18 I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18 (Common English Bible) Following Jesus is hard sometimes. There's no getting around that fact. Loving our enemies feels impossible. Forgiving people who have hurt us goes against every natural instinct. Putting others' needs before our own doesn't make sense to a world that teaches us to look out for ourselves first. But here's what we often miss: the difficulty isn't a design flaw in Christianity. The difficulty is part of the point. God doesn't ask hard things of us to make our lives miserable. God asks hard things of us because easy things don't change us. If following Jesus never challenged us, never pushed us beyond our comfort zones, never asked us to grow, we'd stay exactly the same. We'd remain selfish, small-hearted people who never experience the joy of sacrificial love or the peace that comes from really trusting God. Paul understood this. He faced incredible hardships for following Jesus. He faced beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, rejection. But he could say with confidence that none of those sufferings compared to the glory that God was working in him and through him. The same is true for us. When we choose to forgive someone who hurt us, it's hard...but it frees us from bitterness. When we give sacrificially to help others, it costs us something...but it connects us to God's heart for the world. When we love people who are difficult to love, it's exhausting...but it makes us more like Jesus. The "hard to swallow" aspects of faith aren't punishments or tests. They're invitations to become the people God created us to be. They're opportunities to discover that God's way really is better than our way, even when it's harder. Personal Application:  What "hard to swallow" aspect of following Jesus has actually made your life better in the long run? How might you embrace rather than resist the challenging parts of faith, trusting that God is using them to transform you? Prayer:  God, help us trust you when following you feels difficult. Remind us that you ask hard things of us not to make us miserable, but to make us whole. When we're tempted to choose the easy way over your way, give us courage to choose transformation over comfort. Help us taste and see that your way is good, even when it's hard to swallow at first. Amen.

26 Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you broadcast the death of the Lord until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26 (Common English Bible) We like our religion comfortable. We like our church services predictable, our communion neat and tidy, our faith manageable. We prefer communion crackers that taste like cardboard to ones that might challenge us or make us uncomfortable. But maybe there are times when communion should feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe there are times when following Jesus should push us out of our comfort zones and force us to confront parts of ourselves we'd rather ignore. When Paul writes about proclaiming the Lord's death through communion, he's reminding us that we're not just participating in a nice religious ritual. We're declaring our allegiance to someone who was executed as a criminal. We're saying that the way of the cross, the way of sacrificial love, is the way we want to live. That should make us a little uncomfortable sometimes. When we eat the bread, we're reminded that Jesus' body was broken for people who betrayed him, denied him, and abandoned him. When we drink the cup, we remember that Jesus' blood was shed for people who didn't deserve it. And then we have to ask ourselves: if that's how Jesus loved, how should we love? If Jesus was willing to sacrifice everything for people who had turned their backs on him, how should we treat the people in our lives who have hurt us or let us down? Communion challenges us to love like Jesus loved. To forgive like Jesus forgave. To serve like Jesus served. To sacrifice like Jesus sacrificed. And honestly, that can feel overwhelming. It's much easier to follow a religion that asks us to be nice, show up on Sundays, and avoid the really bad sins. But Jesus doesn't call us to comfortable religion. He calls us to transformative relationship. He calls us to become people who love so radically that it changes not just our lives, but the lives of everyone around us. Personal Application:  In what areas of your life is God calling you to love more sacrificially? How might communion challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and love like Jesus loved? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for loving us so completely that you were willing to give your life for us. Help us not make communion too comfortable or convenient. Challenge us through your sacrifice to love others the way you loved us – sacrificially, unconditionally, courageously. Transform us at your table into people who look more like you. Amen.

23 Jesus said to everyone, “All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me. 24 All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will save them. Luke 9:23-24 (Common English Bible) Mary Poppins may have sang, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down," but sometimes the medicine that heals us tastes terrible. Sometimes the exercise that strengthens us makes our muscles ache. Sometimes the conversations that restore our relationships are the hardest ones to have. And sometimes following Jesus requires us to do things that feel counterintuitive. When Jesus talks about denying ourselves and taking up our cross, he's not being mean or trying to make our lives miserable. He's like a doctor prescribing medicine that we need, even if it doesn't taste good. He knows what will truly heal us and make us whole. The world tells us to put ourselves first, to look out for number one, to grab all the happiness we can get. But Jesus says the path to real life actually goes in the opposite direction. Real life comes through self-sacrifice. Real joy comes through serving others. Real fulfillment comes through following God's plan instead of our own. This isn't masochism or self-hatred. It's recognizing that our natural instincts – the ones that tell us to be selfish, to hold grudges, to take the easy way out – aren't actually leading us to the life we want. They're leading us away from it. When we deny our selfish impulses and choose to love instead of hate, serve instead of being served, forgive instead of holding grudges, we discover something amazing. We don't lose ourselves, we find ourselves. We don't become less happy, we find a deeper joy than we've ever known. Taking up our cross daily means making these choices over and over again. It means waking up each morning and deciding to follow Jesus' way instead of our way. It means trusting that God's plan for our lives is better than our plan, even when we can't see how. Personal Application:  What feels like "taking up your cross" in your life right now? What is God asking you to sacrifice or let go of? Instead of resisting, how might you trust that God's way leads to real life? Prayer:  Jesus, your way often feels backwards to me. When you ask me to deny myself, I want to assert myself. When you call me to sacrifice, I want to grab for more. Help me trust that you know the way to real life, even when it feels hard to swallow. Give me courage to take up my cross daily and follow you. Amen.

