There comes a time in every camping experience when it feels good to be packing up for home. The shower, the mattress, the conveniences await. Here you have that foretaste. We groan in this earthly tent, but the Spirit is our guarantee that better things are coming. And the Spirit works through this sacrament, making the future a present reality, as we are joined with Christ and experience union with Him. What did Jesus tell His disciples as they held and drank the wine? I will not drink it again until I am with you in my Father’s kingdom. For the Jew, the feast booths looked backward to the wilderness wandering. The feast reminds us of our present and future hope for the heavenly city that Abraham hoped for – something better than what we have now. Abraham lived in tents all his life. The only piece of land he owned was his wife’s tomb. But when Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, Abraham had a premature feast to celebrate God’s promises of inheriting the land for his children. When Jacob returns to the land from his exile with Laban, he built booths, and bought some land. The promise was coming true, even with the unease of living next to his brother Esau. This table is a premature feast. Jesus has promised that the meek will inherit the whole earth. We are called to celebrate our salvation before it is fully realized. The bread from heaven is Jesus Himself, His body broken for you. The wine is the richer glory of the New Covenant. Jesus, the living water, turned water into wine, blessing us as He shed His blood to cover our sins.
Word, Water, Bread, Wine. The gifts of God, for the people of God.
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