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Mark 14:12-26

Author: Kent Berghuis

Celebrating the Lord's Supper: The Joy in the Journey
Mark 14:12-26


Intro:  Family vacations were planned with a destination in mind, but we always found happiness 
along the way.  Similarly, Christians live with the clear hope of the fulfillment of our salvation--
but we find joy along the way through our life with Christ, as symbolized in the Lord's Supper.

Main idea:  In the Lord's Supper Jesus gave us reasons for joy, even on the way of the cross.

I.  Life in Christ: the Body (22).

	A.  The body in celebration
		--Foster, 196
		--Deut 14:22-26

	B.  The body as community
		--Daniel's story from Exit Interviews

II.  Forgiveness in Christ: the Blood (23-24).

	A.  Jesus as the Jubilee
		--Lev 25:8-12
		--Luke 4:18-19

	B.  Jesus as the Justifier
		--Forgiveness helps settle the big questions of life
		--Rembrandt's self-portrait in "The Raising of the Cross"
		--Q: What have you repented of lately?
		--Augustine:  "The Christian should be an Alleluia head to foot."

III.  Hope in Christ: the Kingdom (25).

	A.  Hope secures
		--not "hope" with uncertainty, but resting on a promise, like engagement
		--Luther's quote

	B.  Hope sustains
		--Mantle's quote at Roger Maris's funeral: "This puts it all in perspective--life is too short."

Conclusion:  The Lord's Supper is a meaningful time of remembrance for those who love Christ, 
and it should be a time when we reflect on the grounds of our deepest reasons for joy--life in the 
body of Christ, forgiveness in the blood of Christ, and hope for the kingdom of God.