54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in them. John 6:54-56 (Common English Bible) We live in a world obsessed with quick fixes and instant satisfaction. We want fast food, fast internet, and fast results. When something takes time or effort, we get impatient. When transformation isn't immediate, we wonder if it's working. But Jesus talks about something different in John 6. Jesus talks about something that leads to eternal transformation...not instant satisfaction. He calls himself "true food" and "true drink," suggesting that everything else we try to fill ourselves with is somehow less than what we really need. What does it mean for Jesus to be true food? Physical food gives us temporary energy. We eat breakfast, but we're hungry again by lunch. We drink coffee in the morning, but we need another cup a few hours later. Even our best meals only satisfy us for so long. But when Jesus becomes our spiritual nourishment, something different happens. We find a satisfaction that lasts. Not because our circumstances become perfect, but because we discover that God's love is enough to sustain us through whatever life brings. The phrase "remains in me and I in them" describes what happens when we truly feed on Christ – when we allow his words to shape our thoughts, his example to guide our actions, his love to fill our hearts – he becomes part of who we are. And we become part of his ongoing work in the world. This isn't about religious performance or checking off spiritual to-do lists. It's about finding in Jesus what our souls have been hungry for all along. Real peace that doesn't depend on our circumstances. Real love that doesn't depend on our performance. Real hope that doesn't depend on our ability to fix everything. Personal Application:  What are you trying to feed your soul with that isn't really satisfying you? Career success? Other people's approval? Entertainment? Shopping? How might you create more space in your life to be nourished by Jesus instead? Prayer:  Jesus, you call yourself true food and true drink. Help me stop trying to satisfy my deepest hungers with things that can't really fill me. Teach me to find in you the nourishment my soul truly needs. Help me remain in you and you in me, so that my life becomes a reflection of your love. Amen.

Most of us never want to eat anything we deem to be disgusting. But sometimes it's the things that are the hardest to swallow that can change us the most.   At the communion table, Jesus talks about eating his flesh and drinking his blood (which sounds pretty gross), but when we take communion, we can be changed forever.

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 Then the Jews debated among themselves, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “I assure you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. John 6:51-53 (Common English Bible) Let's be honest, sometimes following Jesus doesn't sound very appealing. When Jesus talks about taking up our cross daily, denying ourselves, or losing our lives to find them, it can feel about as appetizing as a recipe that combines grape juice, vinegar, mustard, and mayonnaise all in one glass. The crowd listening to Jesus in John 6 felt the same way. When Jesus started talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, their first reaction was probably "Eww, gross." They had no idea what communion was because it hadn't been invented yet. All they heard was something that sounded disgusting and impossible. But here's what they were missing, and what we sometimes miss too: Jesus wasn't trying to gross them out or make following him sound unappealing. He was trying to prepare them for what real discipleship looks like. He was being honest about the cost. Following Jesus does require sacrifice. It means saying no to our selfish desires sometimes. It means putting God's way ahead of our way, even when our way seems easier. It means loving people who are hard to love, forgiving people who don't deserve it, and serving others when we'd rather be served. So, I'm not going to sugarcoat it, following Jesus can feel hard to swallow. But Jesus doesn't try to sugarcoat it either because he knows that real change – the kind of transformation we desperately need – often requires us to do things that feel uncomfortable at first. Think about anything worthwhile in your life. Learning to play an instrument, getting in shape, building a strong marriage, raising good kids – none of it comes easy. The things that change us most are often the things that challenge us most. Personal Application:  What aspects of following Jesus feel "hard to swallow" to you right now? Instead of seeing these as obstacles, what if they're invitations to grow into the person God wants you to become? Prayer:  Jesus, following you isn't always easy or comfortable. Sometimes your way feels harder than mine. But help me trust that you know what's best for me, even when it feels difficult. Give me courage to say yes to your way of living, knowing that you're transforming me into someone who can love like you do. Amen.

