The Gift of the Lord's Supper
Every year we observe different important dates, like anniversaries and birthdays. We mark those days to remember significant past events, but more than that, we celebrate together the lasting relationships that those specific events made possible.
“Do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus said, as he shared in a final Passover meal with his disciples the night before he died. The Gospels of Matthew (26:26), Mark (14:22), and Luke (22:14) each describe Jesus giving thanks or blessing the bread and the cup, and giving them to his disciples saying that the bread is his body and the cup is the blood of the new covenant.
But beyond the fact that Christ commanded it, why do believers observe the Lord’s Supper?
To Commemorate
Jesus intentionally established the Lord’s Supper during his final Passover meal. Passover was a yearly feast instituted by God in Exodus 12 to be a memorial of His deliverance of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. It was to remind the people of what God had saved them from and that they should live their lives accordingly.
In the same way, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as a memorial for those who have trusted in Him. The bread and the cup remind us of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross on our behalf; how he shed his blood in payment for our sins. When we take part in the Lord’s Supper, we remember that there was a time when we were enslaved to sin and that we were freed from sin’s bondage when we put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Lord’s Supper is also a believer’s testimony to sharing in the fruits of Christ’s death, including a relationship, a communion if you will, with both our Father in Heaven and our fellow Christians through the Spirit.
To Participate
Believers participate during the service in two ways: individually and as a congregation. As stated already, when believers participate in the Lord’s Supper, we are reminding ourselves of who Christ is and what he has done for us. Our participation, the act of breaking the bread and drinking from the cup, is a symbol of our participation in the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16-18). We remind ourselves that because of Jesus, we can enjoy the forgiveness of sins and a restored fellowship with God.
It is also a personal time of reflection to realign ourselves with God’s will. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he tells them to examine themselves before they participate in the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28). When you examine yourself, it isn’t to see if you are good enough to participate, but to see if there are areas of your life where you haven’t been willing to trust and obey God’s will. The call to examine yourself is a call to participate. It is a call to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,” as Paul says in Ephesians 4:1.
Paul also talks about the unity of the body in Ephesians 4. To observe the Lord’s Supper as a gathered family of believers is to affirm what we hold in common with one another. We take the Lord’s Supper with other believers in our church as a reminder that Jesus purchased the salvation of every other believer as well. It helps us focus on our unity in the Spirit.
In his discussion of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul repeated the phrase “come together” five times. His intent was for the church to focus on their unity in Christ, something the church in Corinth was sorely lacking. By participating in the Lord’s Supper, we are proclaiming the hope of salvation through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection to unbelievers and demonstrating what the Kingdom of God looks like through our love for one another.
To Anticipate
Unlike baptism, the Lord’s Supper is an expression of faith that we are supposed to participate in regularly as a continuing symbol of participation in Christ by faith. A family of believers routinely participates in this feast as a rehearsal of a greater celebration that we all look forward to in eager anticipation. When he spoke the words, “I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29), Jesus anticipated a reunion with his followers at his Second Coming.
Likewise, Paul instructed the Corinthian church to take the Lord’s Supper in anticipation: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Therefore, we observe the Lord’s Supper in anticipation of Jesus’ return. We participate in the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis in remembrance of Jesus and in expectation of that final day when all Christians will share a great banquet table with our Lord.
How Do We Participate?
The Bible does not provide an exact form for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Like those associated with Old Testament feasts, elaborate rituals often require carefully written instructions. From the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, the main requirement is that believers partake of the bread and the cup, which represent Christ’s body and blood. Other aspects of the celebration include a prayer of thanks and a hymn.
And while we are told to participate in the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis with other believers, there is no biblical mandate for frequency. Each church is free to decide how frequent or infrequent they wish to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Some churches choose to take part in the Lord’s Supper every Sunday as a way to keep the meaning always before them and move their hearts towards obedience. For other churches, participating in the Lord’s Supper once a month or once a quarter is seen as a way to keep believers’ hearts from becoming calloused to the meaning of the ritual and allows time for the church to prepare their hearts and minds as they prepare the table for the Lord’s Supper.
Holly Fron, who was asked to join the Lord’s Supper Committee a few years ago, considers it an honor to be able to serve the church in this way. “Preparing the Supper helps me prepare my heart,” she says, “Jesus gave his life for us and the Lord’s Supper is a physical reminder of what he did for us. To serve our church by preparing the Lord’s Supper table is a special thing.”
The Lord’s Supper Committee is always looking for volunteers to help prepare the elements and the table. If you’re interested in volunteering, you can contact the church office.
Our normal church calendar provides for a Lord’s Supper Service midweek on April 8 during the Easter Passion Week. However, this year will be quite different due to the Coronavirus. We’ll be hosting an online Lord’s Supper service that will enable you to participate with us from home. As a reminder, this service is for believers only, but you don’t have to be a member of our particular congregation to participate. Likewise, children who have not yet made professions of faith are not encouraged to participate. This is an excellent time to talk with your children about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and how they can look forward to participating one day.
To prepare for the service you’ll need just two simple things:
Bread or Baked Crackers (the unleavened bread)
Juice (grape if possible)
Jesus attached great symbolism to these two elements.The unleavened bread symbolizes Christ’s broken body, but also reminds us that Jesus is the Bread of Life (John 6:35). The grape juice symbolizes the blood of Christ, shed for our salvation, but also reminds us that He is the vine in whom we are growing and without which we die (John 15:5-6). Although there is beauty and meaning in the rituals of the church service, we can still join together as one body in celebration of the Lord’s Supper, as long as we come to the table with sincere hearts.
Our special online Lord’s Supper Service is scheduled for Thursday, April 9 at 6:00 pm.