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“My Lord, You here have led me To this most holy place And with Yourself have fed me The treasures of Your grace; For You have freely given What earth could never buy, The bread of life from heaven, That now I shall not die.”
How would you prepare your home for a visit from the Lord? The preparations might involve some serious housecleaning, new clothing, special meal preparations, and the personal cleansing of repentance. When God came down from heaven to meet with the people of Israel, He did not leave the preparations to human imagination and choice. He established the standards for the meeting. When God called to Moses from a burning bush, He told the prophet to remove his sandals because that meeting place was holy ground. When God came down to Mount Sinai to speak to His people, the Israelites were to cleanse themselves before gathering at the mountain, but they were not to go up the mountain or touch it. Those who transgressed would be put to death. According to God’s direction, the tabernacle, or tent of meeting, was established. The ark of the covenant rested in the most holy place, or Holy of Holies, separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a heavy woven curtain. Above the mercy seat, the ark’s cover, God would meet with His people.
As God established His covenant with His people, Moses and the priests and elders of Israel were invited into the Lord’s presence. “They beheld God, and ate and drank” (Exodus 24:11b). During worship, we too are invited to enter God’s presence to eat and drink and celebrate His new covenant of grace and forgiveness as we partake of Jesus’ body and blood. How do we prepare to receive such a sacred gift? We come to the table of the Lord as we are, repentant sinners in need of forgiveness. We come in faith, trusting in the words of our Lord: “This is My body … This is My blood” (see Matthew 26:26-28). In the Lord’s Supper we receive Jesus’ true body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins.
The temple veil, separating the presence of God from the people, was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross. By His death, Jesus opened a “new and living way” into the presence of God “through His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). During the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we come into God’s presence to receive Jesus’ body and blood. We come with faith in Jesus’ promise and at His invitation: “Take, eat; this is My body … Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant.” In this most holy place, we eat and drink in God’s presence and proclaim our Savior’s death until He comes again.
WE PRAY: Jesus, living Bread from heaven, I praise You for the gift of Your body and blood, given and shed for me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “O Living Bread from Heaven” which is number 642 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
- If God were visiting your home today, what would you do to welcome Him?
- What does God offer us when we come into His presence in Holy Communion?
- How does Jesus’ death and resurrection open a “new and living way” into the presence of God?
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