Brown's Daily Word 4/21/11

Praise the Lord for this Maundy Thursday (also "Holy Thursday") It commemorates Christ's Last Supper. It's name of "Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning "command." This stems from Christ's words in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give unto you." The Last Supper took place in "the upper room" of the house believed to have been owned by John Mark and his mother, Mary (Acts 12:12). This room was also the site of the Pentecost. As the Lord instituted the celebration of the Lord's Supper, He commanded His disciples, “Do this in Remembrance of Me". Some people will go to great lengths to preserve the memory of another. We have monuments that dot our globe which were intended to preserve the memory of a worthy event or person. There is perhaps none so spectacular as the Taj Mahal. Most of us have seen pictures of this architectural specimen that has been labeled one of the seven wonders of the world This morning we open up the pages of scripture to another memorial which was given to us by the Lord Jesus himself so that we might remember his death. It is not an elaborate or expensive memorial quite the contrary it is simple and practical. I want to share with you from Mark’s Gospel the account of Jesus instituting this memorial we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Let us look at: Mark 14:12-26 " On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”
20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of thea]"a] covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
This is an important passage for us to study. It deals directly with our relationship with Jesus Christ. One of the Spirituals we sing goes like this " Where you there when They crucified my Lord". The famous Dutch artist Rembrandt painted an interesting picture of the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a work which depicts the suffering of Jesus, the indifference of the soldiers, and the sorrow of the women at the cross. But the most unusual aspect of the picture is that if you look closely you will see that Rembrandt painted himself back in the shadows.
This is what the Lord Supper does for us, it helps us see ourselves at the foot of the cross, to remember the suffering of Jesus on our behalf. We come around this table in reverence, thanks giving, humility and awe.
In Christ,
Brown
http://youtu.be/Voawjjqg8zw


Saturday evening worship service.
Location: First United Methodist Church
53 McKinley Avenue
Endicott
Sponsored by the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128, Maple Drive, Endicott

Saturday, April 23, 2011
6 PM Coffee Fellowship

6:30 PM Worship Service
Worship Music: Winnie Miller, Dave Berry, Al Smith
Speaker: Rev Brown Naik


Easter services of celebration and worship will be held at the Union Center United Methodist Church, 128 Maple drive, Endicott, on Easter Sunday, April 24, at 8:30 and at 11:00 AM. There will be an Easter Celebration at the Wesley United Methodist Church, 1000 Day Hollow Road , Endicott, at 9:30 AM. Pastor Brown Naik will be preaching on: "Easter Faith in a Good Friday World".