1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NRSV)
Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 on biblegateway.com
Verse 23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, Verse 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Verse 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." Verse 26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Devotion
As a foretaste of the Maundy Thursday to come, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 activates the taste buds with Paul's recitation of Jesus' institution of the Lord's Supper. Bread is broken and ground into mushy goodness by the teeth. Wine is poured and washes lusciously over the lips. Taste and savor that the Lord is good! For even in the shadow of betrayal, on the precipice of unfathomable anguish, God's goodness nourishes the body: your body, our bodies, the body of Christ. We cannot endure the stark reality of Holy Week without the sustenance of this holy meal. For it is true, as often as we bite into this bread-body and quaff the wine-blood, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. This death promises to re-member us to the eternal life of God. The invitation is given. Eat. Drink. For here in bread and wine we taste the extraordinary promise, and we do it all in remembrance of Christ Jesus.
Prayer
You remember us, dearest Jesus, as you set forth the feast of the universe. Help us hear your extravagant invitation to gobble up your promise and gulp down your presence, for these gifts are our food and drink for the hard journey ahead. Amen.