Our Special Day of Deliverance - Esther 9:20-22

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the Old Testament, Esther 9:20-22. In this passage of Scripture, we learn how Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther established the days of Purim to remember how their people, the Jews, were saved from annihilation from their enemies in the Persian Empire. We, too, as Christians remember a special time, the Lord's Supper, to remember and celebrate how we were saved from our enemies, sin and death, by the shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember Jesus. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) 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!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Our Special Day of Deliverance." I read from Esther 9:20-22 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

We missed it this year, the celebration of Purim, March 3-4, and Shushan Purim, March 4-5, as prescribed by Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther in 474 BC; it would have been near the 2,500-year anniversary. Since most of us are not Jews, our forgetfulness can be overlooked; nevertheless, we do share something in common with our Jewish neighbors in the celebration of this holiday. On these two days, the Jews celebrate how they were delivered from total annihilation by their enemies in the Persian empire. They remember how their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a celebration. While this holiday was not prescribed by God in the Law, it is a day Jews choose to remember God's great deliverance of their people. For Christians, there is only one special event set aside to remember; it has no set date or time; it seems more like a request than a command. Christians, too, remember the day we were delivered from our enemies—sin and death—and it was made possible because Jesus, the Son of God, offered His life for our life. By His blood that was shed, we can have the forgiveness of our sins and eternal life. We remember His sacrifice on the cross when we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup. If we accept Friday, April 3, AD 33, as the date Jesus was crucified on the cross, this year would be the 1,933-year anniversary of His death, and as of this Sunday, the 104,000-Sunday Christians have assembled to partake of the Lord's Supper. This is the history of our country, our kingdom, our heritage—when we both remember and celebrate how Jesus defeated our enemies and saved us from annihilation. I am thankful we can join with Jesus and remember our special day of deliverance today. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today is a special day for us. We look forward to every first day of the week to meet together as the family of God to remember Your Son, Jesus. Because of His sacrifice, we are saved from death by the forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus. Today, we join together with Christians around the world in remembering Your Son, Jesus. Together, we partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine in the cup to remember His body that was nailed to the cross, and His blood that He shed for us. Thank-you for remembering us, dear God. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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

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, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you 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!