They all sat on one side of the table – better for DaVinci and Instagram. Jesus broke the bread. Passed the cup. Snap the selfie and add the catchy hashtag, #Last Supper.

But Jesus would eat again. Jesus would break bread again.

So, just like the disciples didn’t sit on one side of the table, this wasn’t the last supper. In our promoting of the meal we have missed something.

Our Lent series covered important points from the four gospels’ resurrection stories. Did you notice a truth Jesus does not mention? He never mentions our personal eternal salvation.

“At no stage do [the gospels] mention the future hope of the Christian.” _{— NT Wright, Resurrection, 602}

Surprising, considering eternity with Jesus is the first thing we mention. It is the core Christian promotional tool. Avoid Hell. Get to Heaven. And eternal salvation, that we will join Jesus in resurrection, is true. But it is not Jesus’s main concern.

Instead Jesus is focused on impacting the present world. Each of the gospels speak to this in a different way: don’t be afraid (Mark), make disciples (Matthew), follow the Spirit as witnesses (Luke), feed my sheep (John).

Reading the passages on the trial and crucifixion, the injustice is haunting. Where was good to stop this evil? We look for help from the outside, from a position of power. But help is coming from within. Jesus joins us in our suffering. He becomes a victim of injustice and violence. And in sacrifice He brings resurrection. Hope not just for the future — hope for today.

Which explains the commands following Easter. Don’t wait for help. Do not wait for the Second Coming. Go and live resurrection. Enact Jesus’s life today.

Communion was not the Last Supper. It is the First Supper of a new world order. The age when Jesus is Lord of all. Every time we eat, we embrace this truth. And then, as we live in today’s reality, we make Jesus Ruler of the World. Which is the beginning of Salvation.

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Join us this Sunday for Easter at 10:30. Come in person, with masks, or online via Facebook and Youtube. We will celebrate communion (individually packaged for safety) and celebrate that resurrection brings healing today!