The change that Jesus brings is so profound that neither the bread nor the wine of daily life can ever be the same again. Thanks to Jesus God steps into the most mundane as well as the most glorious parts of life. Hallelujah.

Every Remembrance Day we give thanks for those who have given their lives so that we can live and worship in freedom.  I fear that for years I’ve seen Holy Communion in much the same light – a kind of memorial service of thanks for the life and death of my Saviour, Jesus. 
But today the word “blood” jarred.  I thought: “..eat not the blood: for the blood is the life..” (Deuteronomy 13:23).
Blood?  Life?  Am I to drink Jesus’ life?  Have Jesus’ life in myself?  Share Jesus’ life with my friends?  And then have Jesus live in me?
Holy Communion!

He symbolically gives his body and pours his blood before he has even been arrested. It echoes the reading on Sunday when he weeps over Jerusalem and knows that the city will kill the prophets sent to it, even while the crowds are celebrating.

If we accept the presence (bread and wine )of Jesus with open hearts we receive the gift to be free in his Father’s love as he uniquely created each one of us to be.Thus we in turn can share the fruits of the spirit to Glorify him and fulfil his commission.
We can do it trusting that the size of the gift is not significant rather the open heart and the will bent to his will .

There is hope for the world. May God be a reality in our lives, whatever our circumstances.

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:7-8
Now God makes a covenant with us which he seals, not with the blood of bulls, but with the blood of his own son, Jesus.  Everything He has said; will we obey?

Many followers of Jesus found this teaching difficult to accept when He first proclaimed it, and left Him.  When Peter was asked if he would follow them he said “Lord, where else would I go?”

Jesus simply wants us to have faith in this matter and in doing so we receive much needed grace every time we do this in remembrance of what He did for us.

Tonight we will celebrate the insitution of the eucharist. We will hear the words of today’s verse. We will celebarte a historical event which happended nearly 2000 years ago. But we will also be celebrating a present reality. In the Eucharist God invites us to share in His life with him. On Good Friday he showed how much he loved us by making the ultimate sacrifice. But on Easter Day he rose again and now invites us to share in his risen life.  At the Eucharist God invites us to share in that risen life and to go away with lives transformed. Accept that invitation! Prepare to be transformed!