September 3, 2017 – “The Table”

: As we gather on this communion Sunday….

“

(1Co 11:23 NKJ)

: It is after this mean that Jesus shares with his disciples, and after His death and resurrection that we find Jesus ever so graciously coming to remind not just the disciples of what he had instituted and promised.

I love the setting!

It is into this sort of context that Jesus decides to make an appearance to remind and reassure!

: Anyone need reminders and reassurance this morning?

This morning it is my desire to remind you and encourage you about a couple of things as we gather around / in the communion table.

First of all I love that the Lord’s table is a table of GRACE.

Those to whom Jesus appears and invites, and sits at the table are always people whom are invited because of God’s grace.

As at the Communion table on the night of his betrayal, all those there, even Judas, could have access to God because of his grace.

What is grace?

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award—yet receives such a gift anyway—that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

: An advertisement on the side of a pulmber’s van in South Africa:  There is no place too deep, too dark or too dirty for us to handle.  What a wonderful explanation of the Gospel!

: The second point I’d like to make about the Lord’s table is that it is a table of blessing.

The Lord’s table is a table of thanksgiving which then is translated into all kinds of understanding and I’ll use the word, “Blessings.”

{yoo-khar-is-teh’-o}

1) to be grateful, feel thankful 2) give thanks

When Jesus broke the bread at the table and blessed it, and gave it to them,

says that,

– Sermon on the Mount & The Beatitudes

{mak-ar’-ee-os}

1) blessed, happy

What about the

of God?

 is the result and status of having received a blessing; a manifestation of divine grace.

In the Bible, the word 

 is most commonly used to refer to a 

, one of well‑being, tranquility, prosperity, and security, circumstances unblemished by any sort of defect.

In inquiring about the peace of one’s fellow, one inquires as to whether things fare well with him. (In a borrowed sense, we read: “

…

“; “David asked of him…

” [II Samuel 11:7].)

The usage of the term is thus not restricted to international, intergroup, or interpersonal relations. It signifies a state of prosperity, of blessed harmony, on several levels, physical and spiritual.

Of course, 

also denotes the opposite of war, as in “a time for war, and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8), for the absence of war, too, suggests an orderly, prosperous, and tranquil state of affairs.

In several scriptural passages the word 

refers to a value, and is used in the sense of equity, or loyalty (cf. Zechariah 8:16; Malachi 2:6).

You see when Jesus sat at the table and showed himself (again) what he was offering was a table of Blessing & Peace.

: The last piece for today has to do with the table being a Table of Promise.

As with every person then and now, being in relationship with Jesus brings us into promise.

“As often as you do, do this “

.”

A promise that he will someday return and make good for eternity all that He came to be and to do.

While we wait, we also come to appreciate that He makes a promise to…

: Jesus has always desired to reveal himself around the act of what He did around a Table of brokenness.

As we gather to remember, let’s remember, it’s a table of grace, a table of blessing and a table of promise!