12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 13 So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, "The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there." 16 So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
Reflection
Jesus, we are honored when you use us to unfold the Gospel to all people. Use us to love another as you love us... today ... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
www.elca.org/goodgiftsGramps told me it was Thursday evening. It was usually only the women that carried us around, but for some reason this time it was a man. Jesus told these men to follow the man that was carrying Gramps. Follow Gramps to where the man was taking him. Now Jesus had an arrangement with the owner of this big upper room to use that evening. This upper room that Gramps entered was tidy, in order, and everything was in place. A clean upper room for what must about to be one tremendous occasion. Some disciples stayed in the upper room with Gramps and prepared the food for the feast.
Funny thing about this feast, all around town the people in their homes were preparing meals all around a lamb as the main course. These disciples didn't have a lamb prepared. Gramps thought that was the weirdest part of it all.
Gramps also told me that years ago the people would eat the feast standing up, but now since they were no longer servants and weren't in a hurry, they would eat it sitting down in that funny reclining position. During supper there was some argument that took place and Jesus made one of the guys upset enough to leave.
The party present surrounded Jesus and he broke bread and served some wine. Apparently Jesus was leading on like he was the lamb to be slain. But Jesus left some hint in his conversation that he would be resurrected from the dead. It left all the disciples pretty upset and confused.
Now as Gramps recalls, he had a relative years ago, when this Jesus guy turned the water inside of him into some really good tasting wine. It was another party too, and Jesus brought life back to that party by loving and caring for the people present to make the best wine ever tasted.
So Gramps thought that this might be something on the same lines. A party with some wine and bread, with Jesus who brings new life to people that has fallen into sin. Gramps wasn't sure what he might be carrying now; perhaps he had the wine. But the whole idea of all of our ancestor’s experiences was that we contained water that brought new life. It's still that way today. We baptize, we wash hands before this great communion, and we are an earthly element in the restoration of new spiritual and new life.
Through the years they began to make us out of plastic and other materials, but we do the same thing. We bring water that sustains life to people in so many ways. We have to be durable for long times and long trips. I have so many relatives today that are needed to bring life to so many people. They have this program called Good Gifts where disciples can give something called money so that more jugs can be created and more of that life giving water can be moved from one place to another for giving new life to those who don't have it. You can be involved with the giving of new life too. Just like Jesus used Gramps and so many others to bring the new life you too could do something like that.
What a better response could you have than to care for those who need that water? After all Jesus gave himself as the lamb that night just for you. I would be honored to carry some of that water for you.
Follow me,
Jenny Jug
Prayer
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