Tonight we’re taking the Lord’s Supper at Cornerstone. If you’ve done this with us before, you’ve probably noticed that whoever leads the supper gives a different introduction each month. This is on purpose. We want a variety of perspectives on the supper, both from me and other Cornerstone Elders when we have them.
The more I’ve reflected on the Lord’s Supper, the more realize I have realized just how deep the theology of the Lord’s Supper is. All through the Scriptures, from the Passover in Egypt, to Jesus taking the Last Supper with his disciples, to Paul instructing the Early Church on how to do it right, we find Bible passages that help us understand and apply it to our lives.
Going forward, I want you to know that most times we take Communion, I intend to teach a slightly different aspect of the Supper each time I lead. So you can expect three things:
1. Expect a reflection on the Supper. My reflection today is just making you aware of my intentions. You can look forward to the Lord’s Supper devotionals in the future.
2. Expect the fencing of the table. That’s when we invite all Christians to partake, but ask those who don’t believe, or who are living in intentional sin to abstain. In this portion, I may remind you of 1 Corinthians 11:27-29, which says:
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (ESV)
3. Expect the Words of Institution. I will normally speak some words Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper, either from Luke or 1st Corinthians, which is the most common place to find the Words of Institution. It comes from 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, which says:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (ESV)
As we serve the Supper, take the time to reflect on the devotional as it strikes you, on the fencing of the table as the Holy Spirit convicts you, and on the Words of Institution because they remind us of the Gospel, that Jesus broke his body and shed his blood so we could live.
We’ll try to pause for a moment in the back just to give you a little extra time to reflect. Savor this moment. Savor this time. Let me pray and we’ll begin.
These words are from Pastor Jonathan, who lead this month’s Communion.
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