This Passover, with his disciples, was so important to Jesus. It was his last on earth. He was saying Grace before his last meal. It was our Lord Jesus giving the blessing! I think about what might go through my mind if I knew I was going to die the next day, and I would probably be so afraid. But this was Jesus, with the burden of knowing his would be an awful death, having the weight of the world on his shoulders, and perhaps wanting more time to complete that for which he had come, but he put His trust in his Father’s will, not his own. He asked dear friends to share the cup of blessing with one another for a last time with Him.
But what jumps out at me more than anything in the passage are the words, “After taking the cup, he gave thanks.” Thanks is an acknowledgement, a show of gratitude and a spiritual connection, like a whoosh of air, a breath. I’ve taught our grandchildren that there are only two essential prayers: “Help me. Help me. Help me.” And “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” When we ask, God always helps us find a solution to a seemingly impossible problem. And when he does answer, or opens a door, our saying “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” helps us breathe in gratitude and then allows us to breathe it out also. In that moment I want to pass on that grace to someone else, maybe by letting that person go in front of me in line, or making lunches for the homeless, or sharing quality time with another. God keeps giving, forgiving and inviting us back. And when he does, let us do as Christ did the night before he died: give thanks.
Sandy Fricker
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