Sue O'Donnell. 12.01.21
“The Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of fine wine on the ...” (Isaiah 25 v 6)
The loving plan of our eternal Father
Is salvation gifted us in Christ Jesus,
He who offers us the Bread of Life
In the mystery of the Holy Eucharist.
By this banquet provided for us, Jesus commits to us.
Honouring us by trusting us to become His,
Jesus claims us for His own feeding us
On His wisdom and truth in all holiness.
The Bread of Life nourishes our faith.
The wine transubstantiated by the Holy Spirit,
Into the redeeming blood of Jesus, continues
In all its cleansing, healing, sanctifying capacity and property.
“I, like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God, put my trust in God’s faithful love, for ever and ever. I shall praise You forever for what You have done, and shall trust in Your name, so full of goodness in the presence of Your faithful.” (Psalm 52 v 8, 9 TNJB)
This name of Deliverer is given us by Jesus,
Manifesting our Father’s forgiveness in all loving kindness,
Desirous that we feed on the Bread of Life.
The heavenly banquet of the Holy Eucharist freely provided,
Is a most marvellous gift of mercy and forgiveness,
Reminding us of the pardon Jesus gained for us at the †.
Reach out to the Holy Spirit to teach us more regarding this feast.
The Spirit will invite us to taste and see of Jesus’ holiness.
What we need to do is to pray in earnest,
For the Spirit of Jesus to descend anew through the Holy Eucharist,
Teaching us all things pertaining to love and mercy.
It is Jesus who gives us confidence to stand before the throne of mercy.
“Because of what He has done in going ahead of us, we are now able to come close to God’s throne of grace with confidence. And when we do so, we are able to receive mercy and discover God’s abundant grace that will help us, no matter what the nature of our needs.” (Hebrews 4 v 16 The
Truth)
In feasting on the body and blood the Lord Jesus gifts us,
We are being reminded of life’s eternal meaning and purpose,
That which the Holy Spirit reveals to us by Jesus.
Jesus’ purpose for our holiness is enhanced by His presence,
The reality of His nearness to us in the Holy Eucharist,
A Sacramental Mystery offering the forgiveness at the †of Jesus.
The full potential in this is developed by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit comes to us in holy power and authority.
Jesus’ wisdom and truth, His full spiritual healing
Revealing love’s power in the Trinity undergirding this wondrous sacrament.
What we receive is love, that which is everlasting, all encompassing,
And life transforming in all the beauty of holiness.
“He has chosen to reveal to all who are His among the nations, the glorious riches that are centred in this mystery that Christ has now come to live in you, and in Him alone is your hope of glory, now and for all eternity.” (Colossians 1 v 27 The Truth)
By love and mercy we taste and see of God’s glory.
The Holy Spirit is the influence accomplishing
Great works through us in Christ Jesus,
As the Spirit leads and guides us towards the Father’s will.
Love being His overriding purpose, we will see if living prayerfully,
Partaking of the substance of Jesus’ own holiness,
As often as we can in the Holy Communion offered us,
We come to see the splendour of the power of holy love.
Strengthened by this nourishment God given,
We discover the fullness of Jesus alive in us.
In all we do with Him, in Him, through Him,
By being completely and continuously open to the Holy Spirit.
“ ‘Let him (her) who glories, glory in this, that (s)he understands and knows Me. That I am the LORD, exercising loving kindness, judgement and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9 v 24)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5 v 6)
O Lord, how uplifting it is to know You regard us as being made righteous because of the perfectly holy life the Lord Jesus offered up for us. Thank You.
In His resurrected self He comes to live within us by means of holy communion. “The righteous keep moving forwards and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.” (Job 17 v 9) Thank You.
We are called to worship You in the holiness of the Lord Jesus, in His righteousness. Thus we dare to approach Your mercy. This is such a privilege. Thank You.
May we always find refuge from all that is evil, by staying very close to our Saviour Brother, calling on the life anointing Holy Spirit who is our Purifier, the new Life cover. Thank You.
May the Holy Spirit as we partake of the Lord Jesus’ body and blood, the most precious items on earth, fan into a flame our love of uprightness. He will do this if we pray and live worthily. Thank You.
Dearest Father, in the Lord Jesus we see Your perfect reflection. We need please, the Holy Spirit to remind us to look for Jesus in each other, so we can see goodness at work. This encourages us. Thank You.
May we ever strengthen, support and encourage each other to follow the example of the Saviour. There is such joy of satisfaction in this. Thank You.
“You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10 v 38)
We want the world to know this. May the Holy Spirit cause all peoples to seek to find the truth as to who the Lord Jesus is and all it is He accomplishes for us. When touched by the Spirit, they will come to rejoice in their discovery. Thank You.
“ ‘I, the LORD have called You to savour My righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to My people Israel, as a symbol of My covenant with them.” (Isaiah 42 v 6)
This favour has been extended to us. Thank You.
The Lord Jesus, the living Word who is our forever Saviour, He “ ‘Will be a light to guide the nations’.”
(v 6 cont) No longer need we remain in sins’ darkness which is totally destructive to us. Thank You.
The power of Your love is overwhelming, thankfully. The extent of Your mercy in allowing the Lord Jesus to die on the †for our punishment, is extraordinary. For this steadfast loving kindness we rejoice. Thank You.
You speak to us through the One who has become one of us in all things, taking on our likeness so He can identify with us. We have an all loving empathetic Brother. Thank You.
Then so we can always benefit from the holy presence of the Lord Jesus, He instituted the Holy Eucharist to be so close to us. Thank You.
Wherever we are, may we live by the demand of love, living in the way the Lord Jesus has shown us, self-givingly. May the Holy Spirit grow in the wisdom to discern right from wrong in all circumstances. He will help us to choose life. Thank You.
“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your presence, LORD. They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation. They exult in Your righteousness.”
(Psalm 89 v 15, 16 NLT) Thank You.
“You are their glorious strength. It pleases You to make us strong. Yes, our protection comes from the LORD, and He, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our King.” (v 17) All praise ever be expressed for the Lord Jesus, the King of Glory.
Your glory Father God, as it is the holiness You share with the Lord Jesus, in the Holy Spirit, which impacts upon us, which changes our life now and eternally.
We are of all people, most blessed, all who know the Lord Jesus is their Saviour. “Teach us to realise the beauty of life, so that we may grow in wisdom,” (Psalm 90 v 12 NLT) and seek our inheritance in heaven.
“Satisfy us each morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!” ( v 14, 15) This brought upon ourselves by sinning.
“Replace the evil years with good. Let us, Your servants, see Your work again; let our children see Your glory.” (v 15, 16) Lord, this is a heartfelt plea made in the face of growing secularisation. When we turn to You, through Jesus by the Spirit, none of us will be lost to heaven’s joy. Thank You.
“And may the Lord our God show us His approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful,” (v 17) as we partake of the love of Jesus, rejoicing to do this in the unique way of the Holy Eucharist.
Then we can keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus’ law of love, loving as He has loved us. The presence of Your Word Incarnate brought about by the Holy Spirit, illuminates a clear path forwards, the way home to
heaven. Thank You for everything. Amen.
Images by Artist Christine Garwood
http://www.christinegarwoodartist.co.uk/
Season
Key Themes
EUCHARIST
MERCY
