However, what is often lost on most Americans (even American
Christians) is that the historic Christian Church celebrates a feast of Thanksgiving
every single week. It is called The
Eucharist. For many, the term Eucharist sounds different, mysterious,
maybe even dangerous. So, let’s take a
closer look at this important word.
The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστῶ (eucharisteo)
and it is the general word for “thanksgiving”.
Interestingly, it is found in this form in just thirty-eight different
scriptures in the New Testament. Let’s
look at a few:
As you might know, the record of Jesus and his Disciples
sharing Passover together, thus, establishing the Eucharistic Feast of Holy
Communion, is recorded in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and
Luke). It is at this first Eucharistic
meal that Jesus gives us our “words of institution” so we may set apart the
bread and wine to be a blessing to us, and a source of great thanksgiving,
indeed.
30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
The attentive eye will notice that I did not highlight the
word “thankgiving” or “give thanks” in verse sixteen above. The Greek word used here is the normal word
for “blessing” not “thanksgiving”, but the NIV has captured well here the idea
implied in the text itself. The blessing and thanksgiving at the table of our Lord work in conjunction with each
other. I challenge you to go back now to
the verses in Mark 8 and
14 and see how Jesus uses the terms “thanks” and “bless” correspondingly as he does
his miracle in the feeding of the four-thousand.
Each week when we come to celebrate Holy Communion, we are
engaging and celebrating the Great Thanksgiving, i.e., The Eucharist. We come to receive a blessing from God and to
be a blessing to him as we honor him with thankful and moldable hearts. We are there to worship and thank him for the
love he has poured out on us through Jesus Christ on the Cross, through the
power of the resurrection we experience through the Holy Spirit, and through
the hope of our final glorification living eternally in the unhindered presence
of the Father.
We have much to be thankful for, and we have the
opportunity to give thanks to God every day.
However, the pinnacle of our individual and communal thanksgiving finds
it’s fulfillment in our communion with the Lord and one another as we gather
around The Table of the Lord Jesus Christ.