It’s the closest thing in our tradition to “an altar call” — when we are invited to gather with Jesus and his disciples around the Table for the Last Supper.
In certain Christian traditions, an altar call is a practice wherein those who wish to make a new spiritual commitment to Jesus Christ are invited to come forward publicly. It is so named because the supplicants gather at the altar located at the front of the church building. In the Old Testament, an altar was where sacrifices were made. So, the name “altar call” refers to believers “offering” themselves on an altar to God.
We don’t have an altar, but a communion table. And on this night — different from all others — you will be invited to come forward to the Table where Jesus will share the bread and the cup with his followers.
On the eve of his crucifixion, it may be your new beginning. Or where you rededicate yourself to him and to his way on the night he was betrayed, but acted faithfully towards and for us nonetheless.