Maundy Thursday

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This is the devotion I wrote for the Hollywood UMC's Lenten booklet this year:

I Corinthians 11: 23 – 26

Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

Food and church have always been linked for me. I grew up attending potlucks, UMM brunches, pancake suppers, UMW salad luncheons, spaghetti fundraisers, and eating my share of funeral potatoes (cheesey potatoes with a potato chip topping that go well with funeral ham). And these meals always had the same thing in common: during them I was in community with my family. But not just my immediate family, my mother and father and sister, like a normal mealtime, but with my extended family, my church family. And this shaped me into the person I am today. It taught me that meals shared with loved ones are never just about the food. They’re also about the laughter, the tears, the arguments and the stories. They’re about sharing your life, sharing your heart. They’re about remembering what’s important in life.

Jesus knew this last supper, recounted in I Corinthians, was important. He tried to share that with His family, His disciples. Did they understand? It’s hard to really know. Do we ever understand what’s important at the time? Do we ever look around when sharing leftovers with our family or eating a burger at In and Out with friends and realize how very special this moment really is? Do we give those intimate times of community the importance they deserve? No. We eat and drink and laugh and then wash the dishes. I wonder if the disciples remembered Jesus’ wish as they cleared the dishes and washed the cups: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

As we move through the next few days, enduring Good Friday so we can get to the celebration of Easter morning, I want to remember Jesus’ words. I want to remember them whether I’m dipping my bread in the grape juice on the first Sunday of every month in worship or I’m sharing a can of soup with my sister or I’m chatting over cheeseburgers at Mel’s with friends after church. I want to remember that each meal, each moment, shapes my life, my relationship with Christ. And that His words are a reminder and a blessing.

Prayer:

Dear Lord,

Help us to remember you are with us, not just in the pews at church but at dinner tables and breakfast spots and even in our cars when we’re chugging energy drinks to make it to the next appointment. Help us to remember to remember you too.

Amen.