Devotional for April 9, 2020 - Maundy Thursday
by Jon Bates
Reflection on, “Communion,” sung by Common Hymnal
by Jon Bates
Reflection on, “Communion,” sung by Common Hymnal
Verse 1
Come all proud, come all greedy
Come all liars, come all shamed
Come all wealthy, come receive it
To the table, come today
Verse 2
Come all broken, come all needy
Come all poor, and come all slaves
Come all rulers, come be seated
Come all sinners, come all saints
Chorus
Come to the table
From near and far
Come from the shadows
Come out of the dark
There's room at the table
We saved you a seat
Come to the banquet
Come join in the feast
Verse 3
Every race, every nation
Come all rebels, come all gay
From the fringes, come to Jesus
To a table full of grace
To the table, come and stay
Chorus 2
Come to the table
Come eat and drink
There's no inner circle
Come dine with the King
Recline at the table
Come let down your guard
You're never a stranger
Just come as you are
Bridge
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Chorus 3
Prepared is the table
We're ready to feast
The party is waiting
There's more still to feed
The harvest is ready
So go fill every seat
Go live out the mission
As a kingdom of priests
Go live out the mission
As a kingdom of priests
Come all proud, come all greedy
Come all liars, come all shamed
Come all wealthy, come receive it
To the table, come today
Verse 2
Come all broken, come all needy
Come all poor, and come all slaves
Come all rulers, come be seated
Come all sinners, come all saints
Chorus
Come to the table
From near and far
Come from the shadows
Come out of the dark
There's room at the table
We saved you a seat
Come to the banquet
Come join in the feast
Verse 3
Every race, every nation
Come all rebels, come all gay
From the fringes, come to Jesus
To a table full of grace
To the table, come and stay
Chorus 2
Come to the table
Come eat and drink
There's no inner circle
Come dine with the King
Recline at the table
Come let down your guard
You're never a stranger
Just come as you are
Bridge
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Come be whole
Come be loved
Come accepted
Come, now, come
Chorus 3
Prepared is the table
We're ready to feast
The party is waiting
There's more still to feed
The harvest is ready
So go fill every seat
Go live out the mission
As a kingdom of priests
Go live out the mission
As a kingdom of priests
Reflection:
I need to admit that I sometimes sanitize the life of Jesus, with platitudes, and as I bypass the offensiveness of his life. The ministries of Jesus included being present and empowering the marginalized, and by doing so made the people in power uncomfortable. Jesus offended the way of life by turning over expectations.
Today is Maundy Thursday and we get to remember the night that Jesus, God in the flesh, was in the midst of the people chewing bread and swallowing wine. Then Jesus lowered his body to the disciples to wash the dirtiest parts of them.
God was human and did ordinary human things with and for people. God invited people as they were. That’s offensive.
For me, this Maundy Thursday has a different angle than from other years as we are adjusting to a new life in this pandemic. My expectations for life have flipped. My Holy Week has flipped. My time with family has changed.
I don’t exactly know what you’re living through right now. But I know that your life is different from what you had envisioned this Holy Week to be. But know that the love that we receive from Jesus hasn’t flipped and continues to be offensive. For God is continuing to invite us in. Whoever we are. Whatever we have accomplished this week. Jesus is still inviting us to lounge, continuing seeing our grief, be true to who we are, and to be fed.
Prayer:
Holy God, continue to show up to us in weird ways, especially this week. From virtual meetings, phone calls, texts, and cards may you continue to reveal how you flip over our expectations and allow us to notice you, wherever we are.
Amen
Bio:
Jon has been the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries at St. Michael’s for a little over a year now. He was born and raised in a culturally mixed household celebrating holidays feasting on mashed potatoes, egg rolls, and rice in Shoreview, MN. When Jon gives himself the time to relax, you will probably find him napping, watching Grey’s Anatomy, or running.
I need to admit that I sometimes sanitize the life of Jesus, with platitudes, and as I bypass the offensiveness of his life. The ministries of Jesus included being present and empowering the marginalized, and by doing so made the people in power uncomfortable. Jesus offended the way of life by turning over expectations.
Today is Maundy Thursday and we get to remember the night that Jesus, God in the flesh, was in the midst of the people chewing bread and swallowing wine. Then Jesus lowered his body to the disciples to wash the dirtiest parts of them.
God was human and did ordinary human things with and for people. God invited people as they were. That’s offensive.
For me, this Maundy Thursday has a different angle than from other years as we are adjusting to a new life in this pandemic. My expectations for life have flipped. My Holy Week has flipped. My time with family has changed.
I don’t exactly know what you’re living through right now. But I know that your life is different from what you had envisioned this Holy Week to be. But know that the love that we receive from Jesus hasn’t flipped and continues to be offensive. For God is continuing to invite us in. Whoever we are. Whatever we have accomplished this week. Jesus is still inviting us to lounge, continuing seeing our grief, be true to who we are, and to be fed.
Prayer:
Holy God, continue to show up to us in weird ways, especially this week. From virtual meetings, phone calls, texts, and cards may you continue to reveal how you flip over our expectations and allow us to notice you, wherever we are.
Amen
Bio:
Jon has been the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries at St. Michael’s for a little over a year now. He was born and raised in a culturally mixed household celebrating holidays feasting on mashed potatoes, egg rolls, and rice in Shoreview, MN. When Jon gives himself the time to relax, you will probably find him napping, watching Grey’s Anatomy, or running.
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