Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
The purpose of this podcast is to help individuals, groups and churches observe the Lord's Supper. The podcast includes a relevant portion of Scripture, brief commentary, prayer, and participation in partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Eat This Bread Drink This Cup
Awake and Sing for Joy
The communion meditation today comes from the Old Testament, Isaiah 26: 16-19. All quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and are used with permission.
My hope is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus. Please encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!
Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is, "Awake and Sing for Joy." I read from Isaiah 26: 16-19. All quotations are from the English Standard Version and are used with permission
16 O LORD, in distress they sought you;
they poured out a whispered prayer
when your discipline was upon them.
17 Like a pregnant woman
who writhes and cries out in her pangs
when she is near to giving birth,
so were we because of you, O LORD;
18 we were pregnant, we writhed,
but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth,
and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.
19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Isaiah contrasts the work of the inhabitants of Judah with the work of God. He explains the difference using the analogy of a pregnant woman giving birth. Despite all their human writhing, they have "accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen." Instead of a healthy newborn, a welcome arrival, a tangible result, their work is like the wind, unseen and gone in a moment. Not so with God's work. He does great things! Isaiah says, "Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust shall arise and sing for joy!" The dew of earth waters and refreshes the earth in the morning; however, God's dew is not moisture, it is a dew of light that will the cause the earth to give birth to its dead! Death is done; it is finished; it is defeated! How vivid is the picture of a dew of light and how awesome is the result! Isaiah does not tell us how God will accomplish this feat; however, we know. This greatest of feats comes with the greatest of costs - the death of His Son in exchange for our life. We, too, look forward to the day when the trumpet of God will sound. Together with our mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters in the Lord who have passed before, we will put on the heavenly bodies God has prepared for us. We assemble this morning to partake of the bread and drink from the cup, remembering the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus, and are assured that one day the "dead shall live; their bodies will rise; those who dwell in the dust will awake and sing for joy!" Praise be to God. Let us pray.
Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for Your promise to us! We look forward to the day when "dead shall live; their bodies will rise; those who dwell in the dust will awake and sing for joy!" We know this promise of life after death in only possible by the death of Your Son Jesus. He died that we might live! With grateful hearts, we assemble today to remember Jesus' sacrifice by partaking of the bread and drinking from the cup. In His name, I pray. Amen.
Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28.
"26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Let us partake of the bread.
27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Let us partake of the cup.
And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"
Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."
Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!