This week is Holy Week. I would like to focus in this week’s devotional on Christ’s last meal with His disciples, which we celebrate on Maundy Thursday. Jesus said to His disciples as they met together for the Last Supper in Matt. 26: “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 supper saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.,’ My friends, Jesus says to us come and eat all is ready, come not because you deserve it, not because you have earned it, come because it is freely given. Yes, like it or not, we come to this supper as helpless, lost sinners. We come not deserving but accepting. We come to this grace banquet to celebrate God’s victory, not ours. We come to celebrate our humanity in Christ. ’Whose we are’ not how are we doing. We come, we are invited by God through Christ to come and eat and and drink not because we are so great, but because the great love God has for us. We come though we have ignored God, turned against him, cursed him, used him, taken advantage of him, become angry with Him. He still invites us, He still accepts us at His table, as we are.
We come, because of Christ as forgiven people, who are nourished, renewed and refreshed as we celebrate our humanity in Christ who has freed us from ourselves. We come not as perfect people, but as forgiven people. Here we come in celebration of the imperfect–those who make mistakes, stray from the straight and narrow, foul up relationships, offended, tramp on toes, blow the whole thing. We come in celebration as we live in our brokenness, our low self-esteem, our questions, our feelings of unfairness with life, we come not as people who have control of life but as people who have lost control, and have surrendered life to Christ. We come as people who are sorry for our mistakes and are tired of running our lives by ourselves. We come as people who are celebrating the grace of God through the body and blood of Christ. But the invitation is always come…come…come. Amen! – Rev. Rob Pesola