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.

• Fear - (Written to compliment a sermon on 1 Peter 1:17-21) I’d like to talk to you a little bit about fear. Fear is a defense mechanism that is intended to keep us out of harmful or destructive situations. When there is danger, it is our sense of fear which prompts us to take precautions or to avoid … Continue reading →
• Wandering - (Prepared to go with a sermon on James 5:19-20) A couple of weeks ago our family had a reunion in honor my father’s 93rd birthday. I think that all of were a little astonished to realize that out of the five of us children, three of us are planning to travel out of the country … Continue reading →
• Breaking the Cycle of Hate - In many ways, we are very blessed to live at the time we do. We have a higher standard of living and more opportunities than people at any other time of history. Among the many blessings we enjoy is the privilege of being heard. The Internet allows us ordinary people to voice our opinions to … Continue reading →
• True Religion - (Prepared for a sermon on James 1:26-27) If asked to describe a religion, most people would probably talk about the rituals the people practice who belong to that religion. To put it another way, we define religions in terms of what the people do. However, the rituals, and ceremonies are not supposed to be ends … Continue reading →
• He Became Poor - (Prepared to go along with a sermon on James 1:9-11) ‘Privilege’ is a word which gets thrown around a lot these days. Sometimes I think it is used to put down the accomplishments of others or to cloak envy. The truth of the matter is, that all of us who live in this country – … Continue reading →
• Remember With Gratitude - A few days ago I had a very humbling experience. I was at a conference in the Netherlands. One of my fellow participants asked what I planned to do on our day off. I replied that I intended to visit one of the World War II battlefields which was nearby. His response took me totally … Continue reading →
• Together - (Written to go with a sermon on Hebrews 11:29-40, especially verse 40.) Diversity is all the rage these days. It seems you can’t turn on the news without hearing about another complaint that some aspect of our society doesn’t reflect the actual mix of people who live here. People agonize over whether people of a … Continue reading →
• Why Remember? - (Prepared for a sermon on Hebrews 3:1-6) Just before He was arrested and crucified, Jesus gave His disciples some unleavened bread and asked them to eat it. He also passed around a cup of wine and told them to drink from it. He instructed them to keep on eating bread and drinking wine in His … Continue reading →
• The Paradox of Joy - (Prepared to go with a sermon on Hebrews 1:7-14, particularly verse 9) There are a lot of paradoxes in life – things which seem counter-intuitive or contradictory, yet nevertheless are true. For example, the purpose of a water-pump is to lift water from a subterranean reservoir to the surface so we can use it. But … Continue reading →
• Hope - (Prepared for a sermon based on Acts 28:17-23) When our children were in High School we noticed a curious thing. Just about all of the literature they were required to read in their English classes was bleak and depressing. It managed to convey the message that there isn’t much to look forward to and life … Continue reading →