A Fresh Look at the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

You realize that worship today is different from most other Sundays

-all of our deacons are wearing coats and ties, looking as handsome

as ever

-some of them have been here since 8:00 a.m., pouring grape juice

into little plastic cups and placing little crackers into trays

-now they are all seated down front, ready to serve

-and, you’ll see the Lord’s Supper table is draped with a linen cloth

--all of this is the visible preparation that goes ahead of our

celebration of the Lord’s Supper

We’ve just read about how the Lord’s Supper, along with a fellowship

meal, was wreaking all sorts of havoc in the church at Corinth

-the wealthy were making themselves the center of attention while

the poor were pushed off to the side

-there was little, if any, spiritual benefit to their empty ceremony...in

fact, it was causing quite a few problems

Paul writes some rather harsh instructions to these believers,

challenging them directly to return to the heart of the Supper

-his directions are applicable to us still today

--Anglican priest, Michael Green, proposes a six-fold way to look

at the Lord’s Supper...although published 26 years ago, I

stumbled upon it just this week, so it is “fresh” to me

-I want to use these 6 points as we examine 1 Corinthians 11 to

remind us how we should be celebrating the Lord’s Supper

The Supper should cause us to look backward at Christ’s death

-Read 1 Corinthians 11:23b – 26

-this is usually the focus of what we already do here

--we are careful to tie the elements of the Supper—the bread and

the juice—to the crucifixion

---it explains why we are relatively somber throughout...it is,

after all, a rather overwhelming thing to consider that

Jesus said He offered His body for you

---these symbols of His sacrifice, while in some sense a cause

for rejoicing, must never be taken lightly

-may we always approach Christ’s table looking to the cross

The Supper should also lead us to look inward as the Holy Spirit

works within us to convict us of sin

-Paul devotes a significant amount of attention to the process of

examining ourselves—our hearts as well as our motives—as we

approach Christ’s table

--the consequences of failure in this matter are quite severe...

including a warning of physical illness and death

-when Jesus gathered His closest friends for the Last Supper, He

explained that one of them would betray Him

--the disciples, of course, were grieved that one of their own

could do such a thing...but as that reality began to sink in,

they became horrified at another possibility

---Matthew 26.22 à They were very sad and began to say

to Him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?”

--here’s the thing—despite being close to Jesus, they each

recognized their potential for sin...and even the thought of

that possibility devastated them

-this is another reason the Lord’s Supper is observed in relative

silence...it’s a serious time when we come to grips with our own

sin in light of God’s miraculous grace that is so dramatically

represented at the table

The Supper should move us to look upward as we consider that

we’ve been given the gift of fellowship with God

-Matthew 18:20 à For where two or three come together in My

name, there I am with them.

--true, God is with us always...and He is present with us when we

worship...but as we gather at the Lord’s table there is a

heightened sense of awareness of God’s immediate presence

-the fellowship with God that we enjoy—and perhaps sometimes

take for granted—is made possible only because of the work of

Christ on the cross

--Ephesians 2:13 à But now in Christ Jesus you who once

were far away have been brought near through the blood of

Christ.

The Supper should prompt us to look around as we contemplate

how precious and how fragile is our fellowship with one another

-the practice of the Corinthian church resulted in the poor not only

going without food, but being humiliated in the process

--Paul’s no-nonsense condemnation of their actions

reemphasizes the importance of the church’s unity

---just two chapters later, Paul describes what genuine,

Christian love looks like...what was happening here was

not kind; rather, it was boastful and prideful and rude

and self-seeking...just the opposite of what should be

happening every moment in the church, but especially

as approach Christ’s table together

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together writes à ...before the

Lord’s Supper...each will beg the forgiveness of the others for the

wrongs committed. Nobody who avoids...his brother can go

rightly prepared to the table of the Lord. All anger, strife, envy,

evil gossip, and unbrotherly conduct must have been settled and

finished...

The Supper should encourage us to look forward to Christ’s return

-we often overlook this aspect—we’re good at looking back to the

cross, but we tend to neglect Jesus’ affirmation of His return

--after Jesus shared the bread and the wine, He vowed in

Matthew 26:29 à I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the

vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in

my Father’s kingdom.

-I don’t get enthused about many things, but that’s something to get

excited about...and it’s a reason to celebrate with joy while at the

same time we gather at the table and worship with reverence

Finally, the Supper should compel us to look outward as the gospel

is vividly portrayed

-1 Corinthians 11:26 combines looking forward and outward à

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim

the Lord’s death until He comes.

--just like we talked last week about baptism being a symbolic

reenactment of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, so the

Lord’s Supper serves as a visible reminder of His sacrifice

---in turn, we are challenged to carry that message beyond

these walls to a lost, dying world

-while there is nothing fundamentally holy about these wafers or

this Welch’s grape juice, they are powerful symbols of, as is

described in 2 Corinthians 13:14, the grace of the Lord Jesus

Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Spirit...

Lee Eclov, who pastors in Illinois, was called by a friend to say she'd

admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital. While she was there, he’d

visit her whenever he could. One of his visits was going to be on

Good Friday, so he asked if she'd like for him to bring the Lord’s

Supper to her. She said, “yes” and asked if some other Christians

could join us.

-he writes à On that spring afternoon, five or six of us gathered in

her room and shared the sacred meal. I think it was the most

meaningful Communion service I ever shared—half a dozen

strangers, each scarred by heartache, sitting helpless in a locked

ward. Yet Jesus was there because we were there as His

beloved. He was not only among us, but he was there within us.

Even as broken people, we were one with each other. We were

strengthened by his presence; we were healed, in a way...all

because we had Communion.