us to say, “I have seen the Lord and he knows Me by name!”
Photo Credit: "Noli Me Tangere" (Stop Clinging to Me). Painting by Nik Helbig. Acrylic on Canvas, based on classical biblical theme of Mary Magdalene and Jesus. Connect with Nik Helbig on Facebook.
When I was a kid, I wondered why in Holy Week, we had a Monday Thursday. And if today is Monday Thursday, then why isn’t tomorrow Monday Friday and Easter, Monday Sunday? I thought Monday was the least favorite day of the week, so isn’t one Monday enough?
It probably wasn’t until I was in seminary that I learned the name “Maundy Thursday” comes from the Latin word, Mandatum, which means “command.” Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment on Thursday of Holy Week, so it is Commandment Thursday, Mandatum Thursday, which has over time, has been compressed to Maundy Thursday.
Theologian and historian Leonard Sweet, a professor at Drew Theological School, identifies different levels of human relationships (which are all named for metals) that lead up to the New Commandment that Jesus gives at his Last Supper:
The first level of relationship is the Iron Rule—Do unto others before they do unto you
We see this during Jesus’ time when those with the leprosy or other diseases were forced to be outcast. The religious laws banished them from the community because they were unclean. In fact they had to yell, “unclean, unclean” when walking near anyone so people could keep their distance. They would become unclean by touching an outcast, so they banished them first. We hear the Iron Rule in some of today’s political rhetoric that promises to prevent Muslims from coming into the country and to enact aggressive neighborhood surveillance of Muslim communities. Fear leads us to do unto others before they do unto us.
The next level of relationship Sweet identifies is the Silver Rule--Do unto others as they do unto you.
The Silver rule works well when everyone is operating positively and generating good will. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. It’s a transactional relationship that works until our fallible nature gets the better of us. Then it quickly becomes an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth which can lead to revenge and vigilantism. I think this is why we love movies like The Godfather which dramatize organized crime. There’s always an accounting of who did what to whom and who pays the price. The Silver Rule can also excuse us from ever taking initiative, offering a loophole for people who never want to make the first move. If we don’t trust others, we hang back, only responding to others based on how they treat us.
Then we move up to the Golden Rule – and every major religion has a version of Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Treat others how you would like to be treated. We all learned this in elementary school, and I think we’re all the better for it. We hear the Golden Rule in Jesus’ summary of the two greatest commandments in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark: the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
We just visited Knox College in IL with our daughter earlier this week and one of the values there is the Honor Code. This allows students to take their tests anywhere they like—under a tree outside or in a study carrel in the library—without a professor present. This principle is based on the Golden Rule—the faculty invests in the students the same honor and trust the students accord them. There is a drawback to the Golden Rule, however—it’s limited by our own imagination. We have a hard time imagining people’s needs and desires when they fall outside of our own culture or experience. So the Golden Rule can break down, especially in cross-cultural situations. The way we like to be treated may not be appropriate in another cultural setting.
So Leonard Sweet then identifies the Platinum Rule which says, Do unto others as they would have you do unto them.
The Platinum rule requires investment in a real relationship and true listening. We have to get to know the person in order to understand what’s important to them, what they value and how to communicate on their wavelength. The Platinum Rule is something we all do everyday because it’s important in all healthy relationships, from friendship to marriage, to parent-child relationships to cross-cultural dialog.
We hear Jesus do this very thing when Blind Bartimeus begs him for mercy in John, chapter 9. Jesus asks him, What would like for me to do for you? Jesus engages in relationship instead of making assumptions about what Bartimeus needs and wants. Asking this question, What do you need us to do? has been an important task of the Ferguson Commission that was set up in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s death. In order to build a just society, we need to really listen to what African Americans, especially young men, are experiencing in our law enforcement and justice systems, most especially when it’s different from our own experience.
Which brings us to today, Maundy Thursday, when Jesus ups the ante on all of our human relationships with a New Commandment.
Leonard Sweet calls this the Titanium Rule. I give you a new commandment, says Jesus, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35)
What does it mean to love as Jesus loves? To do unto others as Jesus has done to us?
On this night Jesus eats his last meal before he dies. He invites his disciples and closest friends to celebrate the Passover meal with him. Try to imagine it.
• Jesus knows Peter will deny him, not once, but 3 times.
• Jesus understands that Judas will sell him out.
• Jesus knows all of the disciples except John, his Mom and a few women will run away when he needs them most.
• He’s facing a painful death knowing that most of the people he’s close to will abandon, deny and betray him.
If it were your last meal on earth would you invite these so-called friends to join you? How do you face the most difficult and painful hardship of your life knowing everyone who’s close to you will fail you?
Personally, I would want to ask them to leave before dessert, so I could take solace in the whole chocolate raspberry cheesecake. But, what does Jesus do? He invites them to share the bread, enjoy the wine, and eat their fill, dessert included. Jesus invests the last energy he has in nurturing relationships with fallible, broken, fearful people. And Jesus doesn’t stop there. He dives even deeper.
Jesus not only shares a meal with them, Jesus kneels at their feet, takes the position of a slave—the lowest person on the very bottom rung of the social ladder, and he washes the feet of his fearful, fallible followers—the feet that will run away and abandon him. To love as Jesus loves is
• to serve those who fail you,
• to embrace the ones who hurt you,
• to indulge the ones who don’t show up when you need them most.
Loving our enemies is not enough. People will know that we are Jesus’ disciples when we serve and care for those who fail us. Maybe Monday Thursday is a good name for today because this may be our least favorite commandment.
Imagine washing the feet of your nemesis, your political polar opposite, your ex-whatever- ex-friend, ex-spouse, ex-boyfriend. That’s the Titanium Rule that shows the world whom we follow. Others’ behavior has no bearing on our behavior and choices—choose love, choose service, and choose forgiveness regardless of how others act.
How can we do this? There’s only one way. By coming to the table of the Lord's Supper where Jesus invites us to participate in his life, be filled with his love, partake of his body. Jesus says, this is my body, this is my blood – This is myself - I give you myself – I give you all that I am.
And he already knows—he already knows that every one of us will abandon, deny and betray him in one way or another this week—yet he says, Come. Come to the table, let me serve you with my very life, let me love you, even and most especially your fallible, feeble, fearful souls. And then pass it on, pay it forward. Let someone see that I love them because you show up to serve, to love, to forgive. Jesus says, Love as I love you. Go from this meal and pass it on.
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Linda Anderson-Little