"20 centuries ago, our Heavenly Father
brought forth to this world His only
begotten son, to be crucified so that
all men might be saved.
Now we are engaged in a great Christian
war...testing whether our faith, so conceived
and so dedicated,
can endure. We are met by Him
so that we might receive this faith
and victory over death.
We have come to partake of this Lord’s Supper
because He died,
was buried and rose again that
we might live. It is altogether fitting
and holy
that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense,
we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not
hallow this table, Jesus already did.
It is far above
our poor
power to add or detract
anything
from communion.
The world will little note, nor
long remember, what
we say
here, but it can never forget
what He did.
It is for us the living, rather,
to be dedicated here
to the
unfinished work which
our Lord so nobly began.
It is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the
great task remaining
before us...that from His sacrificial
death we take increased devotion
to that cause for which
He gave
the last full measure of devotion...
that we here
highly resolve
that He shall not have died in vain...
that
this Gospel shall have a
new birth of freedom: the cleansing
and renewing of His grace, by
His blood and for our forgiveness.
Thanks be to God we shall not perish but have eternal life.