Is Supper Ready?

Most children have probably experienced something like the following scenario. Do you remember sitting and fidgeting at the table while mom scurried around the kitchen preparing the evening meal. Every fifteen seconds we would impatiently inquire, “Is supper ready yet?” In gentle tones initially, she would respond, “You’ll just have to wait.” For most of us, waiting is not our favorite thing to do. As the smells grew more and more alluring, our stomachs would begin to growl like an inbred Doberman backed into a corner. The wait would become unbearable. Many of us gave in to temptation and resorted to plan B. We would clandestinely disappear into the food pantry and look for anything edible to assuage our burgeoning hunger pangs. In that moment of famished panic, we would eat things that normally wouldn’t appeal to a stray cat on life nine. Pickles, croutons, Chinese noodles and saltine crackers suddenly looked like Thanksgiving dinner. Raisins became more than medicine as we stuffed handfuls into our puffing cheeks. And then, our dreams were suddenly realized. We stumbled across a gold mine. Behind the cans of spinach and green beans was the treasure. In the shadows, a jumbo sized Hershey’s Chocolate bar appeared. The entrée was served and in seconds the 12 ounces of rich milk chocolate became a mere masticated memory. Once we were completely full of this self procured alternate cuisine, it was then that mom called out, “Okay kids, supper’s ready!” Ever so slowly to the table we would mope. There we would guiltily sit, with stomachs crammed full. All we could do was look askance at the real feast wondering why it didn’t seem so special after all. Our impatience had driven us to settle for that which was far less satisfying. And in the end, we missed the best meal of the day. Many churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper on Christmas Eve. I wonder if we will truly be prepared to welcome the King as He seeks to take up residence within each of us. Or will the significance of the meal elude us because we have genuflected at the world’s altar instead?

Point 1 – Note how this pattern of impatience played out as Jesus' prophesied birth came to pass. The Hebrews knew of the promised Messiah and were asked to wait patiently and prepare. Because they went to plan B, desiring a Messiah of their own design, they missed the true Messiah when He did appear.

Point 2 – During the season of Advent we are called to patiently prepare our hearts -to look back in celebration of Christ’s first coming and to look ahead to His second coming. Sadly, many of us go to plan B. Our focus is not on the Christ of Christmas – and making room within our hearts for Him, but rather our attention is on the dollars to be made or the gifts to be gained. We gorge ourselves on the secular view of the season, while the significance of Christ’s sacrifice is, at best, secondary.

Point 3 – When we come to the Lord’s Table, we are called upon to participate in the Body and Blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 10:16), we are told to rightly discern or recognize the Body of Christ as we partake at the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:29). Further, we are taught that at this Table we can truly know Him in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24). Yet, for many of us, we turn to plan B. Rather than participate with Christ in His cross by dying to ourselves, or really recognizing and knowing our precious Savior and thereby being renewed and transformed, we take what we want, commit only as long as we are comfortable, and allow ourselves to be changed on our own terms. Perhaps this is why we are told to examine ourselves before we experience the Lord’s Supper. Plan B participants gorge themselves on the things of the world and have no room for Spiritual food. Sadly, they may be missing the best meal ever prepared. Ignatius, the first century Christian leader called this feast “the medicine of immortality.”

Conclusion: Next week Advent begins – a four week period of waiting patiently for the celebration of Christmas. May we not so much count the shopping days left till Christmas, as we anticipate and reorient our lives to welcome Jesus.

As we come to His Table, I pray that we have not so filled ourselves with the things of the world that we can not appreciate the sacrifice made to provide us with this bountiful spiritual feast central to our Christmas Eve service of worship. Jesus says to us, "This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." Supper will be ready! How about you?