The Meal is the Mission. That’s the big idea of this Reader. From the Last Supper to the Final Feast of the Ages, the heart of God’s mission is found at a table. “Do this,” Jesus says, “in remembrance of me.” For centuries Christians have done this­ — eaten the bread and drunk the wine and digested the very mercy of God. And for centuries Christians have done this — become the broken bread and the poured out wine for the healing of the nations. The Eucharist, commonly known as the Lord’s Supper, unveils the Mystery of God in a way that can be touched but not fully grasped, held but not controlled. The mystery transforms into ministry as we pray the prayers and invite the Spirit to immerse us in the liturgy Christians have celebrated in preparation for the Lord’s Supper for nearly two thousand years. These prayers take us on a missional journey — from invitation to contrition to storytelling to declaration to consecration to communion to commissioning to invitation again. The mission of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is most profoundly known and experienced over a meal.

The Meal is the Mission. Over the next weeks we will unfold this mysterious meal with its radiant mission. We’ll process hearing and seeing, eating and drinking, dying and rising, giving and receiving, remembering the past and imagining the future. Note well: This meal doesn’t prepare us for the mission. No. This meal embodies the mission in itself. Prepare the way for the Lord. No “Happy Meals” here. Welcome to the Feast of the Ages.