This recording is from Christ Kingdom Church in Waterford Lakes, East Orlando. Visit us online at ChristKingdom.org for our calendar, driving directions, and more audio recordings. Well, good morning. That's the sound of dinner time at the Puckett Household. We have kids that, well, we have a lot of kids, as you know, and when they're playing out in the neighborhood, rather than try to yell, rather than even try, I don't know why we have cell phones. Because our kids don't always answer their cell phones some of the times. We don't even try that. We just go out front and we get very obnoxious with this bell. And if they're the least bit hungry in a matter of just a few minutes, they are running back home to come to eat because supper time is an important time in every household. Suffer time is important to all of us. You know, we might skip lots of things, but we typically don't skip a meal. And typically when we do have meals, we like to eat them with other people. We like to share them with people. There is just something natural since the beginning of time until present that meals are meant to be shared, or it seems like it. When have you been to some special event of any type that there hasn't been food served of some type, some level, or some of the most precious things in moments we have and ceremonies we have like a wedding, for example, what would a wedding be without a reception and there being some food? Or wouldn't have you ever been to, unfortunately, a sad situation when there's been a loss of a loved one, a passing of one, and there wasn't the gesture of coming and bringing food along with support and prayer and compassion. Food is a powerful thing, way more than just what our bodies physically need to sustain ourselves. God knew that, God designed it, God created it that way, and so as we look here at the story in Mark 14, the story of Jesus sharing this last supper as it's called with His disciples, we can learn some interesting things about that as well. If you have your Bibles, you haven't turned there, go ahead and turn there. I would say looking your Bolton, but we had a mistake this week. We didn't get the Bolton's back from the printer. Actually, it was my fault on that one. So anyway, you can use your imagination what it might look like there. But have your Bibles, you'll be on the screen. I think fortunately for you, we also wanted to apologize too. There's a drama going on here with the school and they've asked us not to move any of the lights. So if it looks a little darker up here than normal, that's the reason why and why we're not adjusting it. But having said that, moving forward here, what I want you to look at here in this section that was just read for us is what's going on here with that. And before we look any further, has he ever seen this photo before? Now, of your older, I'm pretty sure 100% of you have. If you're younger, maybe some of you have or have not. But this is written by, or written. This was drawn by the famous artist, Norman Rockwell, who was famous for his Saturday evening post publications where he would put out this some kind of unique drawing. And what was so unique about it was not just he was a good artist, was that he had an ability to capture something about the culture of people who live in America. Small town culture, maybe sometimes a big city picture, lots of different things. But you know what, he often drew something related to a meal, something related to a food, or people sharing food together, sitting in a restaurant, or like this classic one of Thanksgiving. Why? Because again, food plays such an important part. A meal, a supper time plays such an important part. And by the way, what's side note here is why we as families need to continue to fight for times to gather as a family, whether it be dinner, breakfast, lunch, or whatever we can. So if you're fighting that battle, don't draw weary, continue to fight it. When Norman Rockwell did a had an amazing ability to do pictures like this. Life happens right here around the dinner table, so much of the time. In fact, I know some of the others have the same tradition, but Davis, our seven-year-old, is always quick to say, as soon as we've kind of gotten going, let's share pals and wows, which is our way of saying, let's basically share the highlight and the low light of everybody's day. What was the toughest thing that happened? What was the best thing that happened? And of course, he always asked that question because he's already got his ready to go with that. And when there's eight or nine sitting around the table, as we normally have there, you know, you do need to get started early. If you're going to make it all the way around before dinner's over. But there's something about that, because you know, at the dinner table, intimacy of relationships happen. I don't know about yours, but over the years, and we've been, Lauren, I've been married 21 years now, so we've had quite a bit of time, but even if you haven't been married long, or even if you just grew up in that, I bet dinner times, you saw things like, you know, incredible times of laughter. You saw times maybe of anger, or somebody stormed away from the table. You saw times maybe of tears when somebody shared something that had been very difficult about that day, or even a tear of joy, perhaps, was shared in that context. Maybe you've had times as some of the most deep intimacy of just silence. Sometimes the ability to sit and eat some ice presents and not say anything is the most intimate thing. Some of you that've had experiences, if you've got a family, I'm sure you've had, where there's been glances made across the table. Maybe a glances that shows care and compassion and concern, and maybe a glances that says, we will talk after dinner later. But right, there's intimacy that