I am out of town this weekend with my family and the elders have a special service planned that centers on the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a core teaching of our faith. It was instituted by Jesus on the night before his crucifixion (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-38). Acts 20:7 says “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread”. We often cite this verse as the reason we partake of the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he rebuked them for abusing the Lord’s Supper (1st Corinthians 11:17-35).
The Lord’s Supper or “communion” as we traditionally refer to it is a reminder of what Jesus did for all of us. The unleavened bread represents His body which was given for us (1st Corinthians 11:24). The fruit of the vine represents the new covenant and the blood that was shed to cover our sins (1st Corinthians 11:25). Often times the Lord’s Supper takes on a somber tone and that is certainly appropriate as we recognize our sinfulness and the fact that God put on flesh and blood, lived as one of us, faced every temptation we face, yet never sinned, and yet was brutally murdered by His own people to pay a debt that He did not owe because as sinful humans we incurred a debt we could never pay. Jesus paid that debt with His blood.
But the Lord’s Supper should also be a time of rejoicing and celebration because as a result of that sacrifice there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). Perhaps the best passage of Scripture that sums up the rejoicing that should fill our hearts as we partake of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday is found in 1st Corinthians 15:55-58. This passage reminds us of what we have been given through Christ and how we should live our lives on this earth as a result.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1st Corinthians 15:55-58 (NIV).
Next week we will resume our study in 1st Corinthians and continue our summer sermon series from 1st and 2nd Timothy as we focus on 2nd Timothy 1:7.
In Christ,
Gary T.