Tag: Last Supper

Acts 2:42 – Community Looks Like This

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

I love this picture of a community. When believers gather, it is special. Our weekly church meetings are nice, but this memory verse for our quiver of truth suggests believers should enjoy so much more. When is the last time you shared a meal with another believer, besides your own family?

Context (Acts 2:42-47): The young church is growing, and here we learn about how the new believers start forming clusters to gather. The church was born so that believers could meet, support, and love each other. Seeing the early church in action can be enlightening for us today. Continue reading “Acts 2:42 – Community Looks Like This”

Mark 14:22-42 – His Last Evening

Read Mark 14:22-42

Jesus spent his last evening with his friends celebrating the Passover meal together. That’s where our story picks up. As we walk through Holy Week, this reading falls on Maundy Thursday. Imagine you were there with Jesus. There’s a lot happening, and we only scratch the surface of what’s yet to come for Jesus that night.

This is a story we read each year during Holy Week, and perhaps other times if we happen to be studying one of the gospels. It’s a story that never gets old. It’s the buildup to what becomes the foundation of our faith. Every second matters. Every second is holy.

Continue reading “Mark 14:22-42 – His Last Evening”

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 – Remember Before It’s Too Late

Read Ecclesiastes 12:1-7

Solomon doesn’t want us to wait too long to remember the importance of God. This passage should speak loudly, even yell, at young people today. Sadly, I could recognize myself in some of the “older” traits Solomon describes here. The outward signs of aging are becoming more of a reality for me. Yet, most of the time, I am in denial that I have reached and passed “middle age.” Thankfully, I remembered long ago how important God is to me. Solomon just confirms that significance.

But whether you are young or old, it is never too late to give devotion to God. He wants to be the ruler of our lives no matter what age we are. I think Solomon worried that the older we get, the more set in our ways we become and making changes can be hard. If we aren’t already remembering God and thinking of him regularly, it can get harder the more time passes.

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Luke 22:7-62 – The Last Meal with Jesus

Read Luke 22:7-62
[long reading alert!]

What would you have to eat if you knew it was your last meal? How fitting that the Passover meal would be Jesus’ last meal! As we continue to journey with Jesus to the cross, today we read about Jesus’ final meal with his followers, also celebrated as the “Last Supper.” You can imagine the aromas of roasted lamb, herbs, and wine mixed with the smoke of the oil lamps lighting the space. Remembering this intimate time Jesus spent with his friends is referred to as “Maundy Thursday” in the Lutheran tradition I’ve known since childhood.

The verses that precede the ones you just read in Luke’s gospel reveal how Satan entered Judas Iscariot to be the one who works with the chief priests to plan Jesus’ arrest. We’ve already seen how those religious leaders have been obsessed with ridding themselves of Jesus. You can imagine how thrilled they were to have one of Jesus’ own followers come forward offering to help…for a price.

Continue reading “Luke 22:7-62 – The Last Meal with Jesus”

Jeremiah 31:31-40 – New Covenant

Read Jeremiah 31:31-40

Hebrew writing with quill and ink

How strange this idea of a new covenant must have seemed to Jeremiah and those first hearing this prophecy. The old covenant had been in place for generations, but it had been broken. As it says in Hebrews 8:7, “If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it.”

Jeremiah speaks of the new covenant that will be ushered in by Jesus himself. Reference to a new covenant speaks of a future far beyond the end of the exile. The hope of restoration will not be fully realized until the Messiah comes.

Continue reading “Jeremiah 31:31-40 – New Covenant”
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