Day 353

Of the Lord’s Supper.

Chapter 30, Paragraph 3.

“The Lord Jesus hath in this Ordinance, appointed his Ministers to Pray, and bless the Elements of Bread and Wine, and thereby to set them apart from a common to an holy use, and to take and break the Bread; to take the Cup, and (they communicating also themselves) to give both to the Communicants.”

Scripture Lookup

1 Corinthians 11:23-26, etc.

Reflection

Seeing many examples of observing the Lord’s Supper wrongly, it is fitting to ask: how is the Lord’s Supper properly observed?

There is a reverence that surrounds the Lord’s Supper. It is not a mysterious, mystical ritual; yet it is a memorial of profound significance for the Christian. We are remembering Christ’s death on our behalf, realizing what that death signifies for us today, and anticipating the future that death has secured for us. Because of the weight of such reality, the Lord’s Supper deserves respect.

When we gather together for the ordinance, the ministers pray and bless the bread and wine. They are not performing some magic over the elements; rather, they are petitioning the Lord to bless the food, that it may nourish us spiritually. In this way the bread and wine are set apart, distinct from their everyday use. The bread is broken, and the bread and wine are given to the congregation. The ministers and congregation partake together.

The Lord’s Supper is a simple service, but it is packed with so much importance. The basic feeding of bread and wine seems almost too ordinary, and we can be tempted to want to make it more novel or exciting. When we observe the Supper rightly, however, the simplicity it contains allows us to see past the ordinary elements to the extraordinary sacrifice of Jesus.

Questions to Consider

• Why is it fitting that the Lord’s Supper be a simple service observed by the local church?