When Jesus taught His disciples that they should not labor for the meat that perishes, their response was to ask what work they should do in order to work the works of God. Jesus replied that the work of God was that they would believe on the one whom God had sent. They asked what work they should do, and Jesus replied that the work God does is that they would believe.
We slip off the point so readily, so easily. We want to turn the Supper into a statement of our good intentions toward God, when it is actually a statement of God’s good intentions toward us. And so we ask, how shall we approach the Supper so that we get the most out of it? The question we should be asking is how does God approach the Supper so that we get the most out of it? When we look to ourselves, we always stagger. We stand in faith when we see God, and His love, His delight, His invitation, His kindness.
We feel we must look to ourselves, for have not many shipwrecked their faith? Yes, they have – by looking to themselves. Look to God, look to His Christ, look to His Spirit.
This is not our Supper; it is the Lord’s. Like a helpless and foolish toddler, we are strapped in the high chair, wondering what great and mighty works we should do in order to deserve our Supper. One work only – open your mouth, and God promises to fill it. What is it to open your mouth? It is to believe. This work cannot be done if you look at yourself opening your mouth. If I may speak in such a homely way, look to the One who holds the spoon.