Well, this morning we are going to partake of the Lord's Table again.
That'll be the focus of our service.
And so I thought it'd be appropriate to spend some time this morning
deepening our understanding of the Lord's Table.
What are we doing as we eat and drink from this table?
And why do we do this?
So we're opening our Bibles this morning to 1 Corinthians 11, verse 17.
Now, this letter was written by the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth.
It's estimated that he wrote this letter about 20 years after Jesus ascended into heaven
and about four or five years after this church here in Corinth was established.
So this is a relatively young church.
Paul has some words of encouragement for them.
He commends them for some things and gives them instructions.
But if you're familiar with this letter that Paul has written,
he also offers them many words of correction.
There were quite a few things that they were doing there in the church at Corinth
that were unfitting to their profession of faith in Jesus.
And so Paul, having got word of these things, is writing partially to address some of them.
And one of these things where the Corinthian Christians have been failing
is their observance of the Lord's Supper.
So let's listen to what Paul had to say to them here in 1 Corinthians 11, verse 17.
He writes,
In the following directives, I have no praise for you,
for your meetings do more harm than good.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church,
there are divisions among you.
And to some extent, I believe it.
No doubt there have to be differences among you
to show which of you have God's approval.
So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat.
For when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.
As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk.
Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?
Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?
What shall I say to you?
Shall I praise you?
Certainly not in this matter.
It must have been hard for the Corinthians to hear these words of Paul the Apostle.
Just moments ago, back up in verse 2,
Paul said this to them.
He said, I praise you for remembering me and everything
and for holding fast to the traditions
just as I pass them on to you.
So it's not all bad.
They have been doing many things well.
They've been holding fast to these traditions
that Paul has passed on to them.
And Paul commends them for that.
He praises them for that.
But now when it comes to this thing
of how they observe the Lord's Supper,
Paul says, I have no praise for you.
In fact, he says, your meetings do more harm than good.
They are for the worse, not the better.
Man, that must have been hard for them to hear.
Now, Paul isn't saying that it would be better for them not to meet.
Rather, it's what they're doing when they meet together
that's resulting in harm.
And we'll see what kind of harm in a moment.
In verse 18, Paul brings up one major cause
or root issue here.
He says that he is aware of the divisions that are among them.
They are a divided church.
Now, Paul's already brought this up
and said a lot about this earlier in the letter.
But it seems to come out here that these divisions
are along certain lines.
Look at verse 22.
Verse 22.
Do you despise the church of God
by humiliating those who have nothing?
So it seems that not only were there divisions and factions
about who's following who in the church,
there was also division between wealthy and poor in the church.
Those who have and those who have nothing.
More about that in a moment.
Paul does, in verse 19, acknowledge
that there is a legitimate reason to have divisions.
It does make sense that if some are not living in obedience to Christ,
not walking by the Spirit,
it will put them at odds with others who are in the church.
There will be a bit of a divide there.
But now Paul brings to the forefront
what exactly it is that they are doing
which is causing harm in the church.
He says,
So then, when you come together,
it is not the Lord's Supper you eat.
For when you're eating,
some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.
As a result,
one person remains hungry
and another person gets drunk.
That's pretty serious.
It may also sound a little strange to us.
When we do the Lord's Table,
we do it so differently today in our culture.
But it seems from the passage here
that when they gathered to have the Lord's Supper,
they would not just pass around a little piece of bread and cup like we do,
but they would have a full meal.
A church meal.
Perhaps a celebratory banquet.
After all,
the Lord's Supper was done the first time by Jesus
with his disciples at Passover.
It was done around a table.
It was a full meal.
And it was a celebration kind of meal.
But what started out
as a very Christ-honoring celebration for the Corinthians
has now turned into something ugly.
Something very hurtful.
Even spiritually damaging to the church.
So much so that Paul says,
it is not the Lord's Supper
that you are eating.
Wow.
So what are they doing wrong?
Paul says that some of them are going ahead
with their own private suppers,
leaving others to go hungry.
Some of them are getting drunk,
while others, it seems,
are getting nothing.
How could this be?
It seems here that part of the divisions
are along these lines
of those who have much
and those who have very little or nothing.
