Just A Touch

Posted on by Betsy

Every state has a nickname that explains something about that state. What nickname does your state have? I grew up in the “Garden State” where beefsteak tomatoes and sweet corn are grown. I went to school in the “Keystone State” of Pennsylvania, named for its position in the 13 original colonies. But I admire the boldness of Missouri, the “Show Me” state. These folks simply demand proof, and they aren’t shy about it.

Our passage today follows a series of miracles. After the beheading of John the Baptizer, Jesus and his disciples traveled away from danger and ended up in Gennesaret. Jesus knew his time hadn’t come yet and he still had a lot of work to do. He fed the 5,000, healed people, walked on water, and taught Peter a lesson about the importance of keeping your eyes on your Savior at all times.

Matthew 14:34-36 (Common English Bible)

34 When they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.35 When the people who lived in that place recognized him, they sent word throughout that whole region, and they brought to him everyone who was sick. 36 Then they begged him that they might just touch the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched him was cured.

The people of Gennesaret had heard of Jesus’ healing power and flocked to see him. Our passage today tells us that it only took a slight touching of his hem to receive it. This tells us two things. 

First, Jesus was accessible to the crowd in a way that the Pharisees and Essenes would never have been. They never mingled in crowds because one never knew what kind of ceremonial uncleanness one might brush up against in a group. Second, it tells us that Jesus’ healing power was so profound, all the people had to do was touch his robe to receive it. 

This demonstration of faith is in contrast to Peter’s lack of it. And all the people were healed because of their faith, which had emboldened them to push forward and touch Jesus’ robe. Peter might have been comfortable in Missouri, but Jesus looked for followers whose faith didn’t need to be proved.

Yet we remember the faith of Thomas, who demanded proof of the resurrection. In John 20, Jesus answered his questioning with a deeply personal response: Go ahead and touch my wounds, he said. Your questioning won’t scare me away.

Faith isn’t a spectrum, but a seed. It is watered and sun-blessed every time we pray, read Scripture, hear the Word, serve, and worship.

What kind of faith are you growing? It is bold enough to shove your way to the front for a brief pass at the Savior? Is it young enough to still have doubts? Is it sure enough that you know you will find your answer in the presence of Jesus?

Sometimes healing comes in the form of a cure or remission. Sometimes healing comes through death as we enter into perfect eternal life with our Lord. But in every case, faith is the sure foundation upon which we seek God. How sure is your foundation? What do you need to do to strengthen it?

Sun-Blessed by Michelle Robertson

“Yes, Lord!” Faith

Posted on by Betsy

Our daughter’s cancer diagnosis in her junior year of college came without warning or preparation. Suddenly we were thrown into a season of surgeries, chemotherapy, doctor visits, and pain. We brought her home for the semester to the excellent health care in Atlanta and for nine months, life was upside down. But Jesus healed her and she returned to college, bald and thin, and we were blessed to eventually go back to normal.

Not everyone gets that happy ending. Not everyone is healed. Not every Mom gets to tell the story twenty years later with the calmness of answered faith. While faith does not guarantee healing for every believer, a lack of faith can impede healing for many, perhaps because those people do not ask.

Our story today of the two men healed of their blindness follows a series of healing miracles in the book of Matthew. The leper in Matthew 8:1-4 knew he could be healed. The Centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 was attributed to have “great faith” by our Lord. The woman with the issue of blood in Matthew 9:18-26 was healed by a persistent faith that only needed a touch of a hem to accomplish. Their faith led them to ask and because of their faith, their request was granted.

We notice right away that the approach of the two blind men is different than the others. They are noted as the first people in the Gospel to call Jesus “Son of David.” This phrase was so rich in its messianic implication that the Pharisees had banned anyone from calling Jesus the Christ on penalty of excommunication from the temple (John 9:22). If even the Pharisees recognized the danger and power of these words, all should take heed. The blind men could see who Jesus was even without eyesight.

