Dec. 31, 2023

“The Lord's Supper”

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

 The Apostle Paul encourages proper preparation for those who desire to receive the Lord’s Supper. We could say it is a “pre-communion” checklist. It doesn’t matter if we have come to the Lord’s Table for one year or fifty years--one time or a thousand times. Each of us is in equal need of preparation so that we are blessed by our eating and drinking. We ask the Holy Spirit to guide us in our preparation to receive the sacrament as we consider these words from 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. This check list for receiving the Lord’s Supper isn’t complicated or extensive. But it is very important. Our order of service also helps us to review the purpose and the content of the eating and drinking we at Jesus’ command. The Apostle Paul had the Corinthian Christians consider how they prepared to receive the Lord’s Supper by taking them back to Jesus’ own words. The spiritual checklist that helps us answer the question do we have faith in Jesus’ words. Every time we eat and drink as Christ commanded, we ask if we have such faith in Jesus’ words. When Jesus first instituted Holy Communion, Jesus commanded his disciples to frequently gather for the meal of the new covenant. They would remember what he had done and proclaim it to each other, to their children, and to the world. The last item on the spiritual checklist that the Apostle Paul has given us focuses on what we receive when we eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 

 Questions:

1. Why was Paul writing to the Corinthians?
2. Why did Paul give them a checklist?
3. Why is it important to be prepared to receive the Lord’s Supper?