Gospel Reading: Luke 22:14-20                     

When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving 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.” Then he took a loaf of 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 he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

 

Sermon: Giving Thanks

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He gave thanks twice. Jesus gave thanks before breaking the bread and before drinking the wine. When do you give thanks? Do you give thanks before your meals? Before bed? When?

Perhaps the most important truth about giving thanks is that our primary reason for giving thanks is God’s grace to us. Giving thanks is a major theme from beginning to end of the Bible, and can be seen in the sequence of sacrifices and offerings in the Old Testament. It appears that offerings of thanksgiving tend to come at the end of the sacrifice and are a culmination of worship. An important part of giving thanks is simply remembering the truth about God. We are fallen, finite, people who can easily forget. We need to hear the truths about God and be thankful to Him by practicing the disciplines of prayer and Bible reading daily, and in corporate worship celebrating the sacrament of Holy Communion. 

I love the fact that Jesus chose to use the most common foods possible. Bread and wine have been the most available elements to nourish humankind in virtually every culture and every society on every continent throughout history. After being ground, individual grains of wheat are brought together into a single loaf. After they are crushed, individual grapes lose their identity and become one. When we partake of Holy Communion, we not only express our oneness with our Lord, but our oneness with each other as we eat of the same loaf and drink of the same cup. Let us give thanks to God for this Holy Mystery. 

 

Blessings on the journey!