COME TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
By Jeannie Horton Life Christian University student
INTRODUCTION
Taken from the book Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, some lighthearted humor regarding Communion:
- While visiting his aunt in Columbus, Mississippi, a second-grader attended the local Methodist church with her. After they knelt at the altar and partook of the Communion, bread, and wine, the boy asked, "Aunt Audrey, is that all we'll have to eat up in heaven?"
- A boy overheard his parents talking about going to the Lord's Supper and told his brother, "I hope we have chicken!" (Canfield, Hansen, Aubery, and Mitchell 225, 226 )
In my home, as our kids were growing up, I always prepared dinner for my family, and we ate at the kitchen table together every night. As my two girls grew into their teenage years, life has been busier, but we still eat together most nights. It’s always been our way of getting together to eat a meal, enjoying each other’s company, and discussing the day’s events. Every week, churches around the world partake in a meal together, the Lord’s Supper. It has a few different names, but the meaning is the same. It is a special time for the Body of Christ to fellowship with one another in remembrance of Christ and all that He has done for us. In my church, we partake of communion the first Sunday of each month. We eat a gluten-free cracker and drink grape juice from a small cup. Communion is a way the Body of Christ shares together, prayerfully remembering the reason of partaking of the elements: Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and all that He has done for us in a manner that honors Him.
I. WHAT IS THE LORD’S SUPPER
“Do this in remembrance of me.” Every time we partake in communion, we should remember the words of Jesus to His disciples. Communion is more than eating a gluten-free cracker and having a small amount of juice at church. It’s a sacred act to remember all that Christ has done for us. It is a time to come together with the Body of Christ in remembrance and thanksgiving with a heart full of love for Christ and each other.
The word Communion means “a sharing of the Body of Christ by eating and drinking the bread and wine together, discerning the physical body of Christ as our sacrifice and as members of His Body, individually, honoring one another” (Wommack 6).
Communion has several different names: It is called the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:20, from Mathew 26:27 it is called giving thanks or the Eucharist, breaking of bread in Acts 2:42, cup of blessing in 1 Corinthians 10:16, and the Lord's Table in 1 Corinthians 10:21.
Communion was instituted (set in motion) at Passover, on the night that Christ was betrayed and arrested. He told His disciples that He is the bread of life and that whoever comes to Him would have eternal life. He commanded His disciples to partake of communion in remembrance of Him, and His promise of eternal life and His second coming:
The bread represents Christ’s body that was given to us. The cup represents His blood and the new covenant that is between God and the body of Christ. Communion represents the forgiveness of sin; His blood has brought salvation to us. He is asking us to remember Him and His sacrifice often with thanksgiving for all that He is and has done for us.
II. REASONS WE CELEBRATE THE LORD’S SUPPER
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper, partaking of the bread and wine, as a way to remember and proclaim the death of Christ. We remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and the new covenant between God and us. In the book of Jeremiah, the new covenant was prophesied:
“But this is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord. ‘For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know Me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).
This verse is saying that we no longer have the old covenant. The days of the animal sacrifices that only covered our sins are now gone. We now have a new and better covenant; we have right standing with God because of Jesus’ death on the cross and remission of sin. With the new covenant, our sins are forgiven and forgotten, and we are now in close fellowship with God through His Spirit. His written word is no longer written on stone tablets but is now written on our hearts. Gone are the days of disunity for we are living under a new and better covenant. It has all been banished with Jesus’ death. Our sin nature is gone, and our debt is paid.
We partake in communion with each other as the body of Christ as a way to fellowship with one another. Fellowshipping was important to the early church as we see in the book of Acts “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, and to sharing the meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The scripture goes on to say that the people met together daily, breaking bread and praising God.
We also partake in communion in anticipation of Christ’s return. Jesus promises to come back in John 14:1-3, stating that He has prepared a place for us. But, only the Father knows of when Christ’s second coming will be. We are to be ready, alert, and watchful of His return, living a life that is holy, and pleasing to God.
III. HOW TO COME TO THE LORD’S SUPPER
Communion is such a special time with the Lord that we share with our family in Christ. When we come to the Lord’s Table, we should do four things:
BE IN REMEMBRANCE
Remember the reason why communion is important. Remember the reason that Christ commanded it: as a way to remember His sacrifice, His bloodshed so that we can have forgiveness of our sin and be in right standing with the Father. Remember His promise that He is coming again soon and we are to prepare for His return. Be reminded of His love for you. “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God’s Spirit dwelling on the inside of us is a gift bought by a price for the redemption of sin. He indwells believers to intercede with the Father, ministering to us, teaching, helping, giving power, producing good fruit (attributes of a person), and gives gifts all for the good of the body of Christ.
EXAMINE YOURSELF
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 27-32 to examine ourselves before we partake in communion. Ask God to show you any areas of your life that are not pleasing to Him, then ask for forgiveness and repent of those things. Ask yourself if you are in unforgiveness toward anyone and repent of that. We should examine our faith and the reasons we are partaking in communion. God warned us about partaking in communion in a mindless, empty ritualistic way. Instead, we should intentionally set aside time, examine our faith in Christ, and remember the reason Jesus called us to partake of the elements.
PARTAKE WITH LOVE
Communion in the early church was being done in the wrong spirit. Paul warned them about coming together for communion in an unworthy manner. The people were getting together but were being neglectful toward one another. People had been getting together for “Love Feasts.” They were having potlucks but only bringing food only for themselves and not sharing with others. People, who were poor, didn’t bring anything and they went hungry. While others were overeating, and even getting drunk on wine. They were in division and being neglectful towards the body of Christ. Paul was telling them that their actions were dishonoring God. He wanted them to learn that the Lord’s Supper was about sharing and fellowshipping with one another together in unity. “When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17). We have been united together through Christ and are to love one another just as Christ loved us for we are one body in Christ. Partake of communion in unity: be in forgiveness, be merciful, looking out for one another, putting each other’s interests above our own. We are all the same in Christ, and He called us to love one another.
PARTAKE OFTEN
Communion was done frequently in the early church, 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 says to do it often in remembrance of Christ. We too should do as the early church did and partake of communion often. When we do, remember all that Jesus did for us, the reason that he died, and we should be in thanksgiving towards His provision.
CONCLUSION
Come to the Lord’s Table in remembrance with love, joy, awe, sincere gratitude, and high esteem for Christ. Communion is truly a special and sacred time. It’s more than eating a gluten-free cracker and a little juice. The next time you partake in communion; don’t be in a hurry to take the elements. Instead, slow down. Take the time to remember its true meaning, the reason Jesus commanded us to partake. Remember all that Christ did for us so that we could have right standing with God and be in fellowship with Him. God is love, and Christ willingly died for us. Take the time to examine your Christian walk, and search your heart. Ask God if there is anything in your life that is not pleasing to Him. Think of those you are in a relationship with and ask yourself if you have any unforgiveness towards anyone. Is there anyone that could use more of your love, mercy, and grace that God so freely bestows to you? Think of Jesus and His love for you. Remember all of His goodness. Jesus didn’t have to die, He could have come down from the cross, but He chose to die for you. He took on the sins of the world so that we could have right standing with the Father once again. That is love; He is love. He loves you. Thank Him for His mercy and His grace.