17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (Common English Bible) Something powerful happens when we truly encounter Jesus around the table. We don't just remember him, we're changed by him. The communion table isn't just about looking backward to what Jesus did two thousand years ago. It's about what Jesus is doing in us right now. When we eat the bread, we're reminded that Jesus gave his body for us. When we drink the cup, we remember that Jesus shed his blood for our forgiveness. But more than that, we're participating in something that transforms us from the inside out. Think about how meals work in our regular lives. When you eat food, it doesn't just sit in your stomach unchanged. It becomes part of you. It's broken down and transformed into energy that powers your muscles, feeds your brain, and keeps your heart beating. The food becomes part of who you are. That's what happens spiritually when we come to the communion table. We don't just observe Jesus' sacrifice from a distance. We take it into ourselves. His love becomes our love. His sacrifice becomes our motivation. His life becomes the pattern for our lives. This is why Paul can say with such confidence that anyone in Christ is a new creation. It's not just a legal declaration or a spiritual technicality. It's a real transformation that happens when we allow Jesus to become part of us at the deepest level. But this transformation doesn't all happen at once. Just like physical nutrition is something we need every day, spiritual transformation is an ongoing process. We come to the table repeatedly because we need repeated encounters with Jesus to keep changing us. Every time we return to the communion table, we're saying yes to that transformation again. We're opening ourselves up to let Jesus shape us a little more into who God created us to be. Personal Application:  How has encountering Jesus around the table changed you? What areas of your life still need to be transformed by his love? As you prepare to come to the communion table again, what are you hoping Jesus will do in your heart? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for not just dying for us, but for continuing to transform us through encounters around your table. Help us come to communion not just as a religious duty, but as people hungry for your presence and open to your transforming work in our lives. Make us new creations, shaped by your love and empowered by your Spirit. Amen.

7 When Jesus noticed how the guests sought out the best seats at the table, he told them a parable. 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding celebration, don’t take your seat in the place of honor. Someone more highly regarded than you could have been invited by your host. 9 The host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give your seat to this other person.’ Embarrassed, you will take your seat in the least important place. 10 Instead, when you receive an invitation, go and sit in the least important place. When your host approaches you, he will say, ‘Friend, move up here to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. 11 All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up.” Luke 14:7-11 (Common English Bible) We've all felt it...that moment when we walk into a room and wonder where we belong. The school cafeteria where you scan the tables looking for friendly faces. The wedding reception where you're not sure if you should sit with family or friends. The work meeting where you wonder if you're important enough to sit at the main table. Jesus noticed this same dynamic at a dinner party he attended. People were jockeying for position, trying to grab the seats that would make them look important. But Jesus saw what they were really doing – they were trying to earn their place at the table through their own efforts. Here's what Jesus understood that they didn't: in God's kingdom, nobody earns their place at the table. We don't get to sit with God because we're wealthy enough, smart enough, or good enough. We get to sit with God because God wants us there. This is so different from how the world usually works. In most areas of life, we have to prove ourselves. We compete for jobs, audition for roles, work to earn recognition. We're used to having to demonstrate our worth before we get a seat at the important tables. But God's table doesn't work that way. God's table is set with grace, not merit. You don't have to clean up your act first. You don't have to get your life together before you're welcome. You don't have to be perfect or impressive or even particularly pleasant. God invites you to the table just as you are. That doesn't mean we stay the same. Sitting at God's table changes us. When we experience that kind of radical acceptance and love, it transforms how we see ourselves and how we treat others. But the invitation comes first, not the transformation. Personal Application:  Where in your life are you still trying to earn your place at the table? What would change if you really believed that God invites you to sit with him not because of what you've done, but simply because he loves you? Prayer:  God, forgive us for thinking we have to earn our place at your table. Thank you for inviting us not because we're good enough, but because you love us. Help us rest in your acceptance and let that transform how we see ourselves and others. Give us the humility to take the lower seat, knowing that our worth comes from you, not from our position or achievements. Amen.

5 You set a table for me right in front of my enemies. You bathe my head in oil; my cup is so full it spills over! Psalm 23:5 ( Common English Bible ) Every table has stories to tell. If the tables in your life could talk, what would they say? They'd tell stories of birthday celebrations and difficult conversations. They'd remember homework sessions and bill-paying marathons. They'd recall the laughter of grandchildren and the tears of heartbreak. David understood this when he wrote Psalm 23. Even in the midst of his enemies, even when life was difficult and dangerous, God prepared a table for him. Not just food, but a feast. Not just survival, but celebration. Not just enough, but abundance – a cup that overflows. That's the kind of God we serve. A God who doesn't just meet our basic needs but who prepares feasts for us. A God who doesn't just keep us alive but who fills our cups to overflowing. A God who knows that we need more than mere existence. We need celebration, community, and hope. But here's what strikes me about this verse: God prepares this feast "right in front of our enemies." Not after the problems are solved. Not when life gets easier. Not when all our enemies have been defeated. Right in the middle of our struggles, God sets a table. Maybe you're facing enemies right now – not necessarily people who wish you harm, but circumstances that feel overwhelming. Financial stress that keeps you up at night. Health concerns that won't go away. Relationships that feel broken beyond repair. Family members who seem determined to make life difficult. God doesn't promise to remove all these challenges immediately. But God does promise to prepare a table for you right in the middle of them. A place where you can find nourishment, rest, and hope. A place where your cup can be filled to overflowing, even when everything around you feels empty. Personal Application:  Where are you facing "enemies" in your life right now – situations or circumstances that feel overwhelming or threatening? How might God be preparing a table for you in the midst of these challenges? Look for signs of God's provision and abundance, even in difficult times. Prayer:  Lord, when life feels overwhelming and our enemies seem to surround us, thank you for preparing a table for us. Help us see your provision and abundance even in the middle of our struggles. Fill our cups to overflowing with your love, peace, and hope. Remind us that you are always with us, always caring for us, always preparing good things for us. Amen.

