Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] One of the things I know is that every family has that story. You know the one, it comes out every Thanksgiving, usually right after the pie. Somebody leans back and says, remember the year that. And everybody groans because they've heard it 50 times. Then they all lean in anyway. Well, here's what's fascinating about these stories. They only survive as long as somebody keeps telling them. Eventually the person who's always told it isn't at the table anymore. Then the story either fades or somebody new picks it up. Maybe it's a grandkid, maybe it's a son in law who's heard it so many times he knows every beat. And the story keeps going. Well, that's what Paul says happens every time we come to the Lord's table. He says, for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. This is in First Corinthians 11:26. Now, the word proclaim is a herald's word. And in other words, it's what a royal messenger did when he rode into town with the news from the king. He didn't whisper, he announced it. And notice the three directions in that one verse. It looks backwards to the Lord's death. It looks around right now, you proclaim present tense. And it looks forward until he comes. And that matters because it's possible to treat communion as if it only faces one direction. We remember what Jesus did, but we feel the weight of the cross and we go home. That isn't wrong, but it's not complete. A meal that only looks backwards is a funeral. But a meal that looks backwards, around and forward, it's a mission. Jesus didn't die so we could hold a memorial service once a month. He died and rose again so the story would keep being told until he comes back to finish it. And here's the part that stops me. Somewhere in your life, there's a person who has never heard the story from someone who loves them.
[00:01:45] They may have heard it from a street preacher, a TV screen, or a stranger. They've never heard it from someone who knows their names and sits at their table. This week we've looked at the table from three angles. Come close, you don't earn a seat. You accept it. Come clean. Not perfect, just honest. And now carry it out. Because what happened at this table, it was never meant to stay at this table.
[00:02:08] Under all of it is one simple truth. What cost him everything should never cost us nothing.
[00:02:14] So here's your final step. Write down one name, one person who needs to hear what Jesus has done. Then this week, tell them, don't preach a sermon. Just share your story, what he did for you and what it meant. So today I want to invite you to pray with me, if you're able to. I'm going to pray out loud. You can pray silently. You can pray with your eyes open. But to say something along the lines of, Jesus, thank you for inviting me to your table when I haven't earned a seat. Thank you that I can come honest instead of perfect.
[00:02:46] Give me the courage to carry your story to the one person you've placed on my heart.
[00:02:52] Let my life proclaim you until you come. And it's in your name I pray. Amen. Well, if you don't have a church family to share this table with, I'd love for you to join us this Sunday at Sugar Hill Church. There's a seat with a name on it, and it's yours. A mill that only looks backwards is a funeral. But a mill that looks backwards, around and forward, it's a mission. Have a great day.
