Robert D. Pace
The story is told of a dying girl whose only hope was to receive blood from someone that had recovered from a disease like hers. When the physician found the family he explained the situation and discovered that only the boy’s little brother could help him. He said, “Son, you recovered from this disease several years ago and now your sister needs your kind of blood to make her well. Would you be willing to give your blood so she can live”? The family stood quietly around the boy waiting for his answer. After a few moments, he swallowed past the lump in his throat and said he would give his blood for his sister’s life. The nurses placed the boy on a bed, prepped him, and inserted the needle into his arm. Minutes passed without the boy saying a word. He lay quietly on the bed, watching blood flow from his body. Finally, he looked at his parents and asked, “Well, when do I die?” That’s when the family realized the extent of the boy’s sacrifice. The boy had misunderstood the doctor and thought he had to surrender his life so his sister could live. He had offered everything. It was a total sacrifice. But while this sacrifice unto death was only “imagined” by this boy, Christ, in reality, offered everything. And today we commemorate the death of Christ on the cross where He shed His Blood so that we might live.
Let us read before we partake of the bread and juice:
Luke 22:14 says: “When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. (15) And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. (16) For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God. (19) And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. (20) In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”