WORLD'S LONGEST TABLE

WORLD'S LONGEST TABLE

READ:
Matthew 26:26-30

I will not drink of this fruit
of the vine from now on until
that day when I drink it new
with you in My Father's
kingdom. -Matthew 26:29

On Sunday, July 18, 2010, one of the busiest highways in Europe became what some called "the longest table in the world."  Officials closed a 60-kilometer (37-mile) section of the A40 Autobahn in Germany's Ruhr region so people could walk and bicycle or sit at one of 20,000 tables set up on the roadway.  An estimated 2 million people came to enjoy an event the director hoped would connect people from many cultures, generations, and nations.

This event made me think of an even grander table around which believers gather to share the Lord's Supper.  During communion, we remember Jesus' death for us as we anticipate the culmination of history at His return.

Just before Jesus was crucified, He shared the Passover meal with His disciples, telling them, "I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father' s kingdom" (Mathew 26:29).

The Lord's Table unites everyone Christ has redeemed by His blood "out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).  One day, in a scene of reunion and joy, all who belong to Jesus will sit together with Him at a table that will dwarf the Autobahn gathering.  We joyfully anticipate sharing that table together! -David McCasland

Here we gather to remember,
In the breaking of the bread,
Jesus, who for us was broken,
And is now our living Head. -Anon.
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Christ's love creates unity out of diversity.

INSIGHT
The night before going to the cross, our Lord established His Table.  He took elements of the Jewish Passover feast and made them His own- giving the greater significance than they previously had.  The "bread of haste" moved from being a symbol of provision for the journey from slavery (Exodus 12:1-11) to being an enduring picture of the cost Christ paid for our rescue from slavery to sin.  The cup, one of four used in the Passover celebration, fulfilled the ancient promised of God to redeem His people.  The elements of Communion, no longer merely symbolic of past events and promises, are continuing reminders of the cost of our past, present, and future redemption.

Have a blessed day.
God Our Creator's Love Always
Unity & Peace