happens in the context of the supper table. Well, eternal life happened and intimacy happened to around another table. The table that Jesus shared with the Passover with his disciples that night before he was betrayed. It was a place of intimate relationships as well, too. It was a place for friends. It was a place for family. So I want to look at three aspects of that here this morning. One is the context of the supper. Norman Rockwell will continue to guide us through as well with some of his photos. The context of supper. You can learn a lot about a picture, right? You can probably guess sometimes the title of some of Rockwell's pictures because the context, if you give it a little bit of time, if you look at the details, can leap off the page. And you guess what, if you don't already know what the title of this painting was, run away. But context is one of the things that made him such a great artist. One of the things that makes life interesting and makes life meaningful and makes life understandable is understanding the context. Things were building in the day of Jesus during this time. We've been going through the book of Mark now for a year or so. And we've seen how things have been mounting up and things have been leaning. And things have been pointing towards this event, this trip to Jerusalem. And if this was an actual motion picture movie, this would be the time you would say, whether you have to go to Batham or not, I'm not leaving my seat or the theater. Because something big I know is about to happen. This is not the time to leave and the disciples felt it and thought it. Remember when the whole people came out just a few days earlier, and months ago as we looked at it on Palm Sunday, they came out and they had the, you know, they're throwing down their cloaks and they're throwing down the palm branches and they're saying, less than he comes in the name of the Lord, there was a sense of anticipation that was about to happen. And people knew something was bubbling and the scribes and the Pharisees knew that things were mounting as well too and they were getting into a place where they had to make some big decisions and make some critical chess piece moves to do what they thought would be a checkmate against Jesus Christ. Things are mounting. Just a few days earlier, and a few chapters earlier, we've looked at Jesus' head, spent, remember all of Mark 12 or 13, rather, talking about the difficult times that were to come. This is where Jesus began to talk prophetically about the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple, which will happen around 70 AD. And then even talking about his return will come. Jesus giving them a glimpse that, hey, this battle is starting to fight. The battle's not going to look like the way you think, but there is no doubt a battle coming. A battle that's brewing. There's a conflict of kingdoms that are happening because I'm bringing my kingdom. Darren talked last week about the ruckus that happened with the lady who came in and broke the Alabaster jar of perfume over Jesus and just went overboard, dumping it all on him. Jesus says, anointing me for my burial. Things are building. Things are moving to a climax. That's the context of the supper that it happens. As many of you know, this was happening at the feast of unlavin' bread or the Passover. This was one of the most cherished festivals, if not the most cherished festival of the time, for the Jewish people. Because this was reminding them and commemorating the time when they had been delivered from Egypt. Remember the story from the very beginning, even if you've just seen the movie on there with Charleston Heston on TV. Okay, where God gives it ten plagues against Egypt. And the last one is the one that he's going to destroy the first born male of every household that doesn't have what? The blood of the Lamb, painted on the doorpost after having sacrificed the first Passover meal and shared it together. That's what they're remembering. They're remembering God delivering them because that's was the final straw that said they had Pharaoh say, go, get out of here. And that was the beginning of moving across and crossing the Red Sea in the forty years of wandering through the wilderness. And now that the creation of the new nation of Israel and the temple and all those things there, that was a sacred time. And Jesus is there with his disciples celebrating it that night. That's the context. You know, Jesus had demonstrated his complete control to the situation before this meal happens. You know, some of the events here that we just read about are interesting. Let me read verses 13 through 16 again. Look at some of these. The scripture says, so he sent two disciples telling them, go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, say to the owner of the house that he enters, the teacher asks, where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover meal with my disciples. He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready, make preparations for us there. The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. Why are we giving those details? Why did Mark think that was important enough to stick in there again? Just like he had done when Jesus was coming in on Palm Sunday. Remember when he told his disciples to go afford and find the cult that will be tied up there. When they ask you why are you taking it, tell them that the master has need of it and they'll let you take it. Why is Mark giving you those kind of details that truly happen? Because he wants you to know what Jesus wanted them to know. That Jesus wasn't following parade of some trap that he had no awareness of. Jesus was following faithfully the sovereign will, the sovereign controlled will, his father, who knew exactly what he was doing. He was fulfilling every jot and