Rest: Lounging at a Table

Summer 2021 I was asked to lead communion for a worship and prayer service on a Sunday evening. All day as I was praying for the service, I kept feeling the LORD’s encouragement to read the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s, account of the Last Supper. As I was reading, I kept wrestling with this line from the liturgy and wondered why it started with, “On the night Jesus was betrayed….” Now here is the deal, I know this is true and that the Last Supper/First Communion was the night Jesus was betrayed, but what I was reading was full of love, joy, and excitement. Jesus could not wait to have that Passover meal with all his disciples. Jesus made sure there was intentionality and preparation. Jesus made sure that each person there felt loved, known, and accepted. EVERY PERSON!

To be honest, when I read this, I was so taken back. The joy of communion is the remembrance of what Jesus had done for us, but the communion often felt solemn not celebratory. Jesus had a meal prepared to celebrate with those he loved. Jesus had intentionally planned so that everyone could feast together with food, conversation, drinks, laughter. They lounged around a table and lingered together. Their feasting was amid resting. It was not performing, it was not achieving, it was not racing, it was not demanding. It was, however, inviting, sharing, encouraging, listening, learning, respecting, honoring, and loving.

I realized after noticing that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) not only wants us to partake in communion, but he wants us to understand its fullness. He wants us to lounge with Him and recognize his love, honor, respect, encouragement, invitation, desire to learn with, hope to share with, and need to listen to those he loves. He wants to celebrate with us and linger with us. He wants us to sit and be with no need to perform, no need to achieve, no need to race off. Because of this Communion that Sunday evening was in the context of a story that we got to put ourselves into. Would you consider taking a moment to break from your busy so that you can enter in today?! Maybe you want to grab wine, juice, bread, or crackers. Maybe you just want to read and imagine. Either way… May we, together, encounter Jesus, as we reflect on significance and power of communion this Maundy Thursday (Command Thursday: “Love one another as I have loved you.”).

You had been traveling for three years with Jesus. This last trip has been especially long and tiresome. You like the others have walked a lot, served a lot, and have learned a lot. Because you are still traveling, this year’s Passover Meal, will be spent on the road. You are not sure where or how, but you are sure you must celebrate it. It is one of your favorite celebrations: the day the spirit of death passed by the houses with the lamb’s blood on the door posts. It was significant for you and your family. The people around you have become dear friends much like family and although you are not with your immediate family this was going to be the next best thing. Finally, the caravan of people stops, and Jesus looks at everyone and shares the plan, he is specific about what to look for and where to go so that the Passover meal would be set, by no surprise everything is exactly as he tells us. After preparing you take a break to rest and get yourself ready.

As you are away from the others your mind begins to reflect on the last few days. You think about how some of your friends have gotten on your nerves. You think about how you had a short temper. You think about how all of you traveling together must be comic relief for anyone watching all. Eventually, your mind wonders about why Jesus chose all of you. You are all so different. You think different, act different, are in different socioeconomic classes. You plan differently, care about different things. There really are more differences than similarities but then you remember there is one thing that is not different… Jesus called each of you!

As you walk to the dinner you can see the village is full of celebrations. The colors are bright, the fragrances are rich, the world feels alive! You step in and Jesus greets you:

“I am so excited you are here. The meal is ready. Come let me wash your feet and then you can take a seat."

You suggest that our servant should wash your feet instead and Jesus says: “I let everyone have the evening off. They are with their families tonight. Tonight, I wanted it just us.” He looks around and you follow his gaze.

Just us you think, you cannot remember the last time it was “Just Us.” But you are ok with it and if you are honest, you have wanted this moment for a long time.

Jesus turns to everyone as you find your place at the table and says: “Welcome to our Passover Meal. I have been looking forward to this meal for an exceptionally long time. The last three-years have been full and rarely do we get to spend time together just us, but tonight will be that night. I have some things planned as we feast together but first, I want us to eat and enjoy. Remember we have nothing to do tonight… we just get to be together. Let us pray: Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

You all look at each other and then look at the table: it is full… which is good because everyone is hungry. Everyone reaches in and begins to feast.

The meal is winding down when Jesus looks at everyone and begins to bless them. His words are specific, his eyes are gentle. He is calling out all the beautiful things he has seen in each person. He gets to you and shares: __________________. (What do you hear God say to you in this moment?)

When he finishes blessing each person he picks-up some bread, broke-it and then passed it out and says: "This is my body, which will be broken for you. Take and eat it.” (Take and eat your bread.)

Jesus then held up a cup of wine and says: “This cup represents my blood. Each of you must drink of it in fulfillment of the covenant. For this is the blood that seals the new covenant. It will be poured out for many for the complete forgiveness of sins.” (Take and drink from your cup.) And together they entered a covenant, trusting that Jesus was for them and was there to protect them. Together everyone thanked God in prayer and with celebration for his faithfulness and provisions.

May we be a people that rests assured in the faithfulness and provisions of God.