Upcoming Changes to the Lord's Supper

A Command and a Gift.

One of the most important elements of a church’s worship life and community life is the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion, Eucharist). It is a blessed community act, that though commanded by Jesus, it was established by Christ for our need. Jesus knew that we would continually need the Holy Spirit to minister the Gospel to our hearts as we live for Him.

A Sermon We Can See

The Lord’s Supper is a visual declaration of the Gospel to ourselves, one another and even to the world. Paul taught that “as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:6). As Jesus tore the bread, he used that as an illustration of his body being broken and given in our place, His ultimate demonstration of His LOVE. Jesus poured the wine as an illustration of his blood being poured and applied to us to cleanse us of our sin for all eternity, a declaration of His POWER in us (Luke 22, 19-20). 

Jesus commanded us to celebrate the Lord's Supper often in remembrance of Him. Jesus knew that we would need to have the gospel ministered to us often to strengthen our faith. Through this sacrament, the Holy Spirit ministers to us to humble us, to restore us, and to empower us. 

The How and Why

Different churches may vary in how they carry out the Lord’s Supper, either due to a differing theology of the Lord’s Supper or because differing contexts require different practical implementation. In it all, church leaders strive to do the best we can to relay the message of the Gospel in the Lord’s Supper, given the circumstances of our congregations.

For our church, we will be making a two main changes of how we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. 

(1) The first change is partly practical and partly pastoral. We will prepare the elements (bread and cup) in two separate trays because I found it difficult to open the 2-in-1 kit with gloves on. Also, we will use a loaf of bread, as a visual tearing of the bread is a powerful visualization of the loving sacrificial of Christ demonstrated as He gave Himself to be broken for us.

(2) The second change comes purely from a pastoral heart. We will now invite members to come up and take the elements. I believe that this helps emphasize the message that we must come to Christ continually, with a heart of need. We must come to Him even when we feel sinful, to be affirmed of our forgiveness. We must come to Him for renewal and strength. We come come to Him again and again to receive from Him. That’s the lesson He taught Peter when He commanded Peter to have his feet washed by Jesus. 

Semper Reformanda

Semper Reformanda is a wonderful saying from church history, that we are always reforming. We are always striving to know the Gospel more deeply and fully, and these adjustments are being made with that heart. If our congregation one day gets too large, we may need to return to a distribution model for the sake of time. But currently, our congregation’s size is perfect for this approach, to come up and receive.

May we keep striving to better declare and receive the Gospel in the Lord’s Supper, that we may grow in a deeper understanding and fuller experience of Christ’s love and power. And as we do, may all glory be given to our Lord and Redeemer!