The Puritan William Bridge once said that “the word ‘father’ is a sweet word, for it sweetens all our duties.” So it is here. We have a duty or an obligation to come here to the Supper, but at the same time, it is a sweet duty. The Lord Jesus is here, His Spirit is here, and it is therefore the Father’s Table.
One of the reasons why our generation is so neurotic about food issues is because we are a fatherless generation. We don’t know, down in our bones the way we ought to, that fathers nourish, fathers provide, fathers feed. This Table is therefore a model for us.
The duty of calling God your Father is a fundamental duty. We cannot do this except through the blood and body of the Lord Jesus, displayed for us here. Neither can we do it except through the work of the Spirit of all love, displayed for us in the congregation, as we partake of all good things, including the gifts of one another.
So if your life is one of anxiety over food and drink, if your soul is tied up in knots, then come. This is the meal that unties every knot. Your Father is here.
So some, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.