A great blessing for me since my conversion as a college student many years ago, has been to fellowship in churches which practiced the weekly observance of the Lord's Table (1 Cor 10:21; also called the Lord's Supper, or Communion). In the Plymouth Brethren tradition this usually takes place in a group setting which allows for spontaneous singing, sharing, prayer, Scripture reading, and periods of silence among those gathered. I've been thinking about how important that time has been to me through the years. Here are some thoughts...
WHY THE LORD'S SUPPER (Or, Communion) IS IMPORTANT.
1) This observance should be valued by us because it is important to our Lord. He began the meal as a Passover observance, and then transformed it into a new ordinance, which we call the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, or Communion. He longed for the disciples' participation, saying, "I have earnestly desired [ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα] to eat this Passover with you." (Luke 22:15) Repeating the same two words -- literally, "I desire with desire" -- was a Hebrew form of emphasis, and it showed his fervent desire to share that meal with his disciples. We also see how important the Supper is to our Lord by the way he views its misuse (1 Cor 11:17-34).
2) The Lord's supper is a covenant meal, and sharing in his table is a great privilege. It signifies gracious access to God. Throughout history the Lord made covenants -- binding commitments -- to his people. Often this involved a meal. The elders of Israel, once they were sanctified by the blood of the sacrifice, could eat and drink in God's presence without experiencing the terror of judgment (Exodus 24:8-11). In this sense, the Lord's supper is a sign of the covenant (cf. Gen 9:12-15), that God has graciously invited us to be with him through the body and blood of his Son. Instead of wrath and judgment for our sins, we sit at his table as his beloved children. It is a foreshadowing of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:6-9).
3) Like the Passover, this meal brings to our memory in a tangible way the reality of what the Lord Jesus has done for us. "Do this in remembrance of me." It's simple and physical. In the communion service at our church, we rarely use any instrument for music. We pray, sing hymns, and meditate on Scripture. Silence too is welcomed as an oasis whereby we may think deeply on what Christ has done. It's not that we as God's people actually forget, it's that we forget how real and true this all is. We need to remember the history of God's working, especially in Christ's death and resurrection.
4) Partaking of the bread and wine symbolizes our receiving of, and trusting in, what he has done for us. It is to touch, taste, eat, and internalize what he has done. In faith we freely and joyfully take what he has offered. In eating and drinking we are declaring our continued dependence upon him for life, now and forever. This meal looks back upon Christ's death and ahead to his return: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." (1 Cor 11:26)
5) Gathering around the Lord's table represents our present fellowship with Christ and his church. It is a communion (sharing in; partaking) with Christ, coming at his invitation, sitting at his table, with him forever in friendship and devotion. We join his circle of friends, gathered around his table (1 Cor 10:21). Like family gathered at Thanksgiving, or friends at a birthday celebration, this gathering shows that we are in fellowship with the host of the meal, the Master of the banquet.
6) It affirms the unity of the body of Christ, that together we are members of his family: "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Cor 10:17). This is our communal identity, and also a time for us to search our hearts and confess sins, so that we might preserve the unity of the local church (1 Cor 11:28). "It surely binds heart to heart when we learn that others hold the same faith as ourselves, that we belong to One church, and that together we break One bread and drink One cup." (Abraham Kuyper)
7) Finally, the observance of the Lord's supper is a commandment we are to observe, being Christ's disciples. In the great commission he instructed us to teach his followers "to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Matt 28:20). That includes the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper. He said plainly, "Do this in remembrance of me." We should note that one of the biggest changes to take place in the earliest days of the church, was that Jewish followers of Christ, along with Gentile believers, began to meet for worship on Sunday (the day Jesus arose), rather than Saturday (the Jewish Sabbath), and thus, each week to partake of the Lord's supper: "On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread..." (Acts 20:7). And "...they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42)
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