We gather this evening to remember in our hearts and minds the events that occurred on Thursday during the last week of our Lord’s life.  

The disciples have gathered in the second floor of a home, whose we’re not sure.  They gather to participate in a Seder meal, one of the highlights of the Passover week. The Seder meal during Passover had been observed for centuries, long before Jesus came on the scene.

It commemorated a time in the history of the nation Israel when the Jews were slaves in Egypt , when Moses warned Pharaoh to let his people go, when Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and when God sent death to the land of Egypt , miraculously passing over the homes of the Jews.

The meal itself was symbolic, intended to remind the Jews of the sufferings of their forefathers and the power of God's deliverance. The foods eaten were symbols to remind the Jews of their captivity in Egypt . Apple sauce is eaten to remind them of brick mortar and the fact that they were forced to make bricks with no straw. Bitter herb is eaten to remind them of the bitterness of their captivity.  The disciples, with Jesus, participated in a Seder Meal that night in the upper room.

At the conclusion of the meal Jesus adds two more symbols. He took a loaf and broke it and gave it to his disciples saying: “Take eat, this is my body which is broken for you, do this in remembrance of me”. Then he took a cup with wine, drank from it, and gave it to his disciples saying, “Drink all of this, for this is my blood which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin.”  The birth of our sacrament, the Lord's Supper, rises out of the experience of an ancient Jewish custom.

da Vinci, in his famous painting, has forever impressed on our minds the scene of this last supper.  In that painting he depicts Jesus announcing his betrayal. The disciples look at one another in shock, all, that is, except Judas, who refuses to look Jesus in the face and clutches his money to his breast. I wonder this evening if we can see ourselves in the faces of the disciples. For they represent all that is good and bad about humanity.

Maybe we see ourselves in Matthew - who had a brilliant, analytical mind, but initially used it for himself rather God. He became a tax collector, a man in bed with the Romans. It was his responsibility to extract the tax money from his brothers--money that supported the very institution that enslaved the Jews. Matthew’s mind was like an adding machine. His god was the dollar mark. He reminds us just how far many of us are willing to go to advance our own personal ambition.

But when Matthew came to Jesus he came all the way. Now he used that brilliant mind to keep an account of the Master's teachings. Matthew reminds us that while our talents are God given, we must chose to use them for God to enhance humanity. To make this world a better place by our having been alive. Matthew did just that. His Gospel contains Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and a majority of Jesus’ parables. The Gospel according to Matthew changed the world like few writings ever have.

Maybe we see ourselves in James and John - reminding us of the pride and the ego that is within us all. It was their mother who went to Jesus to ask a favor for them. She said: “When you come into your Kingdom place my sons near you, one on your right and one on your left.”   James and John remind us that as we follow Jesus we must surrender our ego. We must decrease so that Jesus might increase. We must remember the words of Christ who said that those who would be great must first be a servant.

Perhaps we see ourselves in Nathaniel - who reminds us of the prejudice in our land and in our hearts. When he first heard about Jesus he said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?” In a thousand ways we echo his words and sentiments. Can any good thing come out of  Portsmouth ? Can any good thing come out of Iran ? Can any good thing come out of a retirement home? Can any good thing come out of my brother’s kids? Nathaniel reminds us that if we are to free others we must first free ourselves of the prejudices that separate us from others.

Certainly we see part of ourselves in Thomas for we, too, want proof, something tangible to cling to when our experience of God begins to fail. We live in a cynical, prove-it-to-me age. But Thomas reminds us that resurrection faith is not something that is neatly wrapped in a package.  Thomas reminds us to often pray, “Lord, I believe, help me with my unbelief.”

There was Simon the Zealot who hated with a passion. He reminds me that anger is an emotion that I’m not done with yet. The zealots were a political faction who wanted the Romans out and the Jews in, and they were more than willing to commit murder and mayhem to accomplish their goal. They were terrorists who believed that the end justified the means. Simon reminds us that if we are to follow the master we must follow all his teachings, even the part that says: “Love your enemy. Pray for those who persecute you”.

And then there’s Andrew who brought his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, but never get the notoriety. He always lived under his brother’s shadow, never entering the inner circle of Peter, James, and John – even thought he brought them all to Christ, even though he had been fishing with them since they were boys. Andrew reminds us that if we are to follow Jesus, we cannot insist on being in the spotlight. Those who truly serve rarely get the recognition. Andrew reminds us that there will be times when we must defer to others in humility in order to maintain unity in the Kingdom.

There was Judas. If we don’t see Judas in ourselves it is because we aren’t looking closely enough. Judas was impatient with Jesus. He knew that Jesus possessed the power to bring about the Kingdom of God , but he didn’t understand why he kept waiting. Judas, therefore, decided to take charge of the situation and force Jesus to show his power.  Judas reminds us that if we’re to follow Jesus we must remember that our schedule is not God's schedule. That we see the immediate, while God sees eternity.

And then there is Simon Peter - always impetuous. Always leaping before he looked. When Jesus told the disciples that they would fall away, Simon Peter shouted “Lord, I will never leave your side”. But Simon Peter did fall away, denying Jesus not once but three times. He reminds us that to follow Jesus we must first count the cost of discipleship.

So as we come forward this evening to participate in this ancient sacrament of the church, may we confess before God that we are all of the disciples, with all of their frailties and sinfulness. But we are also like them in our sincere desire to follow the Christ. My prayer is that, through the sacrament this evening, the power of God may instill in you a sense of mission and remind us who we are - disciples of Christ.