Matthew 9:27-31

27 As Jesus departed, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Show us mercy, Son of David.”

28 When he came into the house, the blind men approached him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe I can do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

When Jesus said that they were healed “just as you believe” he was not implying that the healing was given in proportion to their faith. Rather, his observation of their faith in action had caught his attention.

29 Then Jesus touched their eyes and said, “It will happen for you just as you have believed.” 30 Their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “Make sure nobody knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the word about him throughout that whole region.

These men had faith enough to follow Jesus. The had enough faith to cry out. They were willing to raise a ruckus and not be embarrassed. They immediately recognized and identified Jesus as the Messiah and weren’t afraid to be public about it. They didn’t ask for healing, but rather for mercy, indicating they didn’t feel entitled to healing but made their case on the basis of Christ’s lovingkindness. They believed Jesus was able to heal them and responded “Yes, Lord!”

Is your faith a “Yes, Lord!” kind of faith? Can you call on Jesus’ mercy to heal you?

Yes, Lord!

Unrecognizable

Posted on by Betsy

My high school reunion is approaching, and a large Face Book group has been formed to organize it. As the invitations to join have been accepted, I have been surprised to see faces I have not laid eyes on for years. Some I remember right away but others have changed so much that  even though we were once close, I don’t recognize them. Decades of living will do that to you. Whether you experienced great hardship or great plastic surgery during that time, none of us will arrive at the party looking the same as we did long ago.

The subject of recognizing people for who they are plays a big part in today’s lesson. The irony is that just one verse before today’s reading, the disciples yet again question Jesus’ identity. “Who can this be?” they say (Matthew 8:27). This was their response to Jesus’ stilling the storm from their boat! Two verses later, the demons instantly recognize Jesus, calling him “Son of God” (Matthew 8:29). How is it that agents of the devil know what Jesus’ closest companions did not?

Recognizing Jesus’ authority, the demons begged to be cast into a herd of unclean pigs. They hated to be idle and hoped to continue their destruction in a different form. This request would free the poor men who had been possessed by them. Their lives in the tomb must have been horrific years of torture, and finally they were restored and made whole by the Son of God. You would think that people would have cheered this, but alas, they did not.

Matthew 8 (Common English Bible)

28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake in the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed came from among the tombs to meet him. They were so violent that nobody could travel on that road. 29 They cried out, “What are you going to do with us, Son of God? Have you come to torture us before the time of judgment?” 30 Far off in the distance a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons pleaded with him, “If you throw us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

When the swine herders went to tell the townspeople what had happened, they told about the miracle of the two men’s deliverance. But the town reacted by coming out to see Jesus and asking him to leave. Their ingratitude for the removal of demons in their community is stunning. Granted, the men lived in the unclean tombs and perhaps they didn’t have much interaction, but to respond with rejection is unconscionable. Or is it?

32 Then he said to the demons, “Go away,” and they came out and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. 33 Those who tended the pigs ran into the city and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole city came out and met Jesus. When they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

The great liberator had come, and they told him to get out. Do we ever do that? Do we ever tell Jesus to get out of our business when he calls us to change? Do we reject his ministrations when he tries to liberate us from our addictions, pre-conceived prejudices, bad habits, and laziness? Are we like the townspeople?

Jesus came to free us from our bondage and break the chains that prevent us from living whole, clean lives. May we recognize our deliverer when he comes.

Pig! by Becca Ziegler

Whole Being

Posted on by Betsy

I have been blessed to visit the Wailing Wall at the Temple in Jerusalem twice in my life. It is a holy and mysterious place. This is the last remaining structure of the Second Temple built by Herod in 20 BCE and is sacred to Jews and Christians alike. On both visits I noticed Orthodox Jews praying fervently at the wall, swaying and rocking back and forth. This tradition is known as “shuckling” and is thought to promote focus and concentration in the worshipper. Shuckling is a Yiddish word that means “to shake,” and is based on Proverbs 20:27 where the spirit of man is described as a flickering candle or lamp of the Lord. In any case, this practice involves the whole body in worship. What would it look like if we involved our whole beings in worship?

