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.

• Christ, Who Is Our Life - People define themselves in different ways. For example, one person might think of himself as an athlete. In his own mind, that’s who he is. Someone else might think of himself as a businessman. He defines himself in terms of his business. Yet another person might define herself as a mother. She is wrapped up … Continue reading →
• Our Mediator - The concept of rights is extremely prevalent in our American culture. To an extent our whole society is founded on the concept of rights. It is enshrined in phrases like “inalienable rights” which is found in the Declaration of Independence. The Constitution contains the Bill of Rights. We are conditioned to think of our rights. … Continue reading →
• A Living Parable - Just before He died, Jesus taught His disciples an interactive parable. True, the Scriptures do not call it a parable. But Jesus took some very ordinary, day-to-day items and used them to illustrate some profound spiritual truths. True, Jesus did not give this teaching in the form of a story. But nevertheless it is a … Continue reading →
• Outside the Box - When our children were in High School, there was a phrase that sort of became the motto or mantra of the teachers in the English Department. It was “Think outside the box!” By ‘thinking outside the box’ they did not mean original thought or thinking for oneself. What they really meant by that phrase was … Continue reading →
• Transformation - One of the themes which is sounded in just about any political campaign is the need for change. Very rarely will a candidate run for office with the promise that he or she will keep things just as they are. No, the politicians promise that if we will just elect them, they will make things … Continue reading →
• Giving Thanks - In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 12, Paul writes about people who are perishing. They aren’t headed for destruction because of a chance or random event. They aren’t headed for destruction because of the actions of someone else. Paul writes that they are condemned because of a deliberate choice they made. What was the choice? They … Continue reading →
• Mission - (Given on a ‘Mission Sunday’ when various missions were presented to the congregation.) There are a lot of stories out there in the world. There are a lot of different messages. Every day we are bombarded with all sorts of ideas and concepts. But, when you get right down to it, there is one story … Continue reading →
• Christ, Our Peace - Even a casual glance at the news is enough to make you realize that there are a lot of conflicts and wars going on in the world. Depending on how you count them, there are somewhere between 10 and 30 wars going on right now. This is not unusual. A brief look at a history … Continue reading →
• Perseverance - In writing to the Christians at Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul makes an interesting statement. He says, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 NIV) It’s not like these people didn’t already know or hadn’t already experienced God’s love. They had already accepted Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf. They … Continue reading →
• Psalms - (This meditation was prepared for a participatory assembly where people from the congregation shared their insights from the Psalms.) This morning we’ve talked about several of the themes which are found in the Psalms. There’s the theme of God’s glory. There’s the theme of God’s care and protection. We’ve shared some of the lessons we’ve … Continue reading →