Brother Monk has been at this message a long time! Just not coming to him. Not on his own, by himself, anyway!

He has not focused his energy and thoughts on the Lord…trying to go it alone…don’t know why…but this isn’t like him being a religious and all that…and for the past 20 years, there in this community of believers, on a wind-swept island sitting in the sea. No, something is wrong…and yet, he is just a man, nothing more. And he knows his inspiration come from the Lord our God by His Holy Spirit…only then is he able to write the thoughts of his heart, his very being…only then…and so on an off day when he gave in to the devices and desires of his heart, he failed. There would be no new message to throw into the sea to carry it where he knew not, but confident, he felt, this precious truth would land somewhere in the hands of someone who needed the “good word.” But not today.

And so, on his knees with deep prayer, the thoughts came to him…and so he wrote with a warm joy in his heart.

Now, I speak of joy, not as the world might try to understand it, but the joy God puts in our hearts the moment we come to believe in the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth…and from this awesome, incredible joy come the joy in our lives to gladly do the things God has for us to do. Joy to help our friends; joy to take care of our family; joy of help folks in the community; joy to serve our church in different capacities; the joy of loving and caring and protecting; and most of all, the exceeding joy of praying, and giving thanks, and blessing and praising the Lord our God for all things.

Holy Communion is something we Christians ought to do every day in honor of what Christ did for us: He shed His blood and died for us on the cross for the sin of the world…for us, and that all who believe in Him their sins are forgiven and we shall never die but have eternal life with Him.

There are so many things Jesus, God-Man on earth could have done on the night in which He was betrayed and taken to be killed, but He didn’t! He could have sent a legion of angels down from heaven to destroy the wicked, evil men who held Him, but He did not. He could have ascended up to heaven right away, so that none of it would have happened, but He didn’t! He could heave destroyed the whole mess by His power, but He didn’t. But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled? How would these events be fulfilled in God’s plan before time began that He, the Father would give His Son, His only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world because of His love and mercy and grace? No, Christ came to save through His death.

And what great thing did He do on the night He was betrayed? Why the most simple, wonderful thing that can hardly be imagined! In the Upper Room in Jerusalem, with His apostles gather around Him at the table to celebrate the Passover meal, He took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, Take and eat, for this is My body given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me. After supper, He took the Cup, and when He had given thanks, He said, Take and drink this all of you, for this is My blood of the New Covenant shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this as often as you shall drink in remembrance of Me…until I come again…for I tell you that I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until I come into My Father’s Kingdom.

That was it! This precious, simple act of leaving us the act of worship in a sacrament that does show the Lord’s death until He comes again! And we again and again receive Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior into our heart and are thankful, and something comes over us as a warm feeling in inexpressible joy.

So listen.

I Am, the Bread of Life, all who eat this Bread, will never die. I Am, God’s love revealed, I Am broken, that you might believe. All who eat of this heavenly Bread, all who drink the Cup of the Covenant, you will live forever and ever, and I will raise you up…I Am, the BREAD OF LIFE, all who eat this bread will never die.

The blessing Cup, is a communion with the blood of the Lamb. What return can I make to the Lord, for all the good He has done for me? I will take the Cup of Salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord…I offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, forever and ever. The blessing Cup is a communion of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, He is the Lamb of God…

This is joy in the Lord, the joy He has put in our hearts…an exceedingly great joy the world can never know, can never have because they do not believe in Jesus Christ who created and sustains all things…
This is the day that the LORD has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Christ is coming one day, perhaps soon for His saints. That’s the next great event in God’s calendar to take place! Blessed are those who joyfully watch and wait for the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.