Observing the Lord's Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The event which we know as the Lord's Supper is important in the lives of Christians.  There are probably as more differing opinions on the Lord's Supper than any other biblical subject. The when, where, how, and how often questions will probably never be settled. So the seemingly main event which Jesus left for us to observe together until his return, in many cases becomes a point for our division. 

In the scripture written above, Paul is instructing the Corinthian church on the importance of participating in the observance.  The words are reflective of the earlier scene in the upper room when Jesus and his disciples gathered together to celebrate Passover. That celebration had continued for centuries as the Jews remembered their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and passing through the Red Sea when God's power had parted the waters. To the ancient Jews, the observance of the Passover Supper was THE event that helped them to remember what God had done for them. 

At the end of the Passover, Jesus had told his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me."  Paul was making sure the observance of remembering Jesus, and especially remembering Jesus' death, burial and resurrection which makes our salvation possible.

What do you usually think of while observing the Lord's Supper?  While we are commanded to observe the supper in remembrance of Jesus, there are several remembrances worthy of our consideration. For each individual Christian, perhaps it is a time for them to remember their life's journey since meeting Jesus.  It would be a time to remember the salvation experience, or to remember an answered prayer, or perhaps to remember when a new biblical truth was learned. It's actually a time for us to remember all of the interaction of Jesus in our hearts and lives. 

That leads me to expand on the thought of our remembrance  of what it means to have him living in us. His presence in us is a source of guidance in making decisions, comfort when we are sad, and strength when we need the spiritual power to work through a problem. In the observance of the supper, it is always uplifting to think of Jesus who lives in us. 

Of all the good things we can remember about Jesus, and especially when sharing the Lord's Supper with our spiritual family, it's a good time to remember Jesus has promised to come again. Christians are to live in expectation of the Lord's return. Just as real as the elements which are symbolic of his body and his blood, is the reality that he is coming back.  Remember who he is. And remember who we can become because of him.  

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