title of the Old Testament and prophecy that was made about Jesus. In fact, Jesus says that many times. Jesus says so that the prophecy may be fulfilled, let them take me or do this or do that. Another reminder here that all the events that are happening there are being orchestrated sovereignly under the providence of the God who created the heavens and the earth. And with that, Jesus is coming to this supper. That's the context that's happening here. Well, if that's the context, let's look at another subgroup part of the context by looking at number two, the attendees of the supper. The only thing I love about this Rockwell picture here about this particular place for a meal is that the attendees here, if you don't notice who they are, you miss the whole story altogether. Because there's something unique here. There's something you can see the story unfold when you get an idea of who's there and who's at this particular meal. Well, it's also true in the understanding as we look at the Passover meal that Jesus had. When you look at who's there, you begin to learn a lot about this particular supper and what it meant. So we're going to look a little bit more about that. One of the things that you may not think of, and I hadn't really thought about it until I really studied it this past week to be honest, is who all was probably at this supper. You know, we tend to think whether it's Da Vinci's photo, whatever else, or painting that we didn't think it was just Jesus with his 12. But actually, the context reveals that it probably was a larger group of people there. We're asking for Jesus setting apart a large room, a normal sized room would have handled 12 or 13 with Jesus just fine. But Jesus had asked for a large room. The Passover meal usually you shared with your family. So there's a good chance of the disciples who were married and probably had children already had them with them. There's a good chance that there were other followers of Jesus. In fact, the text will go on at one point and say Jesus spoke to the 12 and said, one of you the 12 will betray me, right, in just a moment. He's going to say that implying that there were more than the 12 because he had a narrow it down to the 12. So get the picture here that this is a room, large room filled with lots of people. And no doubt, Jesus and his disciples are gathered together closely because they're sharing a bowl together, which we'll read about in a moment. But you get the context here if you think about it. There's many that are gathered here that are in this place. Many who are attending. But there's that elite group. There are the 12 disciples that are there. These are the top notch followers of Jesus. These are his cabinet members. These are his right hand men. These are the ones that are there to go with them all the way. And in a moment, they're going to say to even death if needed. That's who's there, close with Jesus. And among those, this text specifically tells us something about every single one of the 12. The first one is pointed out beginning of verse 18. While they were reclining at the table, eating, he said, I tell you the truth. One of you will betray me. One who is eating with me. They were saddened. And one by one, they said him, truly not I. It is one of the 12, he replied. One who dips bread into the bowl with me. The son of man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the son of man. It would be better for him if he had not been born. The first one present, the first attendee that has singled out is a betrayer. This meal reserved for intimate time with your closest family, your closest friends, Jesus closest friends. The ones he's done life with for the last three years. One of them, he says, is going to betray me. One of you, he says, will betray me. If you read the account, and I think all the gospels given an account of this past over a meal of some degree. If you look at John 12 and say John's account in his gospel, it actually mentions that Judas thereby name had been the one who in the story be we heard last week, remember the story about the woman who gave the perfume. It had been Judas who had been the one that said, look, why are you wasting this perfume? This could have been given in the soul to the poor. Now John goes on to tell us that the reason why he was doing that is because he used to be in charge of the money bag and he used to help himself to the money bag. John gives us more insights into what was going on. This is a little bit more into who this betrayer was as we know Judas. They didn't know that night exactly who it was. Jesus knew. Judas knew, but that's who this betrayer was, what kind of person he was. We're told in verses 10 through 11 earlier again that he decided to betray Jesus right after the incident with the woman breaking the jar of perfume on Jesus head. It was right after that happened, right after the money that he thought he maybe could have gained from the perfume being sold. The thing that bothered him about it, it was right, something happened at that point for Judas the betrayer to go. You know, that's it. The high priest, the leaders have been looking for an opportunity to deliver Jesus and I'm willing to bet that they would pay for somebody that would deliver Jesus right into their hand at just the right perfect time when there's no crowds around like a cause of riot, when they could quickly get him. So Judas had already been preparing, he'd already been planning. He'd been premeditating what was happening. That's who he was as a betrayer there that night. Verse 19 tells us that one by one, they said to him, surely not I. Well, one by one, they all said that that meant that Judas said it as well too. And Judas is not only a thief and an greedy man. He's a liar. Knowing right there what he's already put into motion, he says