The Lord's Supper As An Act of Worship

 

Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

When Jesus went to the cross to shed his blood and die for you and me, he addressed all the worst problems this world or ours has ever faced.

He bridged the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity when He died on the cross. Jesus defeated death when he died and rose again. He erased guilt and shame and condemnation through his sacrifice for all humanity. The crucifixion of Jesus looked like the defeat of all that is good and right and beautiful. But in fact, his agony and death proved to be just the opposite. By his stripes we are healed, because he died, we live. His suffering bought our redemption. His blood makes us clean. Jesus broke every chain by his death and resurrection.

Just before his betrayal, judgement, and death, Jesus gathered together in a second story room with his closest friends for one last meal. He took bread, gave thanks, and broke it saying, “Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Then Jesus took a cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  By giving us this command, Jesus was planning worship for years to come.  You see, the Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, is an act of worship from start to finish. In the Lord’s Supper we glorify God for the way he addressed the worst problems you and I have every faced.  We thank him for his great love. We honor his amazing sacrifice. We declare our faith in Christ and in his finished work on the cross. The Lord’s Supper is a very, very important worship service in which we honor the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

And so dear brother, and so dear sister, when you celebrate the Lord’s Super in newly planted churches, do it well!  Take your time. Tell the story. Tell about the bread and how it represents the body of Christ broken for us so that we could be made whole. Tell about the wine or the red juice and how it represents the blood of Jesus which cleanses us from all sin. Tell how Jesus death takes away our shame because he bore it all when he suffered and died.  Don’t rush into giving out the bread and the wine after quickly reading a Bible verse or two. Jesus told us to partake of the Lord’s Supper so we would remember him.  Remembering is not done quickly.  It takes time to remember details and reflect on meaning. So take your time when you serve the Lord’s Supper.  You are declaring the Lord’s death until he comes again.

May your worship be glorious each and every time you celebrate the New Covenant in the Lord’s Supper.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this encouraging word with today?

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