A Moving Experience Series

A beautiful temple was erected in ancient Greece. It was a masterpiece of architecture. When it was

completed there was a vacant niche high up on the front for a sculptured work of art. The statue was to be

selected by competition. On the appointed day there were two competitors for the place of honor. Both

works were veiled. In the presence of the vast crowd it came to watch the ceremony, the smaller statue

was unveiled first. It was indeed a work of art, and the crowd roared with approval. As the statue was

lifted higher, however, it lost its appeal, and the praise of the crowd grew fainter. By the time it reached

the niche the crowd was silent. It was of little value when raised so high.

It was brought back down and the other statue was unveiled. It was not as delicate and graceful on the

first close-up look. The crowd was uncertain, but as it was lifted the crowd suddenly saw its value and

charm, and they gave their shouts of approval. It was made for the heights. The artist of this work

designed it to be seen from the heights where it was to be, and not up close, and so the result was that he

won the place of honor.

When Jesus selected the Last Supper as His memorial, He did the same thing as that wise sculptor. He

could have chosen something far more impressive when seen up close. He could have had a gorgeous

marble monument erected, but only a fragment of His body, the church, would ever see it, and time would

mar its beauty. So instead, He selected a simple act of breaking bread and sharing the cup together as His

perpetual memorial. He chose this because from a distance of 2000 years it has the same simple and

sublime meaning to His disciples as it did to those of His own day.

Jesus selected a memorial that was big enough for the kingdom He expected to build on earth. The

result is we will be participating in the greatest supper on earth. There has never in all of history been a

supper to which so many are invited. All over the world Christians meet to break bread and share the cup

in remembrance of their Lord. It is the Lord's Supper, and no king, dignitary, or millionaire has ever had a

supper so vast. This very night millions will meet at His table in remembrance of Him. It is the longest

table on earth, for it goes around the world. There is nothing like it in all the world.

In memory of the Savior's love

We keep the sacred feast,

Where every humble, contrite heart

Is made a welcome guest.

Author unknown.

Not only do we participate with millions in this great memorial supper, but with multitudes of millions

in the past. The communion of the saints includes those who have entered His presence. It is a prelude to

the day when we will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of our Lord. This supper

is so simple, but as such sublime meaning because of its multi-directional implications. It has special

meaning for a New Year's Eve service because it points our minds to the past, present, and future. We

want to spend some time looking at each of these directions. The three fold value we are to gain by

participating in this memorial supper are-

1. His pardon for the past.

2. His power for the present.

3. His promise for the future.

All of us need all three as much and more than we need food and drink. It is a supper for the soul to

do for the inner life what our daily meals do for the body. Let your soul be filled and delighted with these

three dishes of soul food.

I. HIS PARDON FOR THE PAST.

This supper is a commemoration of the finished work of Christ in our behalf. It is a celebration of His

work and His words, "It is finished." He has paid the penalty for sin, and now there is no longer any

condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We should forget our sins of the past that have been forgiven, but

we should never forget why it is we are free to forget them. When we remember Jesus as He asked us to,

we cannot help but thank Him for His love and grace. The Christian is one who can be thankful every

time he looks into the past, for the best thing that ever happened to the Christian happened in the past. It

happened first at Calvary where Jesus died for him, and then it happened personally when he received

Jesus as his personal Savior. The past is always worth celebrating for the Christian.