and speaks, surely not I. It was interesting. Judas is sharing an intimate meal with Jesus. He's using the same bowl with Jesus as it's pointed out. And again, that's pointed out because in the context, only those who were sitting close to you would share the same bowl and only those who were your closest family or friends would be close enough to share the bowl. And Jesus is making it very clear that that's the level of intimacy of which he's going to be betrayed. It's by someone who shared that intimacy with him. He's never truly believed in Jesus as the Christ Judas. And that's why it becomes a quick and easy decision apparently for Judas along the way. Maybe it's easy for him to lie, easy for him to be deceptive because somewhere along the way he believed that Jesus really wasn't going to bring the kingdom the way he wanted it to come. You know, in truth, probably early on Judas was maybe just as authentic as maybe some of the other disciples were intrigued with who Jesus was wanting to follow him. We're told that with the 12 and the 70 that Jesus sent out, the 70 included the disciples, they went out and they cast demons out of people and healed the sick. Jesus experienced that kind of power. He was eyewitnesses to all of Jesus' miracles just about. But somewhere along the way Judas's agenda and Jesus's agenda clashed. Somewhere along the way Judas had an opportunity and was forced with a decision whether my agenda is going to advance the way I think the Messiah should look like the way I think Jesus should be running and doing things. Or Jesus is going to advance. And I think it's at that moment after the perfume story that Judas decides my agenda is Trump. And that is the foundation I want to propose to you of every person who betrays Jesus Christ ultimately as a rejection of the agenda of their Creator God in turn for the acceptance and lordship of their own exalted agenda. And that's the case here with Judas. So let me ask you a question. Who's agenda is running your life today? Who's agenda is the Trump card when it comes to decision time? When God's word specifically conflicts with societies, approach with cultures, approach with other peers, thoughts and ideas, who Trumps? You can't have two agendas. One of them always has to go. And when Jesus agenda threatens yours, you'll either serve him or you'll betray him. One of the two. Well, there was another type of people type of attendee that was at the Lord's supper at the twelfth. We know one was the betrayer, but we're told that all the rest were deserters, like at verse 27. Jesus says, you will all fall away. Jesus told them, for it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. After the shock of hearing that one is going to betray them, Jesus brings down the other hammer. Oh, and by the way, you're all going to scatter. You're all going to desert me is what they're told. If you look further in this chapter verses 37 through 42, how does that happen? Well, one way is they deserve him by being too tired to stay awake and pray with him. Especially the three who are called to go with them. Peter, James and John, Jesus comes back and says, hey, can't you tear it with me for one hour? How many times did Jesus ask them to do anything directly for him? At the time he did and the time he needed it most, they couldn't stay awake. How often do we think of that being the type of desertion? Verses 50 to 52, this chapter also tells us that after they had come and taken Jesus, they desert him at that moment. In fact, one has given the story of one who follows from a distance, wearing just a linen gown or some type of thing like that. And even at the point of leaving that behind, he runs and flees, one of the disciples of Jesus probably. As soon as the trouble comes, as soon as the temple guards come and Judas betrays him, the rest scatter. They're gone. Question, and I believe this is a question that every person has to wrestle on a heart level, is will you acknowledge that you have deserted the God who created you in this world as you follow your own self-centered life agenda? I think all of us must come to realize that we're all representative somehow in those who are gathered at that Lord's supper with Jesus. There are some that clearly betray who Jesus is as a son of God and truly completely deny his agenda and claim he has no right for his agenda to be placed on them. And then if that's not representative of us, there is the rest who have all deserted God or creator in some way, shape or form, who have all walked away from his agenda, from his calling, from his creation ordinances, from his ruler, ship over our lives, and we've walked away from it. And that was true of all those who were there, Jesus' closest friends. The good news though is that Jesus came here earth to die for self-centered people, so there's actually hope in realizing that that is who you are in this story. You are one of those deserters. You're one of those who has walked away, whether it's at least one third typist specifically narrowed down in the story of an attendee because Jesus goes on. Peter speaks up as he's often prone to do, to say sometimes the right thing at the right time to say sometimes the wrong thing at the wrong time, but at least you know Peter's going to say something, right? Verse 29, Peter declared, even if all fall away, I will not. I tell you the truth, Jesus answered today, yes tonight before the rooster crows twice, you yourself would disown me three times. Mark says, but Peter insisted emphatically, even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you and all the others said the same. All the others said the same. Peter speaks for the eleven here, but he speaks boisterously about it. Question, will you acknowledge that you have denied him as well? Now, not just do we desert him and follow our own agenda, but we acknowledge the fact the reality that we have denied him, even this week, with a lustful fodder glance, with a self-serving lie, with some kind of rationalized form of greed, but the cutting word that felt justified at the time, with a convenient selfish choice that you thought went unnoticed, with a neglect of someone who really was in need, and you looked the other way, with regard for your glory more than his, in some way shape or form. See, we not just deserted Jesus, all of us, but we've gone beyond that to deny him, and to deny him if we're honest on a regular basis in our lives. So, with looking at the guest list of the twelve, and the attendees that are here, you might ask the questioner, you should. So, where are the faithful, where are Jesus' real friends, where are the ones that are the model, where are the legitimate Christ followers, that brings me to the third and final point, the point of the supper. Rockwell, in this picture, paints more than just a few characters, he paints one unseen character, doesn't he? Who's the unseen character in this painting? God, Jesus, and it's strange how his presence is there, even though he's not been drawn in, in the context of here, as if you were praying. The point of a Lord's supper and why the story is here, not just to tell us that Jesus gave us a new thing to do every week, but the point of it is that there are none who are faithful. There are none who are loyal, there are no true friends of Jesus around the table that he breaks the bread and pours the wine at. There weren't any then, and there aren't any today, in and of themselves, faithful, loyal, good friends of Jesus. You know, you might have read the story a long time ago, if you grew up in the church, you might have heard it, you might have thought, man, God, Jesus. I got a hand at the Jesus, he's sitting there with Judas, and he's still eating the meal with them. Take my hat off to Jesus. I don't think I could have done that. I would have been sitting there thinking, you know, wanting to make some wise cracks about Judas, you know, sitting Judas to run an errand, because this is kind of personal internet. Want just my close friends here? Lots of things, but the other 11, Jesus knew as much as Judas was going to betray him, the other 11 were going to desert him. The other 11, including Peter, were going to deny him specifically three times that night, and Jesus is still sharing an intimate meal with him. See there are any to be found, there's no one who's righteous, Romans 3 goes on and tells us there's none who seek the Lord, there are none who are righteous. They don't exist. Here's a picture of another meal, this meal. You see the ultimate context of the Passover meal that pointed to had arrived. The Passover meal had been celebrated for hundreds of years at this point, but it had come to its climax that night. It had been pointing, just like you can drive around town and see billboards that say the Lion King is performing at the Bob Car. They're pointing, they're pointing, but it's performance time. You're sitting in the seat, and the Lion King is about to go on. That's what's happening here. Everything that that Passover meal had pointed to was about to be fulfilled right there at that moment. The reason why there was a Passover Lamb's blood spread on the doorpost of the house was because there was sin inside the house. And the reason why Jesus is the Passover Lamb at the table with them is because there are only people full of sin around that same table. The representatives were all there, a betrayer, a bunch of deserters, a denier. I like what James Edwards says about this, let me quote him. He says, the only prerequisite at this meal is need. Mark is the only gospel writer who adds, and they all drank from it. The all echoes throughout the remainder of the chapter, recalling both the grace of Jesus and the failure of the disciples. They all drank. They all swear allegiance to Jesus, but they all fall away, and they all fled. The original last supper is attended by traders and cowards. It's a table not of merit, but a table of grace. Here's my point, because I believe it's a text point, I believe it's a point of the Bible, until you acknowledge and identify yourself not as a pretty good person. Not as a person who's a little better than your neighbor. Not as a person who doesn't talk like they do, who owns a Bible, who shows up at church maybe, who votes a certain way, who doesn't watch certain movies. As long as you are oriented to view yourself in light of that, you'll never see this meal as anything that special, that important. But when you see yourself through the eyes of Jesus, and you look across a group of friends who you've spent your entire life with, adult life there, ministry life, when you see the trailer, deserter, deserter, deserter, specific denier three times tonight, deserter, deserter, deserter, deserter, deserter, and they're your friends, and they're the ones that you share this meal with. When you see yourself like that, then this meal becomes the most sacred thing of your life, if you're a follower of Christ. Your support supper draws us into spiritual communion with Jesus Christ because it reminds us of our terrible death deserving need, terrible death deserving need. Rebellion against our God and our Creator. It reminds us that Jesus takes our guilt in our curse and our punishment. He doesn't just take it but he satisfies the wrath of God. Most of us don't like him when people portray God as being angry and mean and vengeful. We think, last time my God, yes it is. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, if you understand the gospel, you serve a holy God who is angry at sin, wrathful and completely justified, completely justified. And the way you feel and you read the newspaper or watch the TV broadcast and you go, I can't believe somebody would do that. Do their own child or do their own spouse or to their neighbor. And now that justice you feel inside you, that's not the tip of the iceberg compared to God. That's a molecule of a tip of an iceberg compared to God's sense of justice.