Today’s beautiful psalm makes the same suggestion. “Let my whole being bless the Lord!” says David. He repeats this idea three times in the first two verses to emphasize his point. Half-hearted, distracted worship is not enough. For David, it is all or nothing.

Psalm 103 (Common English Bible)

Let my whole being bless the Lord!
    Let everything inside me bless his holy name!
2 Let my whole being bless the Lord
    and never forget all his good deeds:

Scholars assume that this psalm was probably written in David’s later years. There is a maturity of thought in this writing, suggesting a man who had been through some trials and is able to reflect on God’s goodness throughout. This man knew what it was like to receive God’s pardon. By including his soul in blessing God, David suggests that we should thank God appropriately for giving us such a comprehensive “benefits package,” the likes of which cannot be given by mere mortals.

God’s benefits package includes forgiveness, healing, protection from destruction, lovingkindness, tender mercies, and a youth-like energy and strength. Indeed, every good thing comes from God, and it is incumbent on us to return those blessings in the form of wholly engaged worship.


3     how God forgives all your sins,
    heals all your sickness,
4     saves your life from the pit,
    crowns you with faithful love and compassion,
5     and satisfies you with plenty of good things
        so that your youth is made fresh like an eagle’s.

But do we do that? Do we engage our minds and souls every Sunday in church? Or do we present our distracted selves, coming automatically every week without engaging our hearts? More importantly, are you holding something back? We are invited to prepare for and engage thoughtfully in worship each week. Are you a candle burning or a spent wick?

David’s enthusiasm for God is contagious if we just let it in. Next time you are getting ready for worship, read these words again. And then bless the Lord with everything you’ve got.

The Temple by Kathy Schumacher

The BE Attitudes

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever woken up with a bad attitude? Maybe your slept poorly, or your first coherent thought was about yesterday’s argument, or maybe your early morning news routine was a bad idea with its foreboding and negativity. For me, a bad attitude then begets a worse day. Everything gets filtered through my mood and things just go south. 

Today’s passage is a reminder that Jesus has a model for what our attitudes should be. In the Sermon on the Mount, he lists eight aspirational characteristics of Kingdom citizens; this is how Jesus wants his people to be. If you adopt his “be attitudes,” they will beget a reward unlike anything we can obtain on earth.

Our Common English Bible translation uses the phrase “Happy are those” in place of the more common “Blessed are you.” To be blessed is to be happy in the present tense, teaching us that these things are both current possibilities and promises of what earthly life in God’s kingdom looks like.

Matthew 5 (Common English Bible)

3 “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.

5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.

6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

7 “Happy are people who show mercy, because they will receive mercy.

8 “Happy are people who have pure hearts, because they will see God.

9 “Happy are people who make peace, because they will be called God’s children.

10 “Happy are people whose lives are harassed because they are righteous, because the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11 “Happy are you when people insult you and harass you and speak all kinds of bad and false things about you, all because of me. 12 Be full of joy and be glad, because you have a great reward in heaven. In the same way, people harassed the prophets who came before you.

Jesus’ message introduces a new kind of kingdom that was radically different than the one they were living in. It was a reversal of everything, where the marginalized and poor are elevated over the wealthy and powerful. He focused on inner transformation and inward righteousness in a society that was still trying to be pure under the Law. He emphasized that happy blessedness comes from a deep and intimate relationship with God, not just the outward appearance of piety. 

Jesus’ blueprint for this new kingdom was counter-cultural in the way that it turned expectations upside down. The poor in spirit receive the kingdom of heaven. The mourners will be made glad. The meek inherit the earth! Hungry people will be filled. Those who have shown mercy will be given mercy. Peacemakers and the pure in heart will enjoy an intimate relationship with God as children of God. And persecution and being reviled for Jesus’ sake turns out to be a good thing that we can rejoice over, as it will usher in a reward from heaven. All they had to do was be everything he described.

It must have sounded crazy to the people gathered on the hillside listening to him preach. All of the existing structures of power, wealth, and authority were undone in that one message. 

This message is timeless for every believer. Do you need to be more righteous? More pure in heart? More hungry and thirsty for God’s word? Be smart and ask God for an attitude adjustment.

