WATCHWORD:
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:26-30
Meditation:
Imperfectly Beautiful
My body is a broken toy and I am imperfectly beautiful. Those might be the words of Angie Ebba, disabled, an artist, a writer and a teacher. In an article on the website Healthline, she started with this statement:
“I am broken. Inflammation attacks my joints and organs, and my vertebrae are slowly knitting themselves together. Sometimes I have panic attacks that morph into seizures brought on by memories of things I can’t seem to erase from my mind no matter the number of therapists I see. There are days where fatigue overwhelms me like an ocean wave and I’m unexpectedly struck down.”
It is her reality. Her story is inspiring and offers encouragement for all of us who age, become infirm, forgetful, or acquire debilitating illnesses. Each of us is imperfectly beautiful, with unaffected talents and gifts. We see that in people we hold special, in the way they manage life or the loss of loved ones.
We, like Angie Ebba, are given a mission and are equipped to carry out that mission. Sometimes that equipping is painful, sometimes the equipping takes a long time and comes with age. Oftentimes the equipping comes from our embracing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
We think of another broken body, and we hear those words, “This is my body broken for you…” those words should resonate with us. Each word has meaning. This is my body, we are told, because it is a body that has been placed before us by God for us to learn, for us to realize what our Lord and Savior went through for us. We are the beneficiaries of that tragic and blessed investment.
This is your body, this is our body, this is love in a broken body. Those other words, for you should also resonate with us because what happened on that cross was personal. It was personal to you and it was personal to me. In my fiction book, A Life for Barabbas, I imagine that Barabbas has an encounter with Jesus on Calvary, a silent glance, unspoken but with meaning and it changed a life. In truth, there were lives changed by Jesus, that saved a thousand Christian lives just ahead of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the slaughter of 100,000 Jews.
What about you and your encounter with Jesus, there on Calvary? Where are our thoughts when we hear His words, “This my body being broken for you”? Do we rate the quality of the wine? Or, with tears, do we truly imagine that this is the blood of my Christ. Please… In the symbolism of a wafer, gluten-free of course, representing the body of our beloved, Lord and Savior… Again, please.
But it’s not the elements of the Sacrament, it’s the mindset of those of us partaking. This broken body we worship is not a toy, it is a precious gift beyond our understanding. May our minds focus on the cross and the realization that His spirit dwells within us. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Your spirit is a two-edged sword. It can cut away life’s troubles and leave you happy on top of the world. Or it can slice your soul to where your pain cannot be described. It is your wisdom to keep your spirit with all diligence, so that you can use it for your profit.
A wounded spirit is more painful than a wounded body, for the spirit is more vital to your happiness. If the spirit is wounded and hurting, it does not matter how healthy and strong your body might be. If you allow any difficulty or sorrow to gain the victory over your spirit, the crushing pain can be intolerable.
Ruled and directed by wisdom, your spirit can help you survive any difficulty. Ruled and directed by the Spirit of God, you can be cheerful in any adversity.
Holy Spirit:
Holy Spirit, make me so dead to self and so embracing of the cross that I have no shame on judgement day in how I handled difficulty, self-denial, persecution, misunderstanding, sacrifice, suffering and the burdens of life and ministry. May the crucified life develop in me an unshakable fortitude. By Your empowerment, I will face Jesus with confidence knowing that I embraced His cross and the call to deny myself. I will walk in the blessing that You freely give, but I will also walk through this life carrying the cross of Christ. Let my unwavering fortitude and relentless commitment to Your purposes be a sign to the world that the gospel is true, and that they must repent. May my abandonment to Jesus attract people to Him. Also birth within the church this same commitment. Make us a world-wide community of sold-out saints. Birth this grace within me and within the church in Jesus name, amen.
