The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
14 When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. 15He said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ 17Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, ‘Take this and divide it among yourselves; 18for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ 19Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 20And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. 21But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. 22For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!’ 23Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this.
The Dispute about Greatness
24 A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25But he said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.
28 ‘You are those who have stood by me in my trials; 29and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, 30so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
N.T. Wright suggested that the Bible’s story is like a five act drama. The chapters could be entitled: Creation; The Fall of Adam, The Story of Israel; The Jesus Story; and The Church’s Story.
- In which act do we live?
- Divide your own life story up into five acts and summarize the content of each act. Is your story the same story? Is there a progressive development from one act to another?
- Did the story take off in another direction at any point that could not have been predicted?
- If you could write the final act of your life story would it be a fulfillment of the whole story or a disappointing loss of all for which you have dreamed and worked?
- How do you think the big story of the Bible ends?
N.T. Wright wrote,“We who call ourselves Christians must be totally committed to telling the story of Jesus both as the climax of Israel’s story and as the foundation of our own.” Can you make a list of the central facts of the Jesus story?
Has the church’s story replaced Israel’s story? In what sense might 1 Peter 2:9-10 suggest this replacement theory? Compare this with Romans 11.
Peter argues that the Gentile believers were “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people or peculiar people”. See Exodus 19:1-6. How does the church that you know live out these elements of spiritual identity?
Consider the sermon’s quote of James Bryan Smith’s, The Good and Beautiful Community. He argues that the church is a peculiar community because our God is peculiar. How is our God peculiar?
On the basis of the 1 Peter 2:9-10, what is God’s mission through the church in our world?
How does the light of God shine through the life and work of our congregation? In addition to what the sermon suggested, what would you add to our allowing the light of Jesus to illumine the spiritual darkness of the human condition?
Prayer
Healing Grace
by Chisum/Sadler 1994
Merciful God and Father, loving us like no other,
Hear our prayer, the cry of our hearts, as we come to you;
We acknowledge our transgressions,
We confess to you our sins, show us mercy and compassion,
Touch our lives with your healing grace again.
