I had the blessing of assisting with communion this morning, holding the pitcher containing the wine that filled the chalice. As I watched each person receive the wine, poured out carefully for each one, I was filled with emotion over the price Jesus paid on the cross for humanity ...for me... the Spirit saying, "this is my love poured out for you."
We receive these tangible elements of bread and wine, the body and blood of our Savior, poured out for each person, around the world... throughout the ages... an endless supply!
Love never fails.
In that moment, those three words took on deeper meaning. Agape love poured out... the pure love of the Creator poured out for all... selfless love... the kind that is always for the good of another.
The Gospel text for the sermon was about the vine and the branches, from John 15:1-17, where Jesus refers to His followers and the branches.
The pitcher... just a vessel.. .to be filled... to be poured out...
Branches... connected to the vine... receiving source of nourishment from the vine... providing a conduit that results in fruit...
Mission, Jesus style teaches us that as God's dearly loved children, we're connected to the vine that supplies an unending source of nourishment, SO THAT it can flow through us to others where God's love is deposited and grows.
The pitcher didn't produce the wine... it received it then poured it out...
We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:9
As I held the pitcher the Lord was whispering, "receive the love that I poured out for you, then pour it out for others."
1 comment:
loved seeing you hold the chalice-- and giving the blessing of love and grace with each person-
powerful
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