What Wondrous Love is This

 Photo by Bgrace

As I was preparing to share this teaching on Communion, there was a song that was running through my mind as I thought about what I should say.  It's an old hymn that I've always been fond of.

What wondrous love is this oh my soul oh my soul?
What wondrous love is this oh my soul?
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss to bear the dreadful curse oh my soul oh my soul
To bear the dreadful curse oh my soul.

On the night He was betrayed, there were a lot things on Jesus' mind. 
In his gospel, Matthew (26) tells us Jesus knew that night, that He would be betrayed by one of His chosen ones and later crucified. 
Mark (14) tells us Jesus knew that the reason he had been anointed with perfume was for his burial. 
He knew that a man carrying a pitcher of water would help his disciples to set up for the Passover Meal.
He tells us Jesus knew that when when He, the Shepherd, was struck his sheep, the disciples, would scatter, and He would be deserted. 
He knew, that Peter would not only desert Him, but instead of dying for Him as Peter had promised, he would deny he ever knew Jesus.
Jesus knew that He would be raised again, and as John so beautifully lays out for us, Jesus knew that He would be going to his Father. 
There were a lot of things Jesus knew about the circumstances going on about Him. 

On the night he was betrayed, we know that His disciples gathered around Him to celebrate the passover meal.  All of them, the betrayer, the deserters, the denier, the doubter, sat at the table with Him.
And Jesus--knowing what was ahead of him that night, knowing how they were going to respond to the events of the next three days--Jesus has this moment--this opportunity to speak to them.

And this is what He says to them,  (I quote from Luke 22)
"I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you."

On the night He was betrayed, deserted and denied, what Jesus had on his mind was Communion.

What wondrous love is this:

That night, Jesus took the bread into his hands and broke it, and gave it to Peter, and He said,
"This is my body, which is given/broken for you, Do this in remembrance of me.
Communion.

Then he looked at John, the disciple to whom He would soon entrust with the care of Mary, and He said,
"John this cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood.  Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it."
Communion. 

What wondrous love is this?

Paul describes it for us in Romans: 
"You see, at just the right time, while (they) we were sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:6-8)


We as a body of believers in Jesus Christ: followers, disciples, mothers and fathers, employers and employees,  betrayers, deserters, deniers, and new year resolution breakers come to the table with the Lord Jesus this morning. 
On this morning, He has some words for us. 
He says, 
"I have been looking forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat the Passover Meal with you."

He has been looking forward to Communion with us. 

He looks at me, and He looks at you and He knows what is in our hearts, He knows where our footsteps will take us this year, He knows what great assignments He will entrust us with, He know when we will doubt Him, and even the moments we may desert Him, the times we might be tempted to deny Him.
On this morning, He has communion on His mind.

He breaks the bread and holds it out to us and says, This is my body that has been broken for you, eat this meal,drink this cup, remembering me. Remembering MY sacrifice has sealed our covenant, our communion.

What wondrous love is this. 

Spoken in preparation for Communion at New Hope Church

1-2-11