THE LORD’ SUPPER: A TIME OF CELEBRATION
A. WELCOME TODAY, IN THE NAME OF OUR LORD AND
SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!
1. We gather here to day to celebrate, to worship, and to proclaim the greatness of our God, and of His Son, Jesus Christ.
B. Today, we want to focus on the Lord’s Supper, what it means for us, and why we re-enact the Lord’s Supper that Jesus shared with His disciples many years ago.
1. What does the Lord’s Supper mean to you?
2. Maybe right now you are thinking of a special memorable experience of a time you celebrated the Lord’s Supper.
- A Communion highlight that meant so much to you.
3. Ask a few to share. (Church members about a memorable communion service from the past)
I. THE ELEMENTS OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
A. Jesus took two of the most common elements in Palastinian life, and sanctified them as symbols of His relationship to those He loved.
1. For the Jews, eating a meal without bread was no meal at all.
2. Christ was keeping with the Jewish custom.
B. John Burkhart, in his book, Worship writes, "it was customary for the head of the house, the host, to begin with a meal, after blessing the bread, by tearing the bread into pieces and sharing it."
1. First, by sharing the Lord’s Supper together, we enact the sharing of a common memory.
2. We are sharing the symbols of friendship, fellowship, commitment, and love for one another in Jesus Christ.
3. William Barclay has said, "The giving of and the sharing of the meal is marked by friendship. Those who sit at the meal are committed to each other, committed to their host, and their host is committed to them."
4. We are also reminded in Acts 2:42 that the Lord’s Supper was viewed as a loved feast, a celebration time of being together to celebrate a common memory.
"...they broke bread in their homes, taking their meals together with gladness and sincere hearts."
5. The Lord’s Supper was not only seen as a solemn occasion for believers to remember all their sins.
- The Lord’s Supper was a time of asking for forgiveness,taking the Lord’s Supper together with other believers of like minds;
- and experiencing unity and joy as a body, celebrating the Risen Lord!!
6. The believers in Acts 2 tightened the binding of the covenant as they were together.
II. THE LORD’S SUPPER A SYMBOL OF THANKSGIVING
A. Second, the Lord’s Supper was symbolized as a thanksgiving offering to Jesus Christ.
1. A thanksgiving service to Jesus Christ for His gifts of creation and redemption.
2. One of the most memorable communion services for me was at Urbana ’76 and ’79.
- We, the conference delegates of the 18,000 people there, shared the Lord’s Supper together on New Year’s Eve.
3. The Communion Table must have been 75 feet long with all the elements on a white table cloth.
4. My first impression was, "It looks like Noah’s Ark!".
5. Then I thought, "Yes, Noah’s Ark. The ark that protected and saved people and animals from destruction.
- The ark; the Ark of the Covenant that symbolized God’s presence with His people; He saved them from destruction.
- That was, and this is the reason for the Passover.
- The Passover Lamb that was shed to purge and to cleanse God’s people from sin.
6. Jesus Christ, the Lamb, our Savior and Redeemer; the Passover; now the Lord’s Supper that we celebrate today!!
7. Again, I quote John Burkhart. He says, "The Lord’s Feast is itself a proclamation, for it enacts an understanding of life that honors
the delicate and intricate relations between grace, gladness, gratitude,
and generosity."
8. As we celebrate the Lord’s Feast today, we celebrate with thankful hearts Christ’s presence, and not His absence.
B. The Passover feast was a meal of anticipation of the coming Redeemer.
1. The Lord’s Supper is a feast in which we celebrate that He is come, yet we too look forward to the return of our Redeemer!!
2. The Lord’s Supper represents the Living Christ!!
3. The Passover represented deliverance from the death angel and Egypt.
- The Lord’s Supper represents Christ’s sacrificial death and our deliverance from sin.
5. The Passover was designed for Israel, God’s People.
- The Lord’s Supper is for God’s People today - those who have been washed by the Blood of Jesus Christ!!
6. The Passover represented the slaying and eating of an animal sacrifice.
- The Lord’s Supper represents Christ’s sacrifice, death, and resurrection as our Unblemished Lamb!!
7. This is symbolized by His Body and Blood, the bread and the cup which is before us today.
III. JESUS EXPRESSED WORDS IN ACTION
A. Third, when Jesus washed His disciples feet, His words were expressed in action.
1. Jesus told His disciples, "I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." (Matt. 20:28).
2. The disciples must have been amazed and astonished when Jesus Christ, their Teacher, their Lord and Master stooped down to wash their feet.
3. As for the disciples, they were too busy discussing who would be the greatest.
- Jesus said, "Whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant." (Matt. 20:26-27).
4. Jesus Christ took the leadership in becoming a servant.
5. On the night that He was betrayed, Christ also washed the feet of the one who would betray Him.
- It is hard to imagine the thoughts which each one had as Christ touched and cleansed the feet of those there, and the feet of His betrayer.
6. Judas feet were touched and cleansed by Christ in the washing that night; but not his heart.
IV. JESUS SHOWED HIS LOVE BY OFFERING THE BREAD
AND THE CUP.
