Obedience Anyway

Jesus’ prayer in the Garden was answered, “No.” That answer reminds us that we do not serve God for what we can get out of it. Our needs are real; our requests are not selfish or bad. God simply says, “No”—not “if,” not “later,” not “if you do your part”—but, “no.”

This bread and wine identifies us with Jesus and his motives for serving God. We sacrifice final control of our lives because of who God is and for purposes that override our own preferences, needs, or physical life. That’s what we say here together.