Probably the church was gathering at this time
in the home of a wealthy person
who had the means to host the gathering
and the space
and to put on the meal.
And many of the wealthy
either wouldn't need to work
or if they did work,
they could get the day off
or they could get off a little earlier from work.
They could be there nice and early
for the celebration.
But those who were poor
likely worked most of the day.
Or if they were slaves,
they couldn't leave
until they were allowed to
by their master
to come and participate.
The picture here, as we get,
is that they did their best
to get there when they could.
And it seems to be a case
of wealth and privilege
in which the wealthy
just decided to go ahead with the meal.
Start eating and drinking.
Not everybody had even showed up yet.
So that by the time
those who were poor
arrived,
there was nothing left.
And those who had gone ahead
were drunk.
Can you imagine this?
You show up to a church potluck.
You just get down into the basement.
You got there as soon as you could.
And every dish,
every bowl
is empty.
And there's a group of people
over there in the other room
and they're drunk.
Man, that must have hurt.
The wonder Paul is livid.
He rebukes them
very sharply.
He says,
Don't you have homes
to eat and drink in?
This is meant to be
a special meal
by which we remember
Jesus Christ.
The purpose of this meal
is not just to eat
and get full,
to party
and have a good time.
Essentially,
what he's saying is
if you're hungry,
eat at home
before you come.
That way,
there will be enough
to go around for everybody.
Paul will echo this again
down in verse 34.
He says,
Anyone who is hungry
should eat something at home
so that when you meet together
it may not result
in judgment.
More about that word
judgment later.
I was trying to think
of how I could put this
in modern terms.
Imagine that you were invited
to a wedding
and the time came
for the speeches
and the toasts.
People to stand up
and to say things
to honor the bride
and the groom.
But then when someone
goes to ask
those serving the drink
to top up
everybody's glass,
they tell you,
embarrassed,
that there's nothing left.
Why?
Because a group of guests
snuck into the back room
where the alcohol
was being kept
and they pounded it all back
until they were sloshed.
Can you imagine that?
This is outrageous.
It's totally out of sync
with the whole purpose
of the occasion.
Paul asks
the rhetorical question,
do you despise
the church of God?
In other words,
speaking to those
who are going ahead
and getting drunk,
what you're doing,
your behavior,
it shows utter contempt
for God's people
and for the gathering
of his people.
Do you shame
those who have nothing?
Says Paul.
What you're doing
is humiliating
those brothers and sisters
in Christ
who either
don't have the freedom
to get there earlier
or don't have the means
to bring anything
when they come.
Maybe they're barely
able to put food
on their own table.
He says,
shall I praise you?
Certainly not
in this matter.
So Paul has exposed
what they are doing
that is wrong,
that is harmful.
And now he's going
to tell them
about what the Lord's
Supper
is all about.
Verse 23.
He says,
For I received
from the Lord
what I also
passed on to you.
The Lord Jesus,
on the night
he was betrayed,
took bread,
and when he had
given thanks,
he broke it
and said,
This is my body,
which is for you.
Do this in remembrance
of me.
In the same way,
after supper,
he took the cup,
saying,
This cup is the new
covenant in my blood.
Do this,
whenever you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
For whenever you eat
this bread and drink
this cup,
says Paul,
you proclaim
the Lord's death
until he comes.
So Paul is trying
to reground them.
There are times
when traditions
that we hold to
drift so far away
from the reason
they were started
that they no longer
reflect the true
purpose of the occasion.
So what does Paul do?
He takes them
back to the source.
Back to the very night
that Jesus instituted
the Lord's Supper
to remind them
of what it's all about.
Paul says,
For I received
from the Lord
what I also
passed on to you.
Paul wasn't at the table
on the night
of Jesus' betrayal.
In fact,
he didn't even become
a follower of Jesus
until after Jesus
had ascended into heaven.
So we might wonder,
how does Paul know
what happened
on the night
of Jesus' betrayal?
How the Lord's Supper
should be done?
Paul says,
I received
what I'm about
to tell you
from the Lord,
from Jesus himself.
In other words,
Jesus spoke
to the Apostle Paul
just like he spoke
to the other Apostles
after he had ascended
to heaven.
