Blainsport Mennonite Church
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Sunday Mornings at Blainsport
    • Mission and Values
    • What We Believe >
      • Baptism
      • Communion
    • Connections
  • 2025 Bible Reading Plan
  • Ministries
    • Adult Sunday School
    • Children's Ministry >
      • Child Protection
      • Family Dedication
      • Reign Forest >
        • Reign Forest Update
    • J4C
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women' Ministry
    • Youth Group
  • Messages
  • Pastor's Blog
  • Ways to Give
  • Contact Us
  • Directory
  • Forms

Thursday—Holy Week

4/14/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 35:18, ESV).
 
Ideally, worshippers celebrated Passover in Jerusalem. During his reign, King Josiah set this gold standard for observing the Passover. Jesus kept the high standard for Passover as he and his disciples went into Jerusalem for this solemn occasion. Peter and John go to find the exact place where Jesus wanted to celebrate Passover. Finding the site would be challenging since they were one group among thousands looking for a place in Jerusalem to hold the meal, but Jesus sovereignly appointed the location.
 
The Passover was a series of “scenes” unfolding during the meal. During the fifth of the seven meal scenes found in Luke’s gospel, 5:29-32; 7:36-50; 9:12-17; 10:38-42; 11:37-54; 14:1-24; 24:28-32; 24:36-42), Jesus instructed his followers how the observe communion.  He clarifies that his death means more than the end of his life and ministry. Jesus takes the bread that was part of the third course of the meal and makes a new symbol out of it in light of his death. “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24, ESV). The bread symbolizes the broken body of Jesus, and it would be broken over the coming hours.
 
Jesus took the cup and said it represented “the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20, ESV). The shed blood of Jesus would be the coming sacrifice on the cross, which inaugurated the covenantal provision. Throughout the New Testament, the new covenant is a central theme (Matt. 26:28; 2 Cor. 3-4; Heb. 8-10) which promises forgiveness of sins and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. The new covenant opened a new era of God’s blessing.
 
On April 24, we have the honor of celebrating communion at Blainsport. We remember the broken body and the shed blood of Christ on our behalf. Just as the Passover observance caused the people of Israel to look back at the Exodus, communion brings the church together to recall our identity in Christ by remembering Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We get to reaffirm what God has done for us.
 
On Friday, Jesus embodied the symbolism of Thursday’s Passover meal and the symbols of the Lord’s Table. Thank God for Jesus!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Eric Marshall

    ​Born in Reading, Pennsylvania, Eric grew up with his grandparents in the little town of Gibraltar, PA. He met his wife Cheryl while working at Good’s Greenhouse in Bowmansville, PA. He has four children and values watching them grow into the people God wants them to be.
    A lifelong student of the Word, Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies from Lancaster Bible College, a Master of Arts in Ministry from Capital Seminary, and a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry from Eastern Mennonite University. 
    ​He served as Associate Pastor at Blainsport for 11 years before becoming the Lead Pastor in 2006.

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    August 2023
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    August 2018
    March 2018
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Sunday Mornings at Blainsport
    • Mission and Values
    • What We Believe >
      • Baptism
      • Communion
    • Connections
  • 2025 Bible Reading Plan
  • Ministries
    • Adult Sunday School
    • Children's Ministry >
      • Child Protection
      • Family Dedication
      • Reign Forest >
        • Reign Forest Update
    • J4C
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women' Ministry
    • Youth Group
  • Messages
  • Pastor's Blog
  • Ways to Give
  • Contact Us
  • Directory
  • Forms