Contentment is at
the heart of joy and thanksgiving is at the heart of contentment. So, it makes
perfect sense that the beginning of our joy is found right here at the Lord’s
Table, the Eucharist, the meal of Thanksgiving.
Here at this place, we look to the Lord Jesus, who looked beyond
the suffering of the cross for the joy that was set before Him. What joy was
that? It was the joy of Resurrection, vindication over His enemies. It was the
joy of being the first fruit of life for all that trust in His name, you and
me, who are forgiven through His blood, healed because of His wounds, our sins
nailed to His cross, dead and buried with Jesus but raised to eternal life as
He is raised. We are seated with Jesus at the right hand of the Father and will
reign with Him, world without end. Those words are true and we have not
attained any of it by our own doing. It is all grace, all gift. For such gifts,
we cannot pay. We must only receive them with thankful hearts. This kind of
thankfulness changes us. It makes us content to rest in Jesus and this produces
a deep and abiding joy, true rest in our eternal Sabbath, the Lord Jesus
Christ, Himself.
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