How many times do you think you've gathered around this table? Undoubtedly, some of you have found a place here hundreds and even thousands of times. You came to the table as a child, still wet from your baptism. You came to the table as a young adult while wrestling with big questions about God and your faith. You came when you were newly married, your husband or wife taking the elements close by your side. You came when your kids were young and you were barely able to reflect on the profound meaning of the feast. You came when the kids were gone and the space on your pew felt a little empty. And you came in your twilight years, your aged and wrinkled hands reaching once again for the wine and bread.
For some of you, this table feast has been one of the few constants in your life. It didn't matter what turmoil you had been through the week before; you knew you could begin a new week with a fresh start around the table. You've gathered around it in seasons of joy and health and in seasons of pain and loss.
Through it all, you've gathered because you believe in the one they call Jesus. You believe He died on mount Calvary. You believe that the tomb was found empty. And you believe that He is the answer for you.
So may we continue to gather around the table. In times of pain, may we consider the pain that Jesus endured on the cross for our sins. In times of joy, may we consider that empty tomb and the new life that sprang forth from within it, giving us hope of new life. And each time we come to the table, may we feel the assurance that Jesus is the answer for us: then, now, and forever.
Here we are once again, gathered around the table. Let's take the Lord's Supper together.
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