Devotion - 4 February - Spiritual Eating

A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin for today.  We continue our sermon series “S is for Sacred”. Man is a sacred creation of the King of Kings. The prayer comes from the LSB, page 1641.

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. 20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.” 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

We have been discussing how you are a sacred creation, and today we discuss how God provided us a means of Sacrament in worship that symbolizes His sacrifice for our salvation. The Last Supper, Jesus’ final meal that is shared with His disciples, is described in all four Gospels and in Paul’s first Epistle to the Corinthians. Likely the early Christians told this Passover meal story in reverence and it shaped the way that they worshipped, it became the Lord’s Supper. Some refer to it as Communion. When I think of the definition of “communion”, outside of religious terms, it means the sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings. As the church worships and unites the entire congregation of believers in the Lord’s Supper, I can imagine a unification and strengthening of the congregation in terms of “inward, outward, and around.” Inward, as we examine ourselves in terms of our hearts and lives and confess our sins before God. Outward, as we proclaim the Lord’s death and our Salvation to a world dying in sin. Around, as we proclaim the church community that makes corporate worship possible. The next time that you participate in The Lord’s Supper, I ask you to visualize the in, out, and around aspects. You will see the entire congregation united in an uncommonly sacred meal.