Bee Blessed Today by Becca Ziegler

Wise Guys

Posted on by Betsy

Early in my ministry I did prison ministry for about five years. It was eye-opening, important, and terrifying at the same time. I visited a state prison with a death row one time and had to pass through metal detectors, metal doors, and intense security. Guards ushered me into a large open waiting area that spoked off into many different wings. Wide-eyed, I waited for hours to be called. Suddenly I spotted a SWAT team member go through an entryway that hadn’t opened before. Behind the door I could see a large chair with foot rests. Did I just see the electric chair? Why would it be in such a visible place? I couldn’t breathe. In a few minutes he returned in his newly polished boots. The “electric chair” was a shoe-shine perch. Foolish me!

The horror I felt at the very idea of the electric chair is exactly the idea that the Greeks and Jews had of the cross. Public executions by hanging a man on the cross were horrific. The cross became a symbol of deep shame, humiliation, and indecency. 

Paul understood that when he wrote these words to his church in Corinth. Corinth was one of the largest cities of the ancient world and was known for its wealth, prosperity, and growing business sector. It was also known for its debauchery, drunkenness, and loose sexual morals. Paul’s letter in 1 Corinthians is a response to reports he had received regarding some of the behavior in the church. 

In a series of contrasts, Paul draws out an argument to settle their disputes. God chose the foolish over the wise. God chose the weak over the strong. God chose the low class nothings over the affluent somethings. God chose life over death. So preaching Christ crucified is an act of foolishness that has to overcome people’s aversion to the cross. 

1 Corinthians 1 (Common English Bible)

18 The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are being destroyed. But it is the power of God for those of us who are being saved. 19 It is written in scripture: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the intelligence of the intelligent. 20 Where are the wise? Where are the legal experts? Where are today’s debaters? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 In God’s wisdom, he determined that the world wouldn’t come to know him through its wisdom. Instead, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. 22 Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, which is a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.24 But to those who are called—both Jews and Greeks—Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. 25 This is because the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

26 Look at your situation when you were called, brothers and sisters! By ordinary human standards not many were wise, not many were powerful, not many were from the upper class. 27 But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong.28 And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing—to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. 29 So no human being can brag in God’s presence. 30 It is because of God that you are in Christ Jesus. He became wisdom from God for us. This means that he made us righteous and holy, and he delivered us. 31 This is consistent with what was written: The one who brags should brag in the Lord!

Paul once thought the cross was foolish. Nobody hated the cross more than Saul, until that glorious moment when God struck him down and struck him blind on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Three days later he could see the glory of the cross and began preaching “foolishness” from that day. No wise scribe or debater could do what Jesus did on the cross. Paul preached that salvation is not the achievement of human cleverness or wisdom but is the eternal embrace of God’s great love and incomprehensible action at Calvary.

Are you foolish or wise? Are you willing to preach Christ crucified to a generation that wants signs and wisdom? Be a wise guy; people are dying to hear the good news.

Its a Sign

Persons of Peace

Posted on by Betsy

Many years ago I attended a clergy retreat where a speaker introduced us to the concept of a person of peace. Based in Luke 10, a person of peace is someone who welcomes and listens to others and is able to build bridges in a community. They are open and receptive to new ideas and can serve as a doorway to God. We were then asked to identify people who had personally served that function in our own lives, and I immediately thought of a clergy sister who invited me to join her small group the day after I moved into the area, opening the door to new friendships and support. This woman made room for every crazy idea or grievance I had about ministry. She was a deep listener, and I always felt peace in her presence.

The final section of Psalm 37 refers to “persons of peace.” According to David, the future belongs to them. Once again in this psalm, David referred to the righteous and blameless people who will enter in to a place of peace while the future of the wicked will be cut off. For the sixth and final time in this psalm, David states that the future of the wicked is not to be desired. So while we spend time envying the wealth and celebrity of the wicked in the world, we should realize that their fleeting abundance will be cut off like a tree felled by the ax of the Good Woodcutter.

