Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The Golden Rule Lived

Loma H. Season 2 Episode 41

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The meditation today comes from the New Testament, Matthew 7: 12. All quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.

My hope is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "The Golden Rule Lived." I read from Matthew 7: 12. All quotations are from the New Living Translation and are used with permission.


12 “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets."

 

On a mountain near the sea in the region of Capernaum, Jesus shared some profound words with the assembled crowd. These profound words are now known as the Sermon on the Mount. At the conclusion of His sermon, the crowd was amazed at His teaching for He taught with real authority. I envision this to mean that He was as certain of the truth of His teaching as the solid ground upon which He was standing. There He defines what has become The Golden Rule—do to others what you would like them to do to you. This means, for example, if you desire mercy and grace when you make mistakes, then be the person who shows mercy and grace towards others when they make mistakes. When Jesus said (Matthew 22: 39) the second most important commandment was, "Love your neighbor as yourself," The Golden Rule simplifies knowing who our neighbor is and how we are to act toward them. As Jesus continues to speak to the crowd, He describes the person who chooses to follow The Golden Rule. This person is the one who chooses to enter by the narrow gate and walks the narrow difficult road. This person is a good tree that produces good fruit, who does the will of the Lord, who is known by Him, and is welcomed into the kingdom of God. This person is the one who builds a house on solid rock, which stands firm when the rains and floods and winds come. What makes these words so powerful and enduring is that they are not just words. These words describe the life of our Savior, Jesus, the rule He lived by. He was an example for us to follow. Jesus said (John 15: 13), "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends," and this is exactly what He did. In response, He challenges us to lay down our lives for Him by following His example. For some, this choice has meant actually giving up their life for their faith in Jesus. Today, it is such a small thing for us to meet to break bread and drink wine to remember what Jesus has done for us. After all, He remembered us when He offered his life on the cross. Let us pray.

 

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for The Golden Rule that guides our actions as we seek to do Your will in our lives. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for the example of Jesus is showing us how such a life is lived. We remember Your Son just now, the one who gave His life for humankind, the ultimate gift of love for those who He created. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

 

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

 

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!