14-July-24 (Mark 6:14-29)

In our gospel reading for today, people are having a lot of trouble figuring out who Jesus is. Some thought he was Elijah, the prophet come back. Herod thought he was his cousin John, the baptizer, raised from the dead to plague him some more. We have the advantage of having the writings of Jesus' disciples and the thoughts of folks for the past 2000 years, but I think the clearest single thing that speaks to who Jesus is, is right here at the Table. At the Table we remember the one who came to show us, as Paul says, the character of the invisible God in a human being. At the Table we remember that he gave his life so that nothing we could ever do could separate us from God's love. At the Table, our Risen Lord and Host calls all of us, in a wide open welcome to all, to join together. As we come to the Table today, let us remember Jesus, who is clearly shown to us in all we do here.
Let us pray.

Prayer:

God who comes to us in the person of Jesus our Lord, we thank you for the way the Jesus shows us who you are. We thank you for these symbols of bread and cup, that remind us that he gave his life for us to have a full relationship with you. We thank you for that love which fills our hearts and sings in the air around us.
Now, as we take this bread and cup, fill us with your Spirit, that we can carry your love and the Good News of it into our world as we go.
In the name of Jesus, our Christ, AMEN