Why the Lord’s Supper?

Why do Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper or Communion during their Sunday assemblies? In short, because Jesus asked us to. The emblems remind us of His sacrifice on our behalf and of the covenant relationship we share with Him. Elsewhere, I have suggested that the entire focus of our assemblies should be Christ, and Him crucified. When that is our focus, it is amazing how the cross of Christ, and the memorial meal He asked us to celebrate, illuminate everything else. It is fascinating to me how rich and multi-faceted the Communion becomes. Just about every subject and topic ties in to it.

Why the Communion meditation?

The idea behind giving a meditation before celebrating the Communion, is to focus the thoughts of the congregation on some aspect of Christ’s sacrifice and/or our covenant relationship with Him. But there is another very practical reason for the meditations: They are an opportunity for mutual ministry. It’s an opportunity for men to actively share their spiritual insights with the rest of the congregation instead of remaining passive spectators. It’s a relatively non-threatening way for men to get experience standing in front of a group and talking to them about Christ. It’s a way to give men practice in studying the Scriptures and organizing what they have learned so it can be shared.

To give you an idea of what can be done, I’ve decided to share some of the Communion meditations I’ve given. They cover a fairly wide range of topics, yet the focus is always Christ.

• Season Of Renewal - Given on New Years Day It’s interesting that our new year begins during winter – the season when things look drear and drab. We have grape vines in our back yard. Every winter the leaves fall off and the runners dry up. To all appearances, the vines look dead. You can even snap the ends … Continue reading →
• Examine - (Prepared to go along with a sermon on Revelation chapter 14.) We live in an industrialized and a technological society. Personally, I’m very grateful that we do. Life is, in many ways, much easier than it used to be. Our technology makes us far more efficient than before. We are able to do a whole … Continue reading →
• Proof - (Given in conjunction with a sermon on John 5:31-47, titled “Reasons to Believe”) We humans can be a rather inconsistent lot. On the one hand we are prone to believe some pretty far-out conspiracy theories. On the other hand we refuse to accept things for which there are overwhelming evidence, if those things don’t happen … Continue reading →
• Confidence - (Prepared to go with a sermon on Hebrews 13:1-14) We live in a huge country. It’s so big that it’s hard for foreigners to grasp just how big it is. Even for those of us who live here, it’s sometimes hard to wrap our heads around the distances involved. Every time my wife and I … Continue reading →
• Holiness - When we look around us it’s easy to become discouraged when we see the increase in violence and crime that’s taken place in just the last few years. Leaving crime to one side, it seems to me that plain old courtesy and respect are on the decline. People live in fear. Something else I’ve observed … Continue reading →
• Redeemed - (Written to go with a sermon from Romans 3:21-31) Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you needed to raise some money quickly? Perhaps there is a family emergency and you have to make an unexpected trip out of town. Or perhaps a pipe breaks in the house and you are left without … Continue reading →
• Confidence - Have you ever really, really hoped for or looked forward to something only to have those hopes disappointed? For example, suppose you were really looking forward to being promoted at work. You worked really hard, you went through the continuing education to qualify yourself for the position. You went above and beyond to demonstrate your … Continue reading →
• Not On Your Own - One of the things which is ingrained into our culture is the idea of rugged individualism. We get it from the pioneers who came over the Oregon Trail or migrated west during the Great Depression. You either did it yourself, or it didn’t get done. Those who tried to sponge off others didn’t survive. The … Continue reading →
• The Time Has Not Yet Come - When God created the universe, He declared it very good (Genesis 1:31). Unfortunately, mankind managed to mess it up. We introduced sin into the world. Sin has not only affected us, the Apostle Paul tells us that the whole of nature has been subjected to futility or frustration because of it (Romans 8:20). When God … Continue reading →
• Devotion - (Prepared for a Sermon on Matthew 26:1-16) Not too long ago our state had to pass a law which made it illegal to text while driving. Why? Because drivers were being distracted from their driving and causing accidents. The truth is that our minds are designed to focus on only one thing at at time. … Continue reading →