I took in the ornately carved pillars that stabilized the ceiling. Stained glass windows showered the room with colorful beams of light. I gazed around the holy site room that had served many purposes throughout the years for Christian and Islamic faiths.
The Last Supper Room.
Our large tour group plus several smaller tour groups were crowded in the room - shuffling and murmuring quietly. Trying to imagine Jesus and the Disciples in the room. Ms. Karen Peck (the lead singer of the gospel band we were with) started to sing a song of worship. People all around the room started to join in and our voices rose beautifully in holy unison. I'm sure people outside could hear us worshipping!
We continued to sing for a few minutes and Ms. Karen said, "I feel like we should do communion. Does anyone have crackers?"
One lady piped up, "I think I left a bag of crackers in my bag from yesterday" and she dug them out. Crushing them up, we took tiny pieces and passed them around the room. And there, we had communion with Cheeze-its. It may have been unconventional, but it was one of the holiest and most significant of moments I've ever experience.
After several songs, we filed out of the room and back into Old City Jerusalem. Our tour guides proceeded to say, "We were holding our breaths because the guards here do not allow you to sing and hold services without special permission. We can't believe no one came up and said anything!"
It was one of my favorite spiritual moments in Israel.
One of the windows in The Last Supper Room
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Fast forward 8 months to today - Maundy Thursday. I was invited to a church service and decided to go. In the state of full disclosure, on my way there, I googled what "Maundy Thursday" actually commemorated - wouldn't you know, it was the Last Supper.
Tonight's service consisted of worship, scripture reading, foot washing, and communion. We worshipped with a band and with a choir. We held hands with strangers during a prayer. We gently washed each other's feet as an act of servanthood and humility. We listened to Bible passages being read aloud. We ate food and spent time in conversation with old friends and new ones. There is no way to describe it other than that it was sacred.
Communion in Israel
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Growing up as a church kid, I've now celebrated 24 Easters. 24 years of hearing the same story being taught. While the message is as powerful on the day Jesus rose as it is now, I have the tendency to lose sight of that. To disregard and underappreciate what Jesus was teaching through Holy Week. Walking through Israel has really brought a new perspective to my thoughts and reflections on this week.
Here are new revelations I've had and I've heard today:
- The Last Supper is about community. Community is life alongside each other - learning, teaching, listening, eating, serving, being, doing, resting, praying.
- Even though Judas was going to betray Jesus, and Jesus knew that, Jesus did not stop fellowshipping and being in community with His Disciples. In the same way, just because we are going to get hurt when we are in a community does not mean we should stop serving and celebrating.
- Community requires uncomfortable humility, like gently washing and drying someone's feet.
- Community requires approaching strangers and hold their hand to pray over and bless them.
- Community unites - ages, races, churches. It embraces and encourages. It does not divide and destroy.
- We have to be willing to be broken in order to see the biggest blessings and change.
All of these things are incredibly important, but the one that stuck out the most to me was that I need to be willing to be broken. I do not enjoy pain - whether it's hurt feelings or a physical pain, I try to avoid it! Listening to the pastor talk about that though reminded me of the story of The Cracked Pot.
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”. The bearer asked, “Why? What are you ashamed of?” The Pot replied, “For these past two years I am able to deliver only half of my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you don’t get full value for your efforts”.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” As they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it somewhat. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
So, some questions to reflect on this Easter season:
- Who is your community?
- What are you learning through your community?
- How are you serving your community?
- Are you embracing the brokenness and pain in order to be used by God?
I can't fully convey the feelings and findings of my reflection on this topic. But, I do want to encourage you - dig into the Word of God. Reflect. Ask God what He wants to reveal to you. It doesn't matter how many times you've read the story or heard the message, there is always more God wants to reveal to you!
The Biblical readings can be found in Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, Luke 22:7-39, and John 13:1-17:6.
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