The Patience of God

One of the things that this table reminds us of every week is the patience and mercy of God. We stumble and fall, we forget, we are unkind, we are liars and cheaters, and yet God sets this feast for us week after week. And He commands us to come and eat. Come here and receive grace; come here and be accepted, be forgiven, find wisdom. But we don’t want to. In our sin, we cower and hold back. Maybe we eat the bread and drink the wine, but we do so with a guilty conscious. We think we’re not worthy, but we’re afraid of what our neighbor would think if we didn’t partake. But that’s not for you to decide. None of you have the freedom to excommunicate yourselves, either actually or mentally. You may not come in here and tell the Lord Jesus that his grace is not sufficient for you. Don’t pretend that you know better than Jesus. He knows your sins, your failings, your weakness, and your guilt, and he says to come. Come eat, come drink, come rejoice. This is my body broken for you; this is my blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. Stop pretending that you have to get right first, that you have to clean yourself up and then come. No just come. God knows you’ve been running, He knows you’ve been avoiding Him, and yet, here He is again, and says, come eat and drink. I have more grace and mercy for you. Don’t go anywhere else. Put away your substitutes, your other gods you go to soothe your guilty conscience. The God of heaven is found in Jesus, and He is here, and calls you to eat and drink with Him. So come.