Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
The purpose of my podcast is to help individuals, groups and churches observe the Lord's Supper. The podcast includes a relevant portion of Scripture, brief commentary, prayer, and participation in partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
His Unfailing Love - Psalms 103:8-18
Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Psalms 103: 8-18. In this psalm, King David is filled with praise for the LORD for His unfailing love. We should join in praise with King David as we see all of God's promises guaranteed by the blood of His Son, Jesus. All Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission
As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!
Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "His Unfailing Love." I read from Psalms 103:8-18. All quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission.
8 The LORD is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
9 He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
10 He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
11 For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
12 He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
13 The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
14 For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
15 Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
16 The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
17 But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18 of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!
David begins his psalm with this verse, "Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name." From that awesome beginning, he goes on to tell us why his heart is filled with praise, and why we should join with him in this praise. But that it is simply not enough praise for the Lord. I can picture David looking up to the heavens with uplifted arms as he says, "Praise the LORD, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the LORD, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!" He enjoins the host of heaven to join him in praising the Lord! I am not a psalmist, but I think I know how David feels. As I was looking upward at the nighttime sky this past evening, Sagittarius was in plain view, readily recognizable by the teapot asterism in the constellation. When you are looking toward the teapot, you are looking towards the center of our Milky Way galaxy, a mere 150,000 trillion miles away. Yes, that is an amazing number, but only a fraction of the distance the heavens are above us, and too small to describe how great God's unfailing love is towards those who fear him. If I charted a jet plane to take me towards the West in search of the East and my sins, I would fly in circles for infinity and never find them. But's that the point, I would never find either of them; East never meets West, and God has forgiven my sins. I was fortunate to live in the great state of Texas for eleven years while serving in the Army. One sight I will always remember is the beautiful wildflowers that bloom everywhere in the Spring, but the wildflower of distinction is the bluebonnet, the State flower of Texas for over a hundred years. The problem with bluebonnets; however, is that they just don't last long enough. In no time at all, they are gone, completely out of sight until next year. David tells us we are not like the wildflower, here today and gone tomorrow. We remain, we are saved and live on, and so does the love of God for us! David was both King and prophet, and he described both what he experienced and observed. As we all know, this was just a glimpse of the glory to come. All of these wonders were realized in Jesus because in Him, God would keep all of His promises. These wonders in the heavens and on the earth below are just reminders of who God is and how much He loves us. Likewise, the bread and the wine are reminders of the suffering Jesus experienced that we might have these promises. We, too, sing with David, " Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name." 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. Abba, Father. You are simply amazing; You are beyond description. We look to the heavens above and the earth below to find metaphors to help us understand the height and depth of Your love for us. Nothing reminds us of Your love for us more that partaking of the bread and drinking wine from the cup. Thank-you, Abba, Father, that all Your promises are fully guaranteed by the blood of Jesus. 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."