A meditation for Saturday in the Week of Trinity II
Acts 20.7-12
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.”
Meditation:
Here the Church at Philippi is seen in the midst of the Divine Service, with Paul as the preacher, where they are gathered together to break bread, that is, partake in the Blessed Sacrament. The service is a high feast, for there were many lamps; indeed every celebration of the Holy Sacrament is the Lamb’s High Feast. See, this liturgy transpires in the upper room, like unto the upper room where Jesus had first instituted the Supper (of which this is a continuation, the unending Feast). So what happens? A certain young man sat in a window, for the Sacrament is verily the window between this world and the eternal Kingdom, wherein we join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven. So it is that this young man falls asleep, falls from the third story, and dies. But faith itself experiences this in the Supper, participating in the death of Christ. To receive Christ here is to be joined to Him in His death and three-day “fall” into the grave. Yet behold, the man is then raised by Paul, in token of the blessed resurrection awaiting all who partake in faith.
Burnell F Eckardt Jr., Every Day Will I Bless Thee: Meditations for the Daily Office (Sussex, Wi.: Concordia Catechetical Academy, 1998). $25.00 including s&h. Available at our book store.