The righteous man and woman are noted for their wise and just words. We realize that wisdom is not just an innate gift of God but also a result of the effort and work we put into knowing God and learning God’s Word. We can’t know wisdom until we learn it. We can’t understand justice until we study it. We can’t learn God’s instruction unless we intentionally read the Bible and engage in corporate study with others. So good for you! You’re actively becoming a person of peace by your reading today. Now be sure to open this to someone else.   

Psalm 37:30-40


The mouths of the righteous recite wisdom;
    their tongues discuss justice.
31 The Instruction of their God is in their hearts;
    they don’t miss a step.
32 The wicked, on the other hand, target the righteous,
    seeking to kill them.
33 But the Lord won’t leave the righteous
    to the power of the wicked,
    and won’t let the righteous
    be found guilty when they are judged.

34 Hope in the Lord and keep his way!
    He will lift you up so you can possess the land.
        When the wicked are eliminated,
        you will see it for yourself!
35 I myself have seen wicked powerful people,
    exalting themselves like a stately cedar.
36 But when I came back, they were gone!
    I looked all over for them,
    but they couldn’t be found!

37 Observe those who have integrity
    and watch those whose heart is right
    because the future belongs to persons of peace.
38 But wrongdoers will be destroyed all together;
    the future of the wicked will be cut short.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
    he is their refuge in times of trouble.
40 The Lord will help them and rescue them—
    rescue them from the wicked—and he will save them
    because they have taken refuge in him.

David’s words make sense in a Christian context as well. People who are open avenues to the Gospel and invite others in will be instrumental in bringing peace and harmony to the world.  David invites us to hope in the Lord and keep God’s ways. When we do, peace is ours not just in the future but in the here and now. Who is your person of peace? Are you a person of peace in your community? 

Persons of Peace by Kathy Schumacher

Easter Monday Blues

Posted on by Betsy

The day has finally arrived and gone. All the plastic eggs and colorful chocolate foil wrappers have been picked up and put away. For the church, this means that the long winter night know as Lent is finally over and we can get back to business as usual. But a well spent Lent leaves a mark on our soul. That is the purpose and intention of Lent. So now that our fasting and self-examination period is over, what’s next? What did we learn? How will we apply Lent’s healing salve on our hearts for the rest of our year? What do we need to do to keep this fire of discipline burning so that our faith won’t dissipate like a vapor?

I think we should start by asking the same question that Hosea did. What does God desire for his people?

Hosea 6:4-6

 Ephraim, what will I do with you?
            Judah, what will I do with you?
    Your love is like a morning cloud,
            like the dew that vanishes quickly.
5     Therefore, I have attacked them by the prophets,
            I have killed them by the words of my mouth,
                and my judgment goes forth like a light.


6     I desire faithful love and not sacrifice,
            the knowledge of God instead of entirely burned offerings.

Hosea was a prophet who served God during the period of the divided kingdom. Civil war had separated the people into the Northern Kingdom of Judah and the Southern Kingdom of Isreal. Political and economic prosperity had led the people to turn away from God and turn toward idolatry, corruption, and spiritual and moral decay. God called Hosea to speak to the people and kings of the Northern Kingdom. The name Hosea means “salvation” and comes from the same root as Joshua and Jesus. Thus he was tasked by speaking the truth of God in an attempt to save the people from themselves.

Hosea is very clear and direct regarding God’s desires, boiling it down to two things: Faithful love and knowledge of God. Truly, if we were to succeed in just these two things we would grow closer to God every day.

The people of that time we so far from God, their love evaporated as quickly as the morning dew and the sunrise clouds. Barely here, they are gone in an instant like the mercy and obedience of the wayward people. While they were consistently bringing animals to sacrifice at the altar, none of them could bring themselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord. They missed what God really wanted from them: A deep, close relationship. 

Jesus quoted Hosea twice in Matthew 9:13 and 12:7. “Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice. I didn’t come to call righteous people, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). It seems that we never learn.

