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Thoughts On The Lord’s Supper
Thoughts On The Lord’s Supper
I Corinthians 11:23-26,
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
The Lord’s Supper honors God. This is exactly what Paul describes here, “I received from the Lord…. Do this in remembrance of Me.” This practice is from God and it is about God. The Supper is a communion, a memorial to commemorate Jesus conquering death and His victory over sin. It honors His sacrifice and His promises (covenant). Observing it in the prescribed manner and at the prescribed time is also God honoring. Obedience is not a dirty word! It is a reflection of devotion, love, loyalty, and deep allegiance (go read Jesus’ feelings about doing the Father’s will in John 13-17). We do this weekly because we seek to honor God and His word (cf. Acts 2:42; 20:7).
The Lord’s Supper teaches others. It is a proclamation; a solemn declaration of faith and assurance. We proclaim that He is the way, the truth, and the life (Jn .14:6). We proclaim that He destroyed the barrier barring us from true fellowship with God. “Till He comes,” is about reassurance for those who honor Him as Lord and Christ, but it also carries the implications of judgment on those who do not.
The Lord’s Supper reminds each other. It should function as a reset switch. It takes our minds off of the temporal and places them back on the eternal. Reminds us of how desperately we need Jesus. It reminds us that we are living in hopeful expectation of Him coming again. We long for that time; the time of vindication and salvation. It also reminds us of what is at stake if we should quit. We stand up and swear our allegiance to Him and Him alone; that ought to reinvigorate the faith of our fellow fighters.
Take a moment. Think. Our worship matters, and every facet of our worship matters. While every part of our worship is special, there is something deeply significant about the Memorial feast. While it and the offering are often placed near one another, they should not be confused as part of the same thing. Take a moment and think about why we do what we do. Think about the purpose behind each part of our worship.
Our worship matters.
