"From The Stable To The Table"

As we gather here tonight I want to invite each of you who are believers in Christ and have place your faith in Him to save you…I want to invite you to His table for communion.

Communion at Christmas by David Henderson

Isaiah 9:6

For me it is always such a meaningful time when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper during the Christmas season. There are many things that we do during this season……

• We shop

• We eat

• We spend time with family

• We eat

• We take some time off

• We eat again…do you see a pattern here?

For the most part these are good things…we could probably eat a bit less…But this season reminds us of the innocence of a little baby boy who came into this world. It all started in a stable. Not much there I don’t imagine. Not a likely place for a King to be born. Many didn’t even notice. We don’t know exactly how much Mary knew about His future but she knew enough to know that the manger sure looked safe. No one could hurt Him. His birth changed everything. His birth stopped time …at least for a moment.

• B.C. became A.D. We still mark time in this way.

• He lived his life basically with very little recognition and then on his 12th birthday the Bible tells us that He went to the temple. His parents left him each one thinking he was with the other I suppose and he stayed in Jerusalem. They could not find him for 3 days. When they did he was talking with the doctors and lawyers, the elite crowd and asking and answering questions. They were stunned at his knowledge.

• We don’t hear anything else from Him until He enters public ministry …around 30 years of age. He heals the sick, taught the gospel, trained disciples and he also upset the religious crowd. So they decided to get rid of Him.

But they couldn’t. They tried. They beat Him. They mocked Him. They even spit on Him. He was tortured and then crucified. He didn’t face the typical life of a king. The Bible says at one point that the Son of Man didn’t even have a place to lay His head.

The night before they crucified Him Jesus observed what we now call the Last Supper. Things moved now from the stable to the table. Life was no longer safe for Jesus. And he told them every time you do this do it in remembrance of me. I will be with you always. On another occasion He told them He would never leave them nor would He ever give up on them. Those words are for us as well. If things have not been perfect for you this year, remember this, God will never leave your side. You may move away from Him; tough things may happen but He will take every step with you and me.

Tonight as we drink from this cup you and I are reminded that often we are called upon to do things for the Lord that are not comfortable. But they are the right thing. Life is not always about being comfortable but it is about being committed. He is our example. May we do exactly as Jesus did,