“What will I do with you?” God asks us today. I suggest that as we enter into Eastertide, we keep God’s desires in mind. Let us resolve to show acts of faithful love and mercy every day. Let us resolve to grow in our knowledge of God through faithful worship and Bible study attendance. How will you live up to God’s desires? Make a plan.

Morning Cloud by Michelle Robertson

Sorrowful Friday

Posted on by Betsy

We have finally arrived. Today is Good Friday, the last weekday of our journey through Lent. As a child, I used to wonder why we called it “Good.” It seemed to me the day Jesus died on the cross was anything but good. Easter Sunday? Good. Birthdays? Good. Last day of school? Very good. But the crucifixion? Not so good.

Some believe that it is a variation of “God’s Friday.” In Germany, it is called Karfreitag, or “Sorrowful Friday.” Of course what remains good about today is that God’s plan to save humanity could only come through Jesus’ willing sacrifice, which brought eternal life to everyone. Even though it was horrific by any measure, God indeed used Jesus’ death for the “good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

John 19 (The Message)

28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”

29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

Note that the scripture reads that he offered up his spirit. It wasn’t taken or forced from him, but he offered it. Can you imagine? He did that for you.

38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

Take a look at the detail in the descriptions of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (below). Joseph was a “secret” disciple, because he was intimidated by the Jews. Nicodemus, however, has made the leap from first coming to Jesus in the dark of night to now being able to come in the broad daylight. What are we meant to learn?

Be Nicodemus. Stand in the light and proclaim Christ as Lord. Don’t be intimidated by the secular world or the scorn of non-believers. Share your faith openly and boldly. You have a story to tell….because it doesn’t end with Good Friday.

39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

But for today, we leave Jesus in the tomb. You have to go through Good Friday to get to Easter Sunday.

On this day of sorrows, be mindful of everything it cost our Lord to purchase your salvation. He loves you that much.

It is finished.

Sorrowful Night by Becca Ziegler

“Here!”

Posted on by Betsy

I recently had a fun conversation with a friend from my old church about Christmas Eve services. We were a large church that became huge on Christmas Eve, and at one point we had to offer four services to accommodate all of the worshippers. Calculating the amount of people that I personally would serve at one of three communion stations, my friend estimated that I would need to say, “the body and blood of Christ given to you” several hundred times that night. At our pre-Christmas Eve dinner with church members at our favorite Mexican restaurant, somebody suggested that for the ones gathered there, I could save myself and simply say, “Here!” That got a good laugh. Unfortunately, my oldest daughter was seated at the end of the table and missed the conversation. So imagine her surprise (and displeasure!) when she came forward in Mom’s line and was met with, “Here!”

Think for a moment about the power of taking communion. I bet you have received it in many places and in many forms, from the casual retreat setting to the most formal of presentations in a church. I once took communion at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which may count as the most elaborate setting for communion. But probably the most profound communions I have received have been the day I was confirmed in my childhood church in Gibbsboro, N.J., the first time I served it as a newly ordained pastor at my church in Peachtree City, GA, and serving my grandson his first ever communion in the downstairs hallway of the church. Communion is one of two sacraments in the United Methodist Church, and truly is the place were God meets us right where we are. I hope you feel the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit every time you receive the body and blood of Christ, given for you.

Our passage today marks the moment when the Last Supper became the Lord’s Supper from that night until eternity. Read it and feast:

Mark 14 (New International Version)

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Amidst the disciples’ confusion, Judas’ betrayal, the ritual remembrance of the Passover, (when God delivered his children from death at the last plague in Egypt) and the gathering of friends for one last meal, Jesus abruptly breaks the bread and raises the cup, instituting the new covenant and the Eucharist.

When we gather in our churches tomorrow night for Maundy Thursday services, we will remember this exact moment. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “mandate, command” and refers to the new commandment that followed this evening’s actions, as recorded in John 13:34-35 “34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How well do we follow that new commandment? Do we live up to our communion invitation to participate in Christ by loving as he loved?

I hope you are able to attend a Maundy Thursday service. When you receive that broken body and shed blood, remember the new covenant. Then go out and be the new covenant for the world.

This is my body, broken for you … by Becca Ziegler