17 After taking a cup and giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 I tell you that from now on I won’t drink from the fruit of the vine until God’s kingdom has come.” 19 After taking the bread and giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, he took the cup after the meal and said, “This cup is the new covenant by my blood, which is poured out for you. Luke 22:17-20 (Common English Bible) We all have rituals around our tables. Maybe it's holding hands before a meal. Maybe it's going around the table sharing highlights from everyone's day. Maybe it's the special china that only comes out for holidays. These rituals matter because they help us remember what's important. Jesus understood the power of table rituals. On that night before his crucifixion, he took the most ordinary elements from their meal – bread and wine – and transformed them into something that would help his followers remember him for the rest of their lives. But Jesus didn't create something completely new. He took what was already there, what was already familiar, and gave it deeper meaning. The bread they were already eating became a symbol of his body. The wine they were already drinking became a symbol of his blood. This tells us something profound about how God works in our lives. God doesn't usually show up in spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime moments. More often, God takes the ordinary stuff of our daily lives and infuses it with sacred meaning. The conversations around your dinner table aren't just small talk, they're opportunities to know and love each other more deeply. The simple act of sharing food isn't just about nutrition, it's about community and care. When we gather around the communion table at church, we're not just participating in a religious ritual. We're joining a meal that connects us to Jesus and to two thousand years of believers who have also eaten this bread and drunk from this cup. We're part of something much bigger than ourselves. Personal Application:  Think about the rituals and traditions around your own tables. How might God be present in those moments? The next time you sit down for a meal with others, take a moment to recognize it as more than just eating; it's an opportunity for connection, gratitude, and even encountering God through the people around your table. Prayer:  God, thank you for taking ordinary bread and wine and making them sacred. Help us see how you take the ordinary moments of our lives and fill them with your presence. When we gather around tables – at home, at church, or anywhere else – remind us that you are there too, turning simple meals into holy moments. Amen.

What is a table? That may seem like a pretty ridiculous question. A table is a pretty ordinary piece of furniture with four legs and a top. But there are times when ordinary tables can become something extraordinary. Like when we come together at the communion table. Because at this table, we have the chance to become more like Jesus.

14 When the time came, Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles joined him. 15 He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 I tell you, I won’t eat it until it is fulfilled in God’s kingdom.” Luke 22:14-16 (Common English Bible) Have you ever noticed how some of our most important moments happen around tables? The kitchen table where your family gathers for breakfast. The restaurant table where you celebrated your anniversary. The conference table where you got that promotion. The hospital cafeteria table where you waited for news about a loved one. Tables are ordinary pieces of furniture – four legs and a top, nothing fancy. But they become more than furniture. They can become something extraordinary when people gather around them. They hold our food, but more than that, they hold our stories. They witness our celebrations and our sorrows, our hellos and our goodbyes. That's exactly what was happening when Jesus gathered with his disciples for what we now call the Last Supper. It wasn't just another meal around just another table. Jesus knew this would be their final dinner together before his crucifixion, and he had been looking forward to this moment. The Greek word Luke uses here suggests Jesus had been earnestly longing for this time with his closest friends. Think about that for a minute. On the night before he would face the cross, with all the weight of what was coming, Jesus wanted to be at a table with the people he loved most, sharing an ordinary meal. Sometimes we make following Jesus too complicated. We think it has to happen in perfect settings with perfect people saying perfect words. But Jesus shows us that the most sacred moments often happen in the most ordinary places...around tables where real people share real life together. Personal Application:  Look around your home and notice the tables in your life. Your kitchen table, coffee table, your desk. These aren't just pieces of furniture. They're potential sacred spaces where you can encounter God and connect with others. What stories do your tables hold? What memories have been made around them? Prayer:  Jesus, thank you for showing us that ordinary moments can become extraordinary when we recognize your presence. Help us see the tables in our lives not just as furniture, but as places where we can experience your love and share it with others. Open our eyes to the sacred potential in the everyday moments of our lives. Amen.