Let me tell you, if you think you serve just a loving God and not a just God, then you don't really serve a loving God because a loving God destroys anything that's unloving. A loving God destroys anything that threatens love. A loving God would justly and rightly destroy sin and every evidence of it. If you knew parents that your child was going to get cancer and God forbid that that were to happen, would you not do everything in your power to eradicate that threat in your house, in the food they're eating, in your child's body, get into the doctor. Would you not, out of love, ruin and totally mess up their lives and say, we're not going to soccer practice today, so we're going to the doctor because we're going to take cancer seriously every single one of you would. Those of you aren't parents, you would do it with your friends because you love them. So when the scriptures say that God, Jesus satisfied the wrath of God and because he went to the cross because of his love for us, those two things are married. The justice and the love of God are married together. They cannot be separated. And only a loving God understands the need for justice and only a just God can fully express genuine love. The two are together. You serve a raffle, angry God at sin, but you serve a loving God who, according to the scriptures, made him who knew no sin to become sin on your behalf. That's how much he loves you, to pour out his anger on his innocent son instead of on you, instead of on me. That's why it's an amazing meal. That's why it's good news. That's why it will change you if you believe that this is who Jesus is. This is why he says, do this and remember it's me. We wrap up with just a couple thoughts. Jesus tells them, remember that they're going to find the upper room. Why? Because he's in complete control. We already said that. Jesus tells them that one of them is going to betray him ahead of time. Why? Because he's in complete control. Jesus tells them ahead of time that they're all going to desert him. Why? Because he wants to remember that he was in complete control. Jesus tells Peter, he's going to die in three times at night. Why? Because he wants Peter to remember that he was in complete control. In fact, another gospel tells us that Peter, he tells Peter, hey, Satan's asked permission to sift you like wheat, but I prayed for you and that you will be restrained and encourage those around you when you return. Jesus tells him ahead of time. Jesus tells him that he's going to rise again from the dead and he will come back to them. Why? Because he wants him to remember he's in complete control. Jesus says in verse 25, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drank it and knew in the kingdom of God. Why? Because he's in complete control of you and your life and the events of your life. And as much in control as you was two thousand years ago, let me tell you he's in control of coming back. He's in control of that meal that's to come. He can't wait to drink it with you who choose to follow him. He's offering life to you. He's offering forgiveness to you. He's offering the Holy Spirit to you. He's offering to change you and shape you into a vessel that he can greatly use. That's why he says this is my broken body given to you. This is my blood poured out for you. If you are here this morning as either a betrayer, I'm sorry, you are here this morning as either a betrayer or some type of a deserter, but there is no other option. And what you choose to do with the message of Jesus and the message of the gospel of life will determine ultimately whether you follow the path of Judas or whether you follow the path of eleven other broken men who learn just how much they needed. The love and mercy of a God who would leave earth to come, leave heaven, sorry to come to earth for them. So the bad news is not as good as you thought you were. I'm not as good as I thought it was. The good news is even though I'm far worse than I can even imagine your far worse than you can even imagine his grace and his mercy and his love is even more far greater than you could ever imagine. That's how great it is. That's how great he is. That's great. God, will you come now and meet with us as we prepare our hearts to come to your table? Will you prepare our hearts? Will you come remind us the importance of the meal that we're about to celebrate is, will you come remind us that you invited us to come just as we are and may we not candy-coded and make it look better than it is? May we come simply, honestly, knowing that we come as desperate people, we come as deserters and deniers and God, even from that, this very weak. But God, may we know that your mercies are new every morning and may we know that your resurrection is proof that you are transforming us more and more in the image of your son. And Father, those that might be here this morning that know that they do not have a relationship with you, but they do not know you as our Lord and Savior, would you draw them into saving knowledge of that now and faith to come and to turn over their lives, to come and follow you, to come and forsake their sin and trust in your forgiveness and know that just as much as you predicted, everything about the details of your death, just as much as you said your death would bring forgiveness and would bring life and would satisfy the wrath of God and would bring us to you. So Father, you come and let that truth soak in and fill us and lead us in guidance. We pray this in Christ's name and then.