Communion & Lord’s Supper

Communion & Lord’s Supper explores the biblical meaning and practice of the Lord’s Supper in the worship and life of the church. Find Scripture-based articles on remembrance, gratitude, unity, self-examination, and the gospel-centered purpose of communion. You’ll also discover guidance for teaching about the Lord’s Supper, leading communion thoughtfully, and understanding how this weekly (or regular) practice shapes discipleship, worship, and congregational life. This hub equips believers and leaders to approach communion with reverence, joy, and renewed devotion to Christ.

August 30, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Grace

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps nothing hurts as much as betrayal. A wife discovers a string of e-mails and realizes her husband has been intimate with another woman. Or a man receives a note from his wife saying she and one of his longtime friends plan to start a life together. Or someone at work gives the boss information that was shared in confidence. Betrayal cuts deeply for all of us, and no less so for Jesus. That last night with his disciples, Judas sat close to Jesus. The plot was in place,

August 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Humility

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Remember summer camp or church camp? Those late nights raiding other tents or dorms? Those camp meals that looked increasingly familiar as the week went on? The mosquitoes, bugs, and sunburn that made for some uncomfortable moments? But most of all . . . cleanup duties at the end. Remember the scramble not to be assigned the shower and toilet block? Remember the hair, the soap residue, and the scum? It was nasty, and nobody in their right mind would volunteer for that job. We were made for a

August 16, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Unity

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” When we attend a football game or a baseball game, we remember far more than the score (if we even remember the score). The whole event comes back to mind; driving to the game, our parking spot, our seats, the noise of the crowd, peanuts in the shell, the $6 hot dogs, and so much more. We remember everything surrounding the event. So did the disciples. That last night with Jesus was indelibly imprinted on their minds. How could they forget? They gathered for the Passover meal. Jesus washed

August 9, 2013

Christian Standard

Communion . . . and Service

By David Timms Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We typically use the word remember in a rather abstract way. Do you remember your first car? Your first boyfriend or girlfriend? Your first job? The birth of your first child? We recall an event and the warm emotions attached to it. Or perhaps we were forced to remember information for school. Remember the list of presidents? Remember those algebraic equations? Remember participles, passives, and prepositions? That kind of recall can raise our blood pressure and stress all over again. Let”s not dredge up those memories! But remember Jesus

July 5, 2013

Christian Standard

Body Language

By Robert F. Hull Jr. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing 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 (1 Corinthians 10:16, 17).* In some traditions, the person who hands the worshippers the Communion bread says, “This is the body of Christ.” This body language naturally leads us to think about the body of Jesus given in death on the cross. But perhaps we should also think about what Jesus

June 7, 2013

Christian Standard

Set Free

By Tom Ellsworth The Indiana State Capitol building in Indianapolis is an impressive place to visit; its rotunda and artwork are beautiful. Among its many commemorative statues is a bust of Col. Richard Owen, commandant of Camp Morton, a facility in Indianapolis that housed Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. The bust is more than just a statuette, it is a unique memorial. Prisoner of war camps during the Civil War were horrendous places in both the North and South. Perhaps the most infamous was Camp Sumter military prison in Georgia, better known as Andersonville Prison. Nearly 13,000 Union soldiers

April 26, 2013

Christian Standard

Foolishness and Communion

By Tom Lawson   “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). What could be more foolish than Communion””a little bread and grape juice or wine through which we are invited to experience Christ? Perhaps the only thing more foolish is saving the world with some wood, a few nails, and torn, bleeding flesh. We like to make the chasm between the spiritual and the physical as clear as the difference between day and night. The unseen spiritual is

April 12, 2013

Christian Standard

Remembering or Participating?

By Tom Lawson “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps no words are more closely associated with Communion. Communion is, if nothing else, a time of remembering Jesus Christ. Many people are surprised, or at least confused, by Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17. Here he teaches that the cup is a participation or sharing in the blood of Christ and the bread is a participation or sharing in the body of Christ. To some, this sounds too close to medieval ideas that had the cup and loaf actually changing into the blood and body of Christ. On the

March 8, 2013

Christian Standard

His Glorious Body

By C. Robert Wetzel Glory to God in the highest! Coming to the Lord”s table is an occasion to celebrate the glory of God and the promise of our participation in his glory. Traditionally we have often sung in preparation for the Lord”s Supper, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory.” More recently it may be, “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” But every Lord”s Day we are reminded in a special way of God”s power, majesty, and love. How extraordinary that the God who created all things should reveal himself in the person of Jesus Christ! How glorious