A. Fourth, Jesus showed that He loved His disciples when He gave them the Bread and the Cup.
1. Jesus broke the bread as a way of foretelling the breaking of His own body.
2. His hands were stretched out on the Cross as the bread was broken and distributed to the disciples.
3. His outstretched arms signify Jesus giving Himself to His disciples, and to us.
4. On this table is a loaf of bread.
5. As this bread is broken, and you take a piece, you re-enact the presence and the love of Christ’s Body, broken for you.
6. The vine and the branches represent energy that flows through them that produce the buds and the fruit.
- In John 15, Jesus said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."
7. On that night in the Upper Room, Christ selected the wine - it came from the fruit of the vine.
- The wine and the grape juice that come from the vine is a symbol of His Blood that came from the veins of our Lord.
8. Just as grapevines are all sprawled out and twisted as they grow, so Jesus’ Blood comes from His veins that are spread out, all over His Body.
9. This symbolizes that the giving of Jesus’ Blood was a giving of His total self for all the people in the world.
10. We see here too, that Christ, is the One Life that flows through the Church;
- and is the Life-Giving Blood to His Body, the Church of Jesus Christ!!
11. In Psalm 116:12-14, we read, "What shall I render to the Lord for all of His benefits towards me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to
the Lord, oh may it be in the presence of all His people."
B. READ POEM, "THE PASSOVER MEAL"!!
CONCLUSION
A. As we celebrate, reenact, and participate in the Lord’s Supper today, we celebrate the Lord’s Feast!!
1. The Lord’s Feast is the LORD’S FEAST!!!
2. That means we celebrate His graciousness, as we acknowledge Him.
3. Eating and drinking together in recognition of Jesus celebrates God as God!!
4. Burkhart says, "God is the Giver of all good things, the founder of every feast, and the true Host of every meal."
5. The Supper of Christ’s disciples and new believers was one of great joy and thanksgiving to Jesus Christ over His death and resurrection.
6. The Lord’s Supper was a time for celebration of the new life they had in Jesus, and the unity and the oneness they experienced as members of His Body.
B. Before we take of these precious symbols of Christ’s Body and Blood, let us examine our hearts, and see if there are things that we need to ask forgiveness for;
1. Not eating and drinking judgement on ourselves.
2. As I mentioned the Christians of the Early Church in Acts 2 celebrated forgiveness and the Lord’s Supper;
- I want to offer you an opportunity this morning to talk to one another; if they need to.
C. #494 "There Is A Fountain"
(Vss. 1, 2)
D. READ I Cor. 11:23-29.
1. Take precaution not to eat and drink judgement on us.
2. Remember & Reenact what He did for us.
3. Celebrate He is Alive, and Eternal Life as we take of the bread and the juice;
- representing His Body and His Blood for us - taking away ALL of our sins!!
“THE PASSOVER MEAL”
The Upper Room was set and ready for the Passover Meal.
The disciples entered, probably not knowing quite how to feel.
The basin and towel sat at one corner of the room,
As each disciple might have been enveloped in his own cocoon.
To the basin and towel Jesus gave a glance,
But none of Christ’s disciples had fallen into a trance.
For they argued over who the greatest would be,
As they each felt, “Not you, but me!”
When Jesus touched the towel for a reaction,
None of His disciples translated His teaching into action.
With feet still marred from the dusty road,
Jesus quietly took the basin and the towel,
He took the form of a servant, and gently washed their feet well.
Peter, startled, and yelled, “You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus must have grieved that Peter would soon experience defeat.
For Peter was not ready to be right there where the Master wanted
him to be.
For Peter would soon deny His Lord not one time, but three.
When Jesus predicted that one of the disciples would to Jesus betray,
The disciples responded, “Who is it Lord, is it me?”,
in such a startled way.
The restless Judas fidgeted anxiously, and also asked, “Lord, is it I?”
Jesus then dipped into the bowl as the twelve men glanced at Jesus’
hands with emotion, were ready to cry!
Then the fidgety Judas left and went out,
As the other disciples were not sure if they would betray Him;
or if they would doubt.
“Oh Lord, which one of us will betray?
Is it Judas; Is it I; or are we all OK?”
After supper, Jesus took the bread and broke it
To establish a memory anew,
“Whenever you eat of bread like this;
Think of My Body broken for you.”
With deep feelings of emotion, love, and care,
Jesus took the cup, and passed it to His beloved friends,
Who were mostly all there.
He said, “Whenever you drink of the fruit of the Vine,
Remember My Blood and love which is a symbol,
Represented by the wine.”
We often forget when we see the bread broken,
That it is the precious symbol and this our token.
We often forget that when we drink the cup,
That Jesus’ blood was shed for us, as He gave His life up.
“In Remembrance of Me”; this is the bread broken for you and me,
“In Remembrance of Me”; take the cup, drink it all,
His blood poured out for you and for me.
Jesus then said that He would not drink of the fruit of the Vine,
Until that great and glorious Day when we all
Share with Him in Heaven, and drink of the New Wine.
For it is this Jesus who we will share in this blessed Union,
When we all celebrate with laud, honor, and glory,
In the Great Communion.
- Pastor Gordon Kroeker
