Preparing Our Hearts

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As we continue to look at Jesus' last few hours, let's consider this week the significance of the last supper, and our own celebration of the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion or the Eucharist - whatever your tradition calls it.

In Luke 22:8-13 we read of how the disciples had to make preparations for this event with Jesus. Luke writes: "Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, 'Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.' 'Where do you want us to prepare for it?' they asked. He replied, 'As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, "The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.' They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover." (Luke 22:8-13)

The disciples had to prepare the space - room, food, wine, furniture all had to be prepared. Similarly, when we share in this sacrament at church, we take the time to get the elements ready, and fill the glasses, and set it out nicely. This is a special ministry in the local church, being part of these preparations.

But I think there's something more important here. There's a spiritual preparation that I think makes Communion all the more real for us.

Spiritual Preparation for Worship

In years past, Christians would spend Saturday nights in prayer, because they wanted to be prepared and focused for Sunday worship. This came from the Old Testament where the Jews who went to the tabernacle or temple to worship would prepare themselves using various rituals of cleansing and prayer.

Today we rarely, if ever, take the time to prepare for this shared moment of worship together. How often we spend Saturday night far from God! We wake up Sunday morning late, wondering if we might skip church today… No we say, we must go! So up we get, get dressed, check our phones, have breakfast, check our phones, brush our teeth, check our phones… Jump into the car, fly up to church, jump out, say hello, sit down, check our phones, and the service starts!

That's been me many times. I find when I do it like that, I am so unprepared! The songs start and it takes me a while to settle my mind and my soul. The preacher prays and my mind is all over the place. The sermon is hard for me to focus on. Communion, if we have it, seems like a quick little ritual and I hardly even have time to think about its depth.

Maybe Sunday morning should be a morning of prayer. Maybe we should be on our knees at 6:00 on a Sunday, asking God to prepare our hearts to meet Him! Maybe there's something to be said for arriving at church 15 minutes before the service starts, and spending time in quiet reflection before worship.

Coming Worthy Versus Coming Prepared

Paul actually warned the early Christians, in 1 Corinthians, about 'eating and drinking in an unworthy manner'. This doesn't mean that if we've sinned we shouldn't take communion. Far from it! In fact if we are aware of our sin, then we're exactly the type of people who should come and meet Jesus at the table, and eat the bread and drink the cup!

Paul was not talking about people who are not good enough for Communion, because then nobody would be here. He was talking about people who take this moment too lightly. People who were chatting and laughing and messing around, instead of approaching this moment with a due sense of seriousness.

We can avoid all that. We can prepare our hearts. We can come to God in confession, in desperation. We can spend time connecting with God in prayer and worship, so that we come up and receive these gifts with the right attitude.

May it be that when we, the people of God, come to the table, it is with hearts prepared to meet Him there.

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