The Lord’s Supper (Sep. 30)
Read: Acts 2:42-47
Our fellowship with believers is symbolized in the Lord’s Supper
Once a month, usually on the first Sunday of the month, as we gather to worship, we also worship at the communion table. In that moment, I have a unique opportunity standing in front of the gathered congregation. I witness the family of God remembering the sacrifice of the Savior and giving thanks for our salvation. I see a mom or dad bending over, quietly explaining the meaning of the elements as they whisper into their child’s ear. I see the individual with eyes closed and head bowed once again contemplating the depth of their Savior’s love and forgiveness. I see brother and sister in Christ worshiping together as they celebrate the meaning of the table and remember the cost of their redemption.
This regular expression of our worship enables us to look back and give thanks for the Savior who died outside of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. It reminds us to consider the *present* and our walk with the Savior. And it encourages us to look ahead to the soon return of the Lord and to His promised coming.
But while the Lord’s Table naturally focuses our attention on our Savior, it also calls us to consider the health of our relationship with each other. The early church celebrated by using one loaf (see 1 Cor 10.16-17 where sharing is the Greek word koinonia, meaning fellowship, and bread is literally loaf) which reminded them of the connection and unity they had in the Lord. The early believers considered themselves part of the faithful remnant in Israel, so they continued to worship in the temple, but they also met in individual homes in a more informal setting and broke bread and ate together. It seems they enjoyed both a common meal and the Lord’s Table as they came together (Acts 2:46, 20:7; I Cor 10:16, 11:23-26; Jude 12).
Their fellowship with each other was symbolized in the act of worshiping together as they remembered their Savior’s sacrifice. And so it is today. One can certainly observe communion alone but the fuller significance of this act of worship is realized when we do it with other believers. No doubt this is why the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian believers to use care as they came together to remember what Jesus had done for them (1 Cor 11.23-34). “The Lord’s Supper should have been the remembrance of a preeminently selfless act, Christ’s death on behalf of others. Instead, the Corinthians had turned the memorial of selflessness into an experience of selfishness and had made a rite of unity a riotous disunity.” (Bible Knowledge Commentary NT, p 531)
When we observe communion, we do not sit alone. We are surrounded by the family of God – and that is a good reminder that this time of worship has both a vertical and a horizontal perspective. Yes, we give thanks to God the Father, Son, and Spirit for our salvation, but we also reflect on our presence in the body of Christ and our relationship with our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Action Step: When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we do so together. We are asked to hold the elements of communion in order to share (fellowship in) that time with each other. How do you spend those moments of quiet reflection before eating and drinking? Certainly, we are thankful to God, but should we not also be thankful for one another? The next time you observe communion, in addition to thanking the Lord for your salvation, consider giving thanks for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we come to the table to faithfully remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us, help us also to remember and give thanks for our fellowship with other believers.
Author: Pastor Tschetter