And Jesus told Paul
exactly what he did
and said
with the other Apostles
on the night
of his betrayal.
This is direct,
special revelation.
It's not just Paul's guess
at what happened
based on something
that Peter had told him.
No, Jesus
is the source here.
Jesus told it
to Paul
and then Paul
explained it
and passed it along
to the Corinthians.
And what did Jesus do
and say?
Paul tells us
that Jesus took bread.
He gave thanks.
He prayed
and thanked God
for it.
And then he broke
the bread
into pieces.
And Jesus said
he did this
while saying
this is my body
which is for you.
Do this in remembrance
of me.
So on the night
of his betrayal
Jesus gave the disciples
a picture,
a metaphor
using that bread
that was in his hands.
He broke it
which symbolized
his death.
And then he passed
out the pieces
of the bread
to all the disciples
at the table
which symbolizes
that they are
to benefit.
They are to receive
something
from his death.
Now Paul doesn't
explain all of the
symbolism here
to the Corinthians
but Jesus did explain it
when he taught
the crowds
in John chapter 6.
just as bread
is something
that sustains
and gives life
to the body
in the same way
Jesus' death
his body
broken
will bring life
to them.
And so Jesus says
this is my body
which is
for you.
In other words
me
dying on the cross
it's for you.
it's for you
my disciples.
You are to benefit
from what's
going to happen
tomorrow.
Similarly
Paul explains
what Jesus did
with the cup.
Verse 25
after the supper
he took the cup
and he said
this cup
is the new covenant
in my blood.
And again
Paul doesn't
explain
exactly
what that means.
There's a lot
of symbolism here
but we know it
from what the other
gospel writers
recorded
and what it says
in other places
in the Bible.
The idea here
is that Jesus' death
will inaugurate
will bring about
a new deal
a new arrangement
between God
and man.
We could take
a whole series
of sermons
just to understand
all that there is
to this new
covenant
relationship.
how it compares
with the old covenant
but basically
to sum it up
Jesus
by his death
is about to offer
the ultimate
sacrifice
to atone
for sins
so that people
can be forgiven
completely
and forever
of all the wrongs
that they have done
and become
permanent citizens
in God's
kingdom
members
of his family
members
of his household
people who will
inherit eternal
life
and all the good
things that God
has been promising
to his people
since the very
beginning.
Essentially
Jesus is saying
my death
my blood
is about to
open up
that new
arrangement
that new
relationship
between
God
and you.
that's what
this meal
the Lord's
supper
is all about
says Paul
it's about
Jesus
and his
death
and what
his death
gives
and brings
to you
and in the
midst of this
Paul really
presses home
why
we should
observe
the Lord's
supper
what's the
reason
that we're
to do
this
the first
reason he
gives
is because
Jesus
commanded
it
do this
said Jesus
do this
whenever
you drink
it
and the
sense we
get from
Jesus
words
when he
says
whenever
you
drink
it
we
get the
sense
that
he
didn't
mean
just
do
it
one
time
right
here
right
now
in
remembrance
of
me
no
he
meant
as an
ongoing
regular
thing
from
now
on
when
you
do
this
do
it
in
remembrance
of
me
Paul's
highlighting
the
fact
that
Jesus
deliberately
gave
them
a
tradition
he
commanded
them
to do
this
thing
with
bread
and
cup
not
just
once
but
again
and
again
repeatedly
that's
why
sometimes
we
call
it
an
ordinance
because
it's
something
he
ordained
something
he
commanded
us
to do
and for
what
purpose
Jesus
is
that the
purpose
was to
remember
him
do this
in
remembrance
of me
drink
it in
remembrance
of me
this
thing
that we're
to do
it's
a
memorial
it's
a
it's
a thing
we're
doing
to
remember
Jesus
and
his
death
so we
observe
the
Lord's
table
because
Jesus
commanded
it
we
observe
the
Lord's
table
to
remember
Jesus
and
then
Paul
