Christ Church Daily Devotion May 26 2024

Jesus and his apostles gathered to eat the Passover meal. Jesus said he eagerly desired to eat it before suffering. He took the cup and divided it among them, saying he won't drink again until the kingdom of God comes. He took bread, gave thanks, and said it was his body given for them. After supper, he took the cup and said it was the new covenant in his blood. Today, we will remember this moment in our worship services. The focus is on who was at the table with Jesus, including Matthew the tax collector and Simon the zealot. It might have been a struggle for Simon to be with Matthew, but Jesus invited them all to follow him. The church should represent the Lord by accepting and loving others. The personal worship option is to find and sing a prayer hymn called "Help us accept each other." It asks for acceptance to change us and for new eyes and hands to help those in need. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for May 26, 2024. Today we will be reading from Luke chapter 22, verses 14 through 20. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And 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 again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God. After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread. He gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Today in our worship services, we will be invited to come to Jesus' table and receive his meal of grace. Our scripture focus will be Luke's description of that moment when Jesus blessed and distributed the bread and wine to his disciples, inviting them to remember him as they received these elements. However, my primary focus will be on who was at the table with him. Earlier this week, we looked at the listing of the disciples, particularly noting that Matthew the tax collector and Simon the zealot were among Jesus' disciples. So they were at the table with Jesus that night. I wonder about how long it took Simon to get over the struggle with being at the same table with Matthew. To be a zealot would have meant that he absolutely hated tax collectors who worked for the Roman government. They were seen as traitors, and a true zealot would look for any opportunity to kill one of them. I wonder when Jesus first convinced him to stop thinking, I cannot stand to be in the same room with that man. I'm sure there were other differing issues among the disciples as well, and Jesus invited them all to follow him and to eat at his table. What might it look like today for the church to still represent our Lord in this way? Your personal worship option today. One of my favorite prayer hymns was written by Fred Kahn in 1974. I invite you to find all four verses. Help us accept each other, but we'll just share the last two here. Let your acceptance change us so that we may be moved in living situations to do the truth in love, to practice our acceptance until we know by heart the table of forgiveness and laughter healing art. Lord, for today's encounters with all who are in need, who hunger for acceptance, for righteous and bread, we need new eyes for seeing, new hands for holding on, renew us with your spirit. Lord, free us, make us one.