"A Meal to Remember" Maundy Thursday Service

Maundy Thursday Service 2010

"A Meal to Remember"

First Baptist Church Family Life Center

New Castle, Indiana

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

April 1, 2010

· Ken will welcome people and invite them into sacred space & open in prayer

· Opening Songs (Ken and team lead us in Wonderful, Merciful Savior and The Wonderful Cross; then the Choir performs "How Beautiful")

Welcome to this very special night that we call Maundy Thursday. This is the night that Jesus Christ washed his disciples feet and showed them the true heart of a leader; the heart of servant!

This is the night that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. This is the night that Jesus Christ was betrayed into the hands of sinful man and was led out of the Garden of Gethsemane like a sheep to be slaughtered.

Tonight, we are centering our worship around the Lord's Table toward which we will approach later in the service when we enter into sacred time as we join with the generations of Jesus followers that have come before us and commemorate this sacred ordinance of the church we call communion.

Matthew 26:26-29 narrates Jesus' words at the Last Supper, "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.'"

[pick up bread] What does it mean when Jesus Christ took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and then gave it to his disciples saying 'Take and eat; this is my body?

The Bible declares that we were bought at a price and that price was the broken body of Jesus Christ! Jesus paid the price for us to have freedom and life eternal! Eternal Life for us is only possible because of the broken body of Jesus Christ.

From traditional images we see wounds to His hands and feet and even the spear wound to His side. But do we realize the depth and extent of the wounds that were actually made in his body. A hammer driving large nails through the wrist, the feet overlapped and an even larger nail hammered through the arches, then a Roman guard piercing His side with a spear.

And before the nails and the spear Jesus was whipped and beaten. The whipping was so severe that it tore the flesh from His body.

The beating so horrific that His face was most likely deformed beyond recognition with a crown of thorns cutting deeply into His scalp.

Why such a great cost? What are we forgiven from?

The Bible declares, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus was beaten, brutalized, scorned and rejected, spat upon and humiliated, He was crucified with his body was twisted and scared, beaten and flogged so that we could be forgiven from our sins and the sin that corrupts every member of the human race as the consequence of our rebellion! Jesus gave up His body as the indescribable gift from God so that we may have eternal life!

When we partake of the bread, we are remembering the great cost of our salvation--the broken body of Jesus Christ. Freedom is not free! We were bought at a price!

[pick up cup] What does it mean when Jesus Christ took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'?

Jesus was to be nailed to the cross by His hands and feet. Each nail was 6 to 8 inches long and driven into his broken body.

The nails were driven into His wrists tearing tendons and piercing arteries and veins so that Jesus had to use His back muscles to support himself so that He could breath. All the while His blood poured out.

Then both of His feet were nailed together forcing Him to support Himself on the single nail that impaled His feet to the cross. Jesus could not support himself with His legs because of the pain so He was forced to alternate between arching His back then using his legs just to continue to breath. Imagine the struggle, the pain, the suffering, the focus and courage.

Jesus endured this reality for over 3 hours. Can you imagine this kind of suffering? I for one cannot!

A few minutes before He died, Jesus stopped bleeding. He was simply pouring water from his wounds. Jesus Christ had no more blood to bleed out; He gave all that He had; every drop!

The human adult body contains about 1.5 gallons of blood and Jesus poured all 1.5 gallons of his blood; He had three nails hammered into his body; a crown of thorns on his head and, beyond that, a Roman soldier who stabbed a spear into his chest.

Every ounce of blood was poured out so that your sins and mine could be "washed" away. Every sin--past, present, and future--has been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ! He died for you and me to have right standing with God and be able to have eternal life through faith!

Through faith in who Jesus Christ is as the Son of God and what He did for us on the Cross of Calvary, we are washed clean...as white as snow...we are now righteous as He is righteous.

This is not a temporary cleansing that can be undone; this is a permanent covenant sealed by the blood of the Son of God between God and humanity. Not because we are worthy, but because of He who shed His blood for us! He is worthy! Worthy is the Lamb of God!

When we partake of the cup, we are remembering the life source of the Son of God that was spent so that we can have life; we are remembering that God is faithful for all of eternity and through faith nothing in this life can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

And every time we partake of the bread, the broken body of Christ, and drink of the cup, the shed blood of our Jesus, we proclaim the Lord's sacrificial death for our sins until the day of His return.

That will be the glorious day when Jesus drinks this covenant meal with us anew in the Kingdom of God; the Father's kingdom. That is when we will see Jesus Christ face to face and we will be glorified as He is glorified!

As we prepare our hearts to partake of this sacred ordinance of the church of Jesus Christ, let's not do so lightly. We do not want you to rush forward or feel like you have to wait in line to get the elements; rather, we invite you into sacred time where all that exists is God and He is inviting you into His presence to commune. We invite you to stay a while and rest; to talk with God and connect with His higher thoughts for your life; we invite you to take time to listen to the Holy Spirit and hear God's good word for you. Maybe He is inviting you to recommit to Him and get right in your relationship. Possibly, you need to spend time in confession and repentance prior to partaking.

If you have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ then God is inviting you to spend time with Him and to remember the covenant that He has established with you through the broken body and shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ. This is a meal of remembrance and this is a meal of recommitment!

This is a time to remember when you first asked Jesus Christ in your life; of your baptism; and of all the memories you share of God's personal presence in your life. This is a time of personal intimacy with the God who made you.

If you do not yet know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then tonight is the night to stop playing church and to start your new life with God through what Jesus did for you on the Cross. Communion is only for those who have asked God to be their personal Lord and Savior through Jesus Christ. I am going to have a prayer and give each of us a chance to make that decision.

We will have three communion tables up front so that when you are ready you can move toward the Lord's Table. An elder will offer you a plate with bread on it; you are invited to take a piece of bread. Then, you will be directed to the cup. Please dip your piece of bread in the cup so that it absorbs the juice, then partake. Once you have partaken you are invited to return to your seat or pray at up front where you can continue to reflect, remember, and praise God.

After we spend time partaking and reflecting, Pastor Ken and his team will return to close in songs of celebration. We are in sacred space and sacred time! Let us pray.

Prayer (first time decision & sacred space)

· Response with the people getting up and walking forward to communion tables (3 tables up front (one in the center, one to the left, and one to the right) with an elder behind each table serving the elements one person a time. When he serves the bread stating, "the body of Christ broken for you" and when he serves the cup, "the blood of Jesus shed for you" or some variation.)

· During response time having contemplative songs playing creating a sacred space for people to partake of the Lord's Supper (Ken created a CD with this music so all can participate in communion response).

· Closing songs (Ken and team lead us with "Amazing Love (You are My King)")