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Leonardo da Vinci painted a mural of the Lord's Supper on
the wall of a convent church in Milan, Italy over 500 years
ago. It is one of the most famous
paintings in the world.
Click for a larger image in a new window
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It is always a special time when
a family gets together to have a meal. The last meal
that Jesus had with his family of disciples is one that we
remember as very special and important. It is a meal
that we continue to share as part of the family of God.
Jesus and his disciples traveled
to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Passover.
They found a place to stay and food to eat and sat down
together for supper.
The disciples didn't know that this would be the last meal
they would ever share with Jesus, but Jesus did. He took
the loaf
of bread, blessed it, and passed to to his disciples. When
he did so, Jesus
told them to take a piece of the bread and eat it, for it
was his body. Later he shared his cup of wine
with them, telling them it
was his blood. In sharing the bread and wine as his
body and blood, Jesus told his disciples that he would
always be with them.
Lutherans still remember and celebrate the Last Supper. We call it the Sacrament of Altar, because
the Altar is the table where we share in the great gift of
God's mercy and the forgiveness of sins.
The tradition that Jesus began on that night so long ago in
Jerusalem still brings together God's family.
Martin Luther called our Christian family "the royal priesthood of believers."
When we share the bread and wine, the Holy Spirit makes us part of God's
family and the royal priesthood, and connects us in a sacred way
to Jesus, his twelve disciples, and all Christians wherever
they are -- and whenever they lived. We are part of a
very big family!
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Martin Luther's Table Prayer
Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be
blest. Amen.
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Saying Grace
Being invited to Jesus' table for Communion is a great honor
that lets each of us
join in a sacrament shared by the whole
Christian church. It means that
we are part of a tradition that goes all the way back to the
Last Supper. When
we understand and accept the great gift of Jesus'
resurrection, we are able to come to the Lord's table and
share in his sacrifice with a thankful heart.
Even if you have to wait until you are a little bit older to
be invited to Jesus' table at Communion, you can invite
Jesus to your dinner table when you say a table prayer. You
can use the prayer that Martin Luther wrote or continue to
use one that your family already likes to say. Saying a
table prayer is a special invitation to Jesus, and a special
way to remember the Lord's Supper and the great
blessings of Communion every day.
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