These are Jesus' words as he lifted the bread above His precious head during the final Passover meal of his ministry. These are the words I will speak early tomorrow morning as I lift the bread and wine at the altar in Murrayhills Christian Church.
How long I have waited to share this meal with you! I have dreamed of this very moment from the time I was three years old.
This is what has been going through my mind ever since I was asked to lead communion and to speak the words of institution over the bread and wine on this day. I have an almost child-like giddiness bubbling up within my spirit as I contemplate the honor I have been given by being asked to preside at the Table. Like the great women of old: Miriam, the first worship leader of Israel after the Exodus; Hannah, the barren woman giving thanks for the gift of a child of promise and prophecy; and Mother Mary, giving thanks for the salvation of all humankind, my spirit is filled with songs of praise and joy at the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
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| Eucharist - A Meal of Thanksgiving - Photo by Trista Wynne |
You don't yet know the importance of this meal. You've been celebrating it all your lives, and yet the Spirit of God still has more light to shed on your hearts and minds. Our Beloved in Heaven is working, even in this very moment, to bring the Kingdom of Peace and Love to the earth through you. And it starts here, with this bread, with this wine, with the sharing of this meal. The Kingdom of God begins with you.
