While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples (Matthew 27:26).

Every single time.

Every single time the New Testament refers to the Lord’s Table (eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, communion) – in all four Gospels, in Paul’s letters, in the feeding of the five thousand (the only of Jesus’ miracles to be recorded in all four Gospels) – these same four verbs.

Take.  Bless.  Break.  Give.

And the subject of these four verbs is ever only Jesus.  Jesus takes (receives) our offerings of the fruits of the earth and the labor of our hands: bread and wine.  Jesus blesses (gives thanks) to God for them.  He breaks, that is, he makes them available to all.  And he gives.

Every single time.  These four verbs.  This one subject of those verbs, this one Actor.

Take: whether it’s a little boy’s lunch or the “elements” in gathered worship, Jesus takes what we offer.  The original calling of humans was to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it, stewarding God’s good Creation into flourishing fruitfulness.  Bread and wine do not occur naturally, they require human creativity, ingenuity and labor.  At the Table, we present ourselves, our selves, to Jesus – and he takes, he gladly receives, what we offer.

Bless: To bless is to speak God’s Word, God’s perspective and purpose, into a situation, into a person’s life.  Blessing carries and communicates God’s presence, God’s involvement, God’s life and power.  Blessing takes the ordinary and, by the power of God’s Word, makes the ordinary something new.  Jesus blesses ordinary bread and wine, ordinary people and, by blessing, transforms.

Break: Without breaking there is no life.  Wheat needs to be harvested, kernels crushed and ground.  Grapes are gathered and pressed until they burst.  All that we eat is crushed in our mouths, all that we eat and drink is broken down, broken apart, in our digestive tracts, so that our food can actually nourish us.  An unbroken loaf can feed no one.  We cannot drink from unbroken grapes.

Give:  the only Actor at the Table – Jesus – is a gracious, generous, lavish giver!  He receives what we bring, blesses it, breaks it – and gives it back to us, transformed.  Tis bread we bring – somehow, it is his body.  Tis fruit of the vine that we drink – somehow it is his blood for us.

And we ourselves?  We are received by Jesus … blessed by Jesus … broken, brought again onto the way of the cross that is the way of life … and are given his life, his forgiveness, his blessing.

And then?  Having been received by Christ, blessed by him, and yes, broken in some way, we are given by Christ into the world.

Chatham Church gathers at the Lord’s Table the first Sunday of each month – this Sunday!  How would you like to give your life to Jesus at the Table, so that he can receive what you offer, bless you, break (release, open up, make available) you, and give (send) you into to your weekday world?