“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them saying, Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the convent, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28)
I wish I had taken a picture of a lunch I had a couple of weeks ago. I’ve heard many good things about a chicken & waffles meal in Chicago and finally went to Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles in the Bronzeville neighborhood. It did not disappoint. I went with a friend/parishioner who’s been there a few times and he helped me navigate the menu. Of course, I had to get chicken and waffles, but I wondered if I should add to my order. Perhaps a side of some kind of soul food. Mac & cheese was added. And you can’t have a meal like this without some sweet tea. It was a treat to keep adding to my order and saying, “Yes, I think I’ll have this, and this, and, of course, you have to have that…” I’m glad I rode my bicycle to the restaurant to burn off a few of the calories, but it was all worth it.
I was reading Matthew 26:26-30 a few days ago. Even if you don’t go to church that often, you may have heard the lines listed above before or maybe you’ve seen DaVinci’s “The Last Supper.” Scriptures like these have the potential to lose their impact because you hear them so often (“Take, eat, this is my body, yada yada yada”). A few days ago, though, I was stopped in my tracks. “Take,” Jesus says. As I continued to keep reading, there was a nudge from the Spirit that said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop for a moment. Take.” So I stopped. Jesus says to take. Jesus says to eat. Jesus says to drink. And not just a little, I don’t think. Psalm 23 comes to mind: “my cup runneth over.” Jesus offers us so much. Himself. Are we polite and only accept part of his invitation? Or do we take him at his word and fully receive all that he has to offer? Take. Eat. Drink.