table talk

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Just a quick reminder that there is no supper and scripture tonight, but everyone is invited to our potluck supper and worship service tomorrow evening beginning at 6pm in Christler Hall. Today's reading begins the story we'll focus on tomorrow: Jesus' last supper with his disciples. It's hard to imagine what it would be like for those disciples. They were surrounded by the excitement of the big city and Jesus had been welcomed like a king. Now they were celebrating the Passover, remembering God's liberation of Israel from Egypt. 


At the same time, Jesus kept talking about his death, and the conflict with the religious leaders was getting worse. At the meal Jesus starts talking about being betrayed by one of his closest followers. This is a powerful week in our faith story; I pray it's a powerful week for you personally.

God bless,
Sam

Mark 14:12-21

12On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 13So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "'Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." 16So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

17When it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me." 19They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, "Surely, not I?" 20He said to them, "It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. 21For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born."

first Passover

Good morning brothers and sisters,
Today as we reflect on labor we're grateful for the labor movement that has furthered the cause of equality for workers. We also remember, especially now, that we have a long way to go. We remember those who want to work but can't and those who work so much that they can't rest.

Moses tells the Israelites how to mark their homes so God's destroying angel won't kill their first born sons along with the Egyptians. It's interesting too that even in the midst of this moment of trial and liberation God has Moses set the Passover up as a permanent tradition rather than a one time thing. The role of tradition is to keep reminding us of how God has saved us in the past to keep us humble and grateful. May we always remember God's love for us.

God bless,
Sam

Exodus 12:21-28

21Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go, select lambs for your families, and slaughter the passover lamb. 22Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood in the basin. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning. 23For the Lord will pass through to strike down the Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down.



24You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children. 25When you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance. 26And when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this observance?’ 27you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the Lord, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.’“ And the people bowed down and worshiped. 28The Israelites went and did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron.

Passover and conflict

God morning sisters and brothers,
Thanks to Robyn Fitzgerald for getting tickets for us to watch a great baseball game last night. It was a fun night out on a perfect evening. Our Old Testament reading this morning gives us God's instructions for Moses and Israel about the Passover and how to remember it. Not only was the Passover blood a sign for the angel of death not to punish the Israelites along with the Egyptians, the meal in years after that was to remind Israel of God's power and love for them. Like the Passover, our monthly communion meal reminds us physically of God's amazing love for us in Jesus.

In our reading from Matthew Jesus gives very concrete instructions for handling problems within the community. I think of this passage whenever I am tempted to complain about someone to a friend of mine. I also think of it whenever I think about church conflict. It's often easier to a friend about what someone has done wrong to you, but that never solves the problem and often makes it worse. Jesus calls us to talk first to the person we're having trouble with. That's good advice in the church and in any other community we are a part of.

See you at Christ's table,
Sam

Exodus 12:1-14

1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: 2This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. 3Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. 4If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.



5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. 7They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 9Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. 10You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.



11This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.14This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.



*Sunday

Matthew 18:15-20

15“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”

serving at the table

Good morning friends,
At his last supper with the disciples Jesus gives them the symbols we remember at communion: his body broken for us and his blood poured out. Even at that late stage of his ministry his disciples don't get it. When he says that one of them will betray him, rather than examining themselves they look at others and deny the possibility. Then right away they start arguing about which of them is the greatest. It's almost comical: at that table, having just heard the Lord tell them again that he's about to be betrayed by one of them and killed, they would argue about something like that. It would be comical if the church had learned its lesson. Instead, the church is often consumed with bickering. As individual churches or as factions within denominations, as individual people within churches we often let our egos get in the way of ministry. Jesus stands in our midst to remind us that even as our Lord, he came to serve, even to die for us. How will you use your power and leadership today?

God bless,
Sam

Luke 22:14-27

14When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

21But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” 23Then they began to ask one another, which one of them it could be who would do this. 24A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

preparing for teh end

Good afternoon all,
Sorry to get this out so late. I woke up at 8 for an 8:30 meeting. Jesus and his disciples are near Jerusalem for the Passover. This holiday remembers God's liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The King of Egypt refused to let Israel go so God sent plagues against Egypt to humble the king. The Passover itself involved marking the doors of all the Israelite homes in Egypt with blood on the doorposts. When the final plague, the death of every first-born male struck, the angel of death killed each Egyptian first son, but passed over the houses marked with blood. Since that night more than 3000 years ago Jews have keep the Passover feast. The lamb talked about in the passage commemorates the lamb used to mark the houses. It was (and is) eaten along with other symbolically important foods including unleavened bread.

Jesus instructs his disciples to get an upper room ready so they can celebrate the Passover together. That dinner becomes what Christians know as the Last Supper. Like God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, in Christ God frees us from selfishness and all the other ways the power of sin can keep us in slavery now. The blood of the passover lamb kept the Israelites safe from the angel of death; Christ's blood on the cross keeps us safe from Satan's grasp. The bread and wine at the passover table becomes the new covenant of love sealed by Jesus' blood, which we remember each time we come to the communion table. As Paul writes, "As often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again."

May you remember God's love poured out for you today,
Sam

Luke 22: 1-13

Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. 2The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. 3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; 4he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. 5They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

7Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. 8So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.” 9They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” 10“Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters 11and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 12He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” 13So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.