11:26: “For as as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Notice what Paul says at the end of his instructions in 1 Cor. There’s another reason we see benefit in waiting to celebrate the Lord’s Supper until we’re back together: it is a public proclamation. The Lord’s Supper Publicly Proclaims the Lord’s Death In other words, the Lord’s Supper is for the people of Christ when they gather together. Of course, for many to share in one loaf of bread, many have to be present in the same space. In making his point, he refers to the way the Lord’s Supper was observed: “The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (10:16–17) The logic is that many share in one loaf-a practice we preserve in a modified fashion at Village (we use 2-3 loaves). This is confirmed in the previous chapter, as Paul discusses something rather different (idolatry). It is experienced as the church assembled. It is not something done alone and individually, like personal Bible reading or private prayer. And it’s clear that he understands Communion as something practiced in community. Over and over again, Paul reveals that he envisions the church gathering together. “ When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.” (20) “For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you…” (11:18) “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.” (11:17) And beginning in 11:17, the apostle Paul refers to the gathering of the local church several times: In 1 Corinthians 11, we find some of the clearest instructions concerning the significance and practice of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament. The Lord’s Supper is for the Church Gathered So briefly, three reasons we wait until we gather together once more. It’s important for you to understand the convictions which motivate this decision. But as Pastor Brian and I considered our options, we decided it best to wait until we return under the same roof to celebrate together. Different churches hold different traditions for this ordinance, and some have elected to continue on an individual basis. We remain under a stay-at-home order, and will continue our worship services at home for the time being. It is a sweet routine for us, as we together partake in the shared loaf of bread representing the body of Christ, broken for us and as we drink the cup representing the blood of the new covenant of Christ.īut we did not celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Last Sunday was the the first Sunday of the month, the day we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus by observing the Lord’s Supper, or Communion.
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