“Jesus took bread . . . ‘This is My body’ . . . then He took the cup . . . ‘This is My blood of the covenant’ . . .” (Mark 14:22-24)

They are such ordinary things, are they not? Especially in Jesus’ day – bread and wine. They were the staples of life – the foundational level in the Israelite food pyramid.

And while the bread that Jesus broke and the cup that He lifted were part of the Passover remembrance, He imbued them with immeasurably more than anyone could have imagined. And the disciples who were present perhaps struggled to fully understand what He meant – bread and wine, and body and blood.

Of course, there are those within Christendom who think bread and wine are only bread and wine. They only symbolize body and blood. And in their understanding, we only remember what God did in the Exodus, and what Jesus offered on the cross.

Our theology is a bit different.

We proclaim, as we profess the Scriptures proclaim, that Jesus’ body and blood is ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and wine.  

We don’t profess to understand how it happens. We don’t claim that Jesus’ body could be examined under a microscope.

We believe it is a mystery. It is, by virtue of the Word of God itself, immeasurably more than bread and wine. It’s the body and blood of the Savior, given and shed for us for the forgiveness of our sins and the strength of our faith.

Bread, wine, body, blood – here we end up with more than we begin.  

A capital campaign may not be a means of grace in our church (as the Lord’s Supper is), but it is a means by which ministry can be advanced and expanded. Through such a campaign we have opportunity to see God turn gifts received into ministry empowered. In doing so, we end up with more than we began – immeasurably more.