Introduction - We're going to talk about two things, invitations and intimacy.
I. Invitation
Let's suppose something really strange happened to you. Let's say you're sitting in class one day and over the loud speaker you hear, "Mr. or Mrs. Cummings, Duke, Bunger, etc. please report to the principles office.
The teacher gives you the skunk eye because you've probably done something wrong." You take a deep breath and your heart pounds each step in anticipation of what is to come next. You enter the Principal's office and the secretary says, "These gentlemen would like to see you."
You turn around and there are these two guys in dark suits and sunglasses (like out of Pulp Fiction). They hand you a letter, an invitation, it's hand written, with your name on it. It's a letter from the President of the United States, inviting you to a dinner in your honor, dedicated to you. You can't remember anyone ever having a dinner for you before. And now the Commander-in-Chief wants to.
"What's the catch?" you ask.
"No catch, just a request that you come to the White House. May I give the president your response?"
"Huh, well of cuh-cuh-course. I'd love to go."
On the designated night you are escorted by men in black suits to Pennsylvania Avenue. When you get to the door you are taken down the tall hall lined with portraits of past presidents.
At the end of the corridor is the banquet room. In the center of the room is a long table and in the center of the table is one plate and beside the plate is one name---yours. The attendant motions for you to sit and when you do he leaves and you let out a sigh and say, "WOW!
As you are waiting you see a spotlight on the wall, what is the object of the light, a sculpture, of you! You stand there in awe, and are startled by maybe the most famous voice in the country, the presidents. You turn and see him standing; his square jaw, deep eyes, high cheeks, gray suit, red tie, apron. What?
That president is wearing an apron!! And, as if that isn't enough, behind him is a dinner cart. He reaches for your bread plate and gives you a dinner roll. "I'm so glad you could come and be my guest."
You can't believe it, the commander-in-chief, a waiter, serving you food? Bringing wine and bread to your table.(grape juice) You can only endure this so long before you blurt out, "Wait a minute. This isn't right. You aren't supposed to be doing this--I am. You aren't supposed to be serving me. Your the top dog. Let me have the apron and let me put the food on the table, ...Sir.
But he won't let you. "Keep your seat," he insists. "Today I honor you."
I warned you that this was a crazy story. This kind of stuff doesn't happen... or does it?
It happens every week for those who will see it or are aware of it. It will happen for us next week symbolically. Regular folk right out of the kitchens and car pools of life, seated at the chief's table as honored guests. Served by the one in charge of history.
Note in Matthew 26:18-19 who is in charge of the details of the meal.
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the teacher says, 'My appointed time is near, I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house'." Jesus decides when they'll eat, what they'll eat, where they'll eat.
During the meal Jesus is the active participant. "He took..he blessed..he broke..he gave.." He isn't kicked back in place waiting to be served, he's the servant.
"This is my body," he says and breaks the bread.
"This is my blood," as he pours the wine.
It is not just a ritual or an observance or a memorial.
It is a meal he has with you.
For many or most of you, the Lord's Supper is a sleepy time of wafers and juice that doesn't stir the soul. It was meant to be a I-can't believe-it's-me-pinch-me-I'm-dreaming invitation to sit at God's table and be served by and having a meal with the King himself. Is that what it is to you?
Nowadays sit down suppers are a rarity. It is very difficult to coordinate dance practice, soccer practice, B-ball, late afternoons at work in such a way that everyone is eating at the same time and the same place. Because of this and our culture, the setting of Christ around a dinner table with the disciples takes on less meaning that it did back then. We take dinners together for granted,
but in Jesus' time a meal was a declaration of character and purpose. Who you ate with defined who you were. Why do you think is ticked the Pharisees off so much that Jesus ate with Lepers, tax collectors, and women of questionable virtue? The act of eating was not just a convenient gathering of friends but an declaration of intimacy
Intimacy of relationship, purpose, etc.
II. Intimacy
Can you imagine a more intimate picture than this?
John 13:23: One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.
John felt so close and comfortable with Jesus, that he dared to lean back and actually recline against God.
Illusration. The Empty Chair
Brennan Manning tells the following story of an old man who was dying of cancer. The man's daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The pastor assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said.
"No, who are you?"
"I'm the new associate pastor," he replied. "When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" A bit puzzled the pastor shut the door.
"I've never told this to anyone, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. On Sundays I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head... I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, "Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here's what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him and listen in the same way you're doing with me right now."
"So, brother, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours everyday. I'm careful, though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."
The pastor was deeply moved by the story and encouraged him to continue. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that afternoon. "Did he seem to die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, but he did the most peculiar thing just before he died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed."
The Jesus whom John laid his head against is no different that the Jesus we pray to every day, we can be just as intimate if we accept his invitation.