March 1, 2013

Christian Standard

Wordless Groans at the Lord”s Table

By C. Robert Wetzel “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). We often find our congregations preparing for the Lord”s Supper with an appropriate Communion hymn followed by a meditation that enables us to focus on the meaning of this sacred event. This is followed by what some call the “words of institution,” such as the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. The presiding elder then offers a prayer of blessing over the bread and cup. As we partake, we focus our

February 8, 2013

Christian Standard

Confess Our Unworthiness, Celebrate His Worthiness

By Lynn Gardner Paul warned against partaking of the Lord”s Supper in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27, 29). However, that does not mean we should not recognize our unworthiness as we partake. Our culture stresses self-confidence as a key to success. Proper self-respect as one made in the image of God is not sinful, and recognizing we are unworthy to be saved by God is not having a low self-image or low self-esteem. God places a value on us because he created us in his image, but we stand before him as guilty sinners who do not deserve his favor

May 11, 2012

Christian Standard

The Privilege I Anticipate

By Bryce Jessup I remember telling my dad at the age of 9 I wanted to become a Christian. I recall my older brother saying, “All he wants to do is be able to take Communion.” There was quite a discussion that ensued between my dad and his two sons! After studying for a number of weeks under my dad”s direction, I went forward to commit my life to Christ and be baptized. It was a wonderful time of celebration and hope for the future. I remember my uncle pouring some water into the baptistery from a vial he filled

May 3, 2012

Christian Standard

Backward, Inward, and Forward

By Bryce Jessup Communion points us in three directions. We look backward, inward, and forward. First Corinthians 11:23-29 was written for troubled people who needed repentance, forgiveness, and acceptance in order to go forward with their lives. The same need exists for us today. The backward look is to Jesus when he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” (v. 25). Communion is looking back to the cross and seeing the One who died so that we might live. He hung from the cross not because of

April 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Born into His Family

By Bryce Jessup One of my most memorable Communion times was sitting with my family circled in our campsite at Yosemite National Park. The day before, a number of us had caught our limits of trout. Half Dome was visible, the morning sun was warming us up, and we were rejoicing in our family vacation time on the Lord”s Day. Before we communed, my father invited each of us to share a verse of Scripture or some event wherein we had felt the touch of a loving God. Each of our children shared briefly, as did my wife and I.

April 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Host of the Table

By William Baker The original Lord”s Supper took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). The host was Jesus. He sent Peter and John ahead of the group to make the necessary arrangements with the owner of the house to eat at his large table of his second-floor room. However, the disciples being led to the house by a man carrying a jar of water on his head, as Jesus predicted (Luke 22:10), reveals that Jesus himself had already set this up ahead of them. After arriving at the room, Jesus functioned as the host. As he reclined around a

March 24, 2012

Christian Standard

Unwelcome at the Table

By William Baker   The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). Devoted disciples ate with Jesus at this Passover meal. One, however, left before the meal was over. Judas ate the wine-soaked bread Jesus offered him but immediately left to do his dirty deed of informing on Jesus to the temple authorities (John 13:26-30). His pact to help them capture Jesus out of the public eye would be honored that night (Luke 22:1-6). In a few hours, Judas would lead the guard to Jesus and betray him with a kiss of death. Jesus

March 17, 2012

Christian Standard

The Family Reunion

By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30). It was a Passover meal. It was Jesus” last supper with his devoted disciples. In a matter of hours he would be arrested, beaten, and crucified. He treasured these last moments with them because they offered a foretaste of the greatest family festival reunion of all time. They would be back together again like this””at another table, at another time. Next time, gathered around the table would not just be this handful of solemn believers. Next time, every tribe, tongue, and nation would

March 16, 2012

Christian Standard

The Table

By William Baker The original Supper of the Lord took place at a table (Luke 22:21, 30; John 13:28; 1 Corinthians 10:21). Friends gathered together in a large second-story banquet room to share a meal. But they did more than eat; they talked and sang and celebrated. This was a Passover meal, a festival meal reliving God”s rescue of the Jewish people from slavery and infant genocide. They ate greens and bitter herbs dipped in a spicy sauce, along with flat, unleavened bread. They drank wine, sharing sips out of at least three passed cups. They ate meat, one of

February 7, 2012

Christian Standard

The Lodge and the Lord”s Supper

By Mark A. Taylor I”m not sure now why I attended the monthly meeting of the local lodge. I had been invited by someone, maybe to pray or see him installed into some office. I don”t recall who he was or any specifics about the evening. I only remember my reaction to being there. The whole service was meaningless to me, in spite of the sober demeanor of the lodge members who participated in it. They somberly went through the motions, careful to complete the program “decently and in order.” But none of it communicated anything to me. Many of

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