How do we bring Jesus back to church? When was the last time you walked out of church excited about having felt his presence? Instead, isn’t it often more about whether or not you “enjoyed” the sermon? Does the morning worship service leave you talking about less about Jesus than you do the preacher? The underlying question, of course is why do you go to church? Do you come to be entertained or do you come to truly worship? Do you sense something missing? Could it be Jesus? If so, how do we make him the heart of worship? A proper understanding of the Lord’s Supper may be the best place to begin answering that question.
Several years ago we attended a church service that scheduled the Lord’s Supper at the conclusion of the service. The denomination considers the Lord’s Supper to be a symbol, (and an apparently insignificant one at that). The elements, bread and juice, were strategically placed around the worship center. When the time came, the pastor invited us to collect them, gather in small groups and celebrate together in any way we wished. As visitors, my wife and I felt left out of what might have been an opportunity for communal worship. So, after waiting for an invitation to join a group that never materialized, the two of us prayed, chewed, swallowed and left. I still consider it the worst Holy Communion experience so far. But there have been others almost as bad. And one of the was officiated by me.
In the interest of transparency, before thinking it through, I once authorized the use of pre-packaged Communion elements for use in our chapel. The congregation I pastor is comprised of a significant percentage of folks over 75 years old. It was a disaster. About half of the folks broke the wafer into dust while trying to open the package. Several others spilled the juice on themselves or their neighbor as they worked to remove the top seal on the cup. We only used them that one time. After that, we removed the wafer and opened the juice before taking them into the chapel. Lately I have been reconsidering the Lord’s Supper.
In my faith community, Communion is typically celebrated with the reading of 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 (NIV).
[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. [27] So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. [28] Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. [29] For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
When I was growing up in the church, the Lord’s Supper was a solemn occasion. It was normally conducted during the Sunday night service when most, if not all, of those in attendance were members. The thing that sticks out in my mind was the reading of verses 28 and 29 before the elements were distributed. The pastor stressed being right with God and others before partaking. We were reminded that the failure to do so was dangerous. After a time of silent introspection and prayer, the proper atmosphere had been achieved and the pastor would begin reading from verse 23.
Recently, in our chapel as well as a church we visited, the Communion experience has felt a little like eating broccoli—just get it over with quickly. Or worse, the feeling it was tacked on to meet some sort of quota before going home. I can’t believe that was our Lord’s intent. So, I decided to take another look at what we call the Lord’s Supper, but this time from the Synoptic Gospels, starting with Mark, believed to be the earliest account of the three and proceeding through the others.
22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”(Mark 14:22-25 | ESV)
18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:18-20 | ESV)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29 | ESV)
All three read nearly identically and all were delivered with reference to God’s kingdom. Jesus held the bread and cup in his hand. His blood was still coursing through his veins and arteries. The bread and wine were still very much bread and wine. So, what was he saying? He was saying there is a spiritual linkage between him (his body and blood) and the bread and wine. It is Spirit, not DNA—a connection similar to his ministry and God’s kingdom. His Spirit would be present in Communion as his Spirit would propel the kingdom’s advance.
For 1500 years the Lord’s Supper was the centerpiece of the worship service. It all changed when the pulpit replaced the Lord’s table. But even the one who made that change continued to observe the Lord’s supper with simplicity and reverence. My friend Reed and I both go into greater detail elsewhere. My goal here is simply to suggest we reconsider how we participate in the Lord’s Supper.
Jesus intended a spiritual correlation between his flesh and blood and the bread and wine. 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (John 6:63 | ESV) And these are the words he spoke:
53 . . .“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. (John 6:53-56 | ESV)
We should be in such a condition spiritually to experience his presence as we partake. That means we must be prayed up and come expecting the miraculous. No, we will not find him in the elements themselves, but he is fully present in the sacrament as he is within all true believers. The apostle Paul reminds us in Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV):
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
If even the unrepentant and unbelieving will one day bow at the very mention of his name, shouldn’t we take his presence in the Lord’s supper much more seriously? In the age of COVID, I suppose, prepackaged elements are ok, but what we do with them and how we do it needs to change. If we begin welcoming Jesus into our worship services again, through properly observing the Lord’s Supper, perhaps we’ll have no question about why we show up on Sunday morning. I know I’m making some changes.