A Five-Star Meal

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” ~I Corinthians 11:26

Many churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper monthly, some quarterly, others weekly. If you became a communicant member of your church at thirteen years old, and your church celebrates the Lord’s Supper monthly, by the time you’re seventy-five you will have participated in this sacrament over seven hundred times! It might be worth taking a moment to clarify what we believe about this sacred meal. Of course, there is more to be said that we can cover here, so we’ll just focus on three main things for you to consider.

First, the Lord’s Supper is a means of grace. As we partake of the meal by faith, we receive from God the spiritual nourishment we need for the Christian life. When we fellowship with God through this meal, all the benefits of Christ’s death are communicated to us, so that we might be sustained and enriched in our union with the risen Lord Jesus. We should come to the meal hungry to feast on the benefits of Christ’s death.

Second, the Lord’s Supper witnesses to the power of God’s love for us, His sinful yet redeemed people. The sacrament doesn’t just recall to mind Christ’s death, but also His certain return. This means we must meditate on the resurrection of Christ, for how could He return unless He was raised and ascended into heaven? When we hold the small morsel of bread and sip the cup of wine, we are reminded that the body and blood they represent is alive today, seated at the right hand of God the Father, and He will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead. We should come to the meal anxious for Christ’s return.

Lastly, the Lord’s Supper represents our union with Christ, and also with each other. This is why private expressions of the Lord’s Supper are not the true sacrament, for they divorce union with Christ from union with His Bride. The Lord’s Supper is to be administered as part of the public worship of God because it is for the gathered people of God as it reflects on our communion with one another in Christ. Consider Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:33, when he tells the church that the Lord’s Supper is to be held “when you come together to eat.”

Christ has truly served us a five-star meal! When we partake in it by faith, we are spiritually nourished. As tangible reminders of His love for us are held in our hands, we recall the weight of our sin, the power of the resurrection, and the glory of Christ’s return. And as we partake together we are renewed in our love for the Body of Christ, the Church. If your church is celebrating the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, come hungry — even with just a little faith — and you will leave satisfied and full of grace!

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation