Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Lord who makes Lords

This meal is called the “Lord’s Supper” in 1 Corinthians 11, and that word “Lord’s” is only used one other time in the New Testament, and that’s in the phrase “Lord’s Day” when John was in the Spirit and saw the visions of Revelation. The word for “Lord’s” is just a possessive adjective like “your, my, his, her,” but in these cases it’s fairly unique. The Lord’s Supper, most literally, was the Last Supper. That was his meal that he gave to his disciples to celebrate. Likewise, the Lord’s Day, most literally, is the day of Resurrection, the day on which the new world erupted in time, the time in which a new day began. When Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper and gather for worship on the Lord’s Day, we are being invited to join into those original acts: the Last Supper as a new Passover Feast, a victory celebration of the Exodus, and a new first day of Creation, a new separation of light and darkness, a new Light to be Called Day, since Jesus came back from the nothingness of the grave alive. We enter into the victory feast on the victory day, and yet these are events and accomplishments that belong to the Lord. They are his. The victory belongs to the Lord. But this is the glory of being invited here. When the Lord invites us to his feast and to celebrate his day, he calls upon us to join him in them. In other words, Jesus invites us to be lords with him. This table is the Lord’s Supper and therefore it is for lords. This day is the Lord’s Day and therefore it is a day for lords. To be invited to share in the victory of the Lord is to be invited to be a lord with the Lord. This is the Lord’s feast on the Lord’s victory day, and it is spread for all the lords of the land. So come: eat, drink, and rejoice.

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