You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:5-6
An Invitation to Communion
When we come to the table of Christ, we are confronted by mystery — by difficult truths — for we sit at the table of a host who offers himself as the feast.
Jesus explained to the religious leaders: “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:53-58).
This was no simple truth even for those who walked in the physical footsteps of Jesus. The scriptures tell us, “When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’” (John 6:60). Jesus reimagined the traditions of God’s people and marked his followers with a new practice at his table: a sharing of sacrificial love.
When we want a savior to rescue us from all suffering, we are handed broken bread. When we want a victor to give us the kingdoms of the world, we are offered a glass of wine. We are asked to embrace a love we could never deserve. We are called to surrender — to trust our belovedness and belonging at the table of Christ.
We are invited to the deepest of communion: to find ourselves abiding in the bread of life at the table of his people. We receive of his flesh and blood; then we, like him, are taken, blessed, broken, and given infinitely.
