TOPIC:“Sitting at the Lord's Table”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:I Corinthians 11:23-32
“When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper" (v. 20)
Do we Christians have a time in which we can remember and thank God for all that He has done for us? Do we Christians have a place where we can feel and express our deep and genuine indebtedness to God the Father and Christ the Son for their magnificent love as exhibited at Calvary? The answer to those questions, whether we realize it or not, is found in our observance of Holy Communion. This is what James Montgomery had in mind when he wrote:
“According to Thy gracious word,
In meek humility
This will I do, my dying Lord,
I will remember Thee.
Thy body, broken for my sake,
My bread from Heaven shall be;
Thy testimental cup I take
And thus remember Thee.”
The Lord's Supper is without doubt the most sacred and supreme act of Christian worship. For nearly two thousand years the Christian Church has faithfully observed it. The early Apostolic Church made it a regular part of every worship service. We read these words in Acts: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46).
But often we Christians allow ourselves to have an insignificant view of the Lord's supper. We treat it like it is an unimportant addition to the worship service. We relegate it to a place of secondary importance, prepare ourselves poorly for it, and then rush through it receiving little profit from it. Listen to me: That kind of neglect does a grave injustice to the meaning and message of this holy event. Let us now come to the Lord's Table, ever realizing that it is the highest privilege given to any Christian. We are going to consider three words to describe this magnificent event - preparation, participation, and proclamation.
I.
Consider, first of all, the . . .