Pastoral Devotion for April – Receive the Lord

Read Luke 22:14-23 In the hours before Jesus was lifted up upon the cross, he gathered his closest friends around the table and poured out the Spirit of God’s love. In the meal they shared, Christ made himself truly available to them, filling them with the hope of God’s kingdom.
The disciples could not yet understand, but Christ’s assurance was there; “This is my body which is given for you.” On the eve of Christ’s victory over sin and the grave, finally, reconciliation between God and man was at hand.
Today, we live as God’s redeemed people; through Christ, sin no longer has power over us. Nowhere is this made more visible than as we share the meal of our faith. The same assurance, the same spirit of love, the same Lord Jesus is present with us as he was present with the twelve.
As we approach God’s table of grace, we bring only that which we can truly call our own. With extended hands, the nakedness and shame of our sin is laid to bear at the foot of Christ’s cross. Yet, our Lord welcomes us to the feast. Our sin stained hands are extended – seeking refreshment, fulfillment, forgiveness. And like the disciples, we receive our Lord as we hear the words of Christ, “This is my body given for you.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for this bread and this cup, through which you fill us with your grace. Amen.