throws
in a
third
reason
in
verse
26
he
says
for
whenever
you
eat
this
bread
and
drink
this
cup
you
proclaim
the
Lord's
death
until
he
comes
I
really
like
these
words
of
Paul
because
I
spend
a lot
of
my
time
up
here
preaching
but
there's
a
sense
in
which
every
one
of
us
is
called
to
be
a
preacher
Paul
tells
us
here
that
we
are
to
be
preachers
of
the
gospel
we
are
to
preach
the
death
of
Jesus
it's
to
be
something
that
we
proclaim
and
declare
each
one
of
us
who
believes
again
and
again
by
eating
and
drinking
this
bread
and
this
cup
we're
to
keep
doing
that
until
the
Lord
returns
so
this
is
that
third
purpose
to
proclaim
the
Lord's
death
to
proclaim
our
faith
in
it
our
acceptance
of
it
our
love
of
what
he
did
for
us
we're
to
keep
this
proclamation
going
until
the
risen
Lord
Jesus
returns
let me
just
recap
Paul
gives
three
reasons
why
we
should
observe
the
Lord's
supper
repeatedly
again
and
again
as
followers
of
Christ
number
one
Jesus
commanded
us
to
do
it
number
two
it's
to
remember
him
it's
as a
remembrance
of
him
and
number
three
it's
to
proclaim
his
death
the
gospel
the
good
news
until
he
comes
and
in
that
third
one
there
is
a
sense
in
which
declaring
it
it's
a
way
that
we
can
personally
put
our
trust
and
our
faith
in
the
gospel
again
and
again
continually
but
there's
also
a
public
sense
too
in
which
what
we're
doing
is
declaring
the
gospel
to
the
world
who
is
watching
so
now
we're
starting
to see
the
problem
with
how
the
Corinthians
are
doing
the
Lord's
supper
or
if
we
go
with
Paul's
words
how
they're
failing
to
observe
the
Lord's
supper
the
Lord's
supper
is
meant
to
be
focused
on
Jesus
and
what
his
death
has
accomplished
for
us
but
here
in
Corinth
their
practice
of
it
has
degenerated
it's
drifted
away
from
that
into
a
sacrilegious
party
time
where
the
rich
eat
and
drink
themselves
into
a
drunken
stupor
in
the
name
of
Jesus
while
the
poor
and
needy
among
them
are
left
out
and
humiliated
and
so we
expect
that
Paul's
about
to
tell
us
quite
strongly
how
God
feels
about
this
wicked
thing
happening
in
the
church
and
he
does
verse
27
Paul
says
so
then
whoever
eats
the
bread
or
drinks
the
cup
of
the
Lord
in
an
unworthy
manner
will
be
guilty
of
sinning
against
the
body
and
blood
of
the
Lord
now
we're
getting
even
closer
to
the
heart
of
why
their
gatherings
are
doing
more
harm
than
good
Paul
just
says
it
bluntly
and
clearly
he
spells
out
the
full
implications
of
their
behaviors
these
people
who
are
going
ahead
and
getting
drunk
and
leaving
people
out
they're
eating
and
drinking
this
very
special
meal
in
an
unworthy
manner
says
Paul
and
by
doing
so
they
are
sinning
against
the
very
body
and
blood
of
Jesus
himself
wow
now
there is
some
discussion
about
this
statement
what
does
it
mean
to
sin
against
the
body
and
blood
of
the
Lord
some
have
suggested
maybe
you've
heard
this
that
sinning
against
the
body
of
the
Lord
means
sinning
against
the
people
of
the
Lord
because
there
are
places
in
the
scriptures
where
the
people
of
the
Lord
are
referred
to
as
the
body
of
Christ
while
this
idea
has
some
sense
to
it
especially
in
this
passage
with
how
they've
been
treating
their
fellow
Corinthians
within
the
local
body
I
don't
think
this
is
what
Paul
means
first
of
all
they're
not
just
guilty
of
sinning
against
the
body
of
the
Lord
they're
also
in
the
same
breath
guilty
of
sinning
against
the
blood
of
the
Lord
the
body
and
blood
of
the
Lord
stand
together
as
one
as
what
they're
guilty
of
sinning
against
further
it's
the
physical
body
of
Jesus
and
the
physical
blood
of
Jesus
that's
in
view
here
Paul
just
talked
about
how
Jesus
said
this
is
my
body
this
cup
is
the
covenant
in
my
blood
those
are
the
things
in
view
so
what
does
it
mean
that
they
will
be
guilty
of
the
body
and
blood
of
the
Lord
well
this
is
a
hard
question
to
answer
is
Paul
saying
that
they
will
somehow
share
personally
in
the
