The Lord’s Supper on the Last Sunday of the Year
On the last Sunday of the year, Communion invites us to remember Jesus’ last supper and to reflect on our own mortality and hope. This meditation points to the Lord’s table as a proclamation of Christ’s death and a reminder to live ready for his return.
- The Lord’s Supper calls us to remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice.
- Communion reminds us our next Lord’s Day could be our last.
- The table points forward: “until he comes.”
This is the last Sunday of the year. For some it is the last chance to catch up on their New Year’s resolution to read through the Bible this year. For others it is the last chance to write a check to the church in order to receive a tax credit. For all of us it is the last opportunity in 2009 to break the bread and drink the cup together at the Lord’s table.
The Last Supper and the Lord’s Supper
It was at the last supper that our Lord Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. It was Passover and Jesus was in an upper room with his disciples. He told them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15, 16). No doubt the reason Jesus “eagerly desired” to partake of the Passover with his disciples was because he knew it was his last opportunity to commune with them. Then he instituted what we often call “The Lord’s Supper.”
Communion and Our Mortality
It is sobering to think that the first Lord’s Supper was literally the last supper for our Lord. In a matter of just a few hours he would be betrayed, denied, arrested, tried, scourged, and crucified. Remember his words? “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”
Every Lord’s Day, in this country and around the world, it is indeed the last supper for many a believer. Earlier this year I had the privilege of serving my 93-year-old father, a retired minister, the Lord’s Supper. He died just a few weeks later. We should live as if each Lord’s Supper might be our last supper. Communion reminds us of our mortality.
“Until He Comes”
The great apostle Paul tells us, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Until he comes! We do not take nearly enough time in our busy schedules to think about the second coming. But the Lord’s Supper gives us an opportunity to do just that. Every Communion could be our last Communion. Are we ready for his return? Jesus could come today!
Do This in Remembrance of Me
At the institution of the Lord’s Supper Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Today, on this last Sunday of the year, let us eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of the one for whom the Lord’s Supper was indeed his last supper. Like him, let us “eagerly desire” to partake of this memorial feast.
Author: Christian Standard
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