A Maundy Thursday Sermon on 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 and Exodus 12:1-14
(Since I was in the hospital last year for Maundy Thursday, this sermon has been percolating for well over a year. I pray it helps you focus on Christ's promise to you as you receive the Lord's Supper.)
How
long does it take to receive the Lord’s Supper? If you’re one who watches the
clock, you’ll notice that communion adds at least fifteen minutes to the
service. When it’s your turn to come up to the altar, you probably don’t spend
more than two minutes at the rail. The act of actually receiving Jesus’ body and
blood only takes really only takes a few seconds—depending on how long you plan
to chew the bread.
This
evening I’d like us to think about a different time aspect of the Lord’s
Supper—an aspect that will give the few moments we actually spend at the altar
greater significance. A beautiful thing will happen at the Lord’s Altar this
evening. God will connect us with the past, give us His gifts here tonight and
deliver a promise for eternity.
First,
let’s look at the past. When Jesus sat down to institute the Lord’s Supper with
His disciples, it was in the middle of their Passover celebration, which itself
was a connection to the past. We heard in Exodus 12:1-14 about God’s
instructions for the first Passover. These instructions are beautiful because they
point us towards Christ, and even towards the Lord’s Supper.
The
first element listed in Exodus 12 is the lamb—a year old sheep or goat which
was to be killed and the blood spread over the door at twilight. This lamb
would then be roasted and eaten in haste.
The
bread also was a sign of the haste of that night. Instead of waiting for the
yeast to rise, the bread was made without it. The people were to eat it “with
your belt fastened, your sandals on your feel, and your staff in your hand.”
This very night, the events of their deliverance would be set in motion. They
would be free!
Can
you even begin to imagine the joy the people of Israel must have had that
night? Can you imagine how the good news of freedom and life must have rung in
their ears? You can bet that if there was ANY wine in the house, that sucker
got opened before the night was through!
This
was such a wonderful even that God commanded them to do it every year. He says,
“This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to
the LORD; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it
as a feast.”
And
so our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread. The
bread was part of this celebration of what God had done. He took the cup and
gave thanks, just as generations of Israel had for 14 centuries before.
So
we can see there’s a definite connection between the Passover and the Lord’s
Supper. We have the bread and we have the wine accounted for, but something
seems to still be missing in the Lord’s Supper. Where’s the Lamb? Where’s the
blood?
That’s
the beauty of God’s gift for you to tonight. See, God isn’t just giving you a
memorial meal with elements that represent or call to mind Jesus did for you.
Tonight, you get the real thing!
God
calls you tonight, not to bake bread in haste, but to come with haste. The Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world is here for you. He tells you in no
uncertain terms, “this is my body.” God calls you tonight, not to put the blood
of a lamb on your door, but to take and drink the blood of the Lamb shed for
you for the forgiveness of sins.
The
event that happened two thousand years ago and half a world away now comes to
you. This is God’s gift for you, not only tonight but each time you receive the
Lord’s Supper.
It
was clear why the Israelites needed this meal. They were stuck in slavery. They
had lost hope. They have cried out the Lord and now He had remembered His
promise to Abraham and was going into action.
Let’s
make it clear why we need this tonight. Americans hate to admit this, but we
are not free. We may have free will but it is warped. It is twisted. It is hell
bent on satisfying itself with no care whatsoever for God or for others. This
sick twisted will manifests itself more than you are willing to admit!
Think
of all the times you’ve lost hope! How many times have you tried things and it
just didn’t work out? How many times have you turned in on yourself and let
negativity cloud out all of God’s goodness to you? You haven’t been thankful.
You haven’t been looking to Him. You’ve had more fear of the world around you
than you’ve had trust in God.
My
dear friends, these are the exact reasons why Jesus is here for you. This is
why He came. This is why He went to the cross! The slavery and despair where we
find ourselves is actually far more serious than what Israel faced in the
Exodus.
So
Jesus takes what He had given the Israelites fourteen centuries earlier and
shows you how that was just a shadow of what He would do for you. If you think
the deliverance that Israel received was real, just wait to see what Jesus is
going to do for you.
Tomorrow
we’ll watch as He goes to the cross. Instead of bitter herbs there will be
bitter tears. Instead of a lamb on a spit, we’ll see the Lamb of God go to the
cross. Instead of blood spread over the door, we’ll see blood flowing from His
face, His hands, His feet, and His side.
This
is the new covenant in His blood. Here is freedom from your sins. Here is
liberation from bondage. Here is life. It is here for you tonight. All of the
blessings of forgiveness, life and salvation, are here and they are here for
you tonight.
It isn’t just about the
past and tonight. Paul concludes the Words of Institution saying, “For as often
as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until
He comes.” We are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes again.
Just like the
Israelites ate the Passover in anticipation, we receive the Lord’s Supper in
anticipation of what God is still going to do for us. Israel ate the Passover
with belt fastened, staff in hand, sandals on their feet, and ready to go. They
were ready for the Promised Land a new land, promised to their fathers. We
receive Jesus’ body and blood and we are ready to depart this life. We are
ready for the Promised Land—a new creation where all things will be restored.
Whether we depart this life and go to be with Christ or He returns first, we
are ready to go.
That’s why we sing Simeon’s
Song as we leave the table: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace
according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou has
prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the
glory of Thy people Israel.” We’ve seen God’s salvation here and like Simeon of
old, we have held it in our hands. Now we are ready for the resurrection of the
body and the life of the world to come.
But
waiting is sort of like this, eternal life in heaven’s new creation is
described as a wedding reception throughout scripture. You and I have been
invited. The table is set. There’s a place at the table with you name. It was
set for you there when God called your name in baptism.
Now
that you, the invited wedding guests have gathered, you are invited to partake
of appetizers. The appetizer is what you eat while you’re waiting. But this
appetizer is all you need to hold you over until the doors to the banquet hall
are opened and everyone goes in to celebrate with the bride and groom. This
will happen when the groom comes to claim His bride and be with her forever. He’s
the groom and we’re the bride.
That’s what we get
tonight. We get the meal of anticipation. We look back and we look forward at
the same time. All of this is coming together as Jesus meets you here this
evening. Come to His table and receive a meal better than Israel ever hoped
for. Come receive Jesus in your hand, on your lips and tongue. Come, because
your Lord is coming for you. Amen.
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