guilt
of
crucifying
Jesus
or
is he
saying
that
they
will
be
guilty
of
treating
the
body
and
blood
of
the
Lord
as
unholy
I have
to tell
you
I don't
know
the
answer
but
whatever
this
means
this
seems
by
the
description
to be
almost
the most
serious
kind
of
guilt
that
a
person
can
have
we'll
skip over
verse 28
and come
back to it
in a
moment
but let's
keep the
flow of
Paul's
logic
here
with
verse 29
Paul says
for those
who eat
and drink
without
discerning
the body
of Christ
eat
and drink
judgment
on
themselves
again
I don't
think this
means that
they fail
to remember
the other
people of
the body
of Christ
with whom
they're
eating
the context
and the
flow of
Paul's
argument
points
the other
direction
it's that
they fail
to recognize
what the
elements
the bread
and the
cup
represent
that the
bread
represents
the body
of Jesus
himself
broken
as he
died
on the
cross
the problem
is that
they're
partaking
flippantly
cavalierly
they're getting
drunk
on the
wine
they're
partaking
of these
symbolic
elements
at this
special
meal
without
a sincere
personal
regard
for the
body
and blood
of Jesus
the one
who died
to save
them
and so
what does
Paul say
here
he says
whoever
eats
the bread
and drinks
the cup
in this
manner
eats
and drinks
judgment
on themselves
wow
this is
serious
God
does
take it
personally
when people
sin against
him
and this
sin
what these
Corinthians
are doing
is so
wicked
so grievous
to God
that God
brings
disciplinary
judgment
on them
listen to
this
he says
for those
who eat
and drink
without
discerning
the body
of Christ
eat and
drink
judgment
on
themselves
that
is why
many
among
you
are weak
and sick
and a
number of
you have
fallen
asleep
fallen
asleep
is a
euphemism
here for
have died
do you
hear this
Paul is
saying
that right
now
some of
the
Corinthians
are weak
sick
even have
died
as
disciplinary
judgment
because of
how they've
been sinning
against the
body and
blood of
the Lord
Jesus
when they
gather to
observe the
Lord's
supper
this right
here is I
think what
Paul had in
mind when he
said earlier
that he had
no praise
for them
and that
their
meetings
are doing
more harm
than good
not only are
they harming
each other
but they're
harming
themselves
spiritually
they're
bringing
on
themselves
the
disciplinary
judgment
of God
now it's
very important
here that we
distinguish between
what I'll call
punitive
judgment
and disciplinary
judgment
this judgment
this consequence
comes on
them not as
punishment for
their sins
but as a
form of
discipline
listen to
what Paul
says in
verse 32
he says
nevertheless
when we
are judged
in this
way by
the Lord
we are
being
disciplined
so that
we will
not be
finally
condemned
with the
world
amazingly
if we
belong to
Christ
then Jesus
death on
the cross
for us
has so
truly
and finally
atoned for
our sins
that even
when we do
such terrible
things as
this
what these
Corinthians
are doing
it doesn't
take away
our salvation
we don't
lose it
it doesn't
make us
liable to
eternal
punishment
rather
God brings
this form of
judgment upon
them as a
means of
correction
for those
who are
sick and
weak to
teach them
how they
ought to be
living that
they shouldn't
be living
this way
they should
be living
this way
it's to
bring them
to repentance
for those
who have
died perhaps
it's to
keep them
from continuing
to do
this things
that they've
been doing
spiritual harm
to themselves
and others
now I know
as soon as
we get into
this it raises
some big
questions
some of
you might
be thinking
this
does God
bring this
same form of
disciplinary
judgment on
all his
children
even me
sickness
weakness
even death
if we sin
against God
well this is
much debated
other passages
such as
Hebrews chapter
12 talk
about how
God disciplines
all of his
children for
their good
allowing things
like hardship
in our lives
in order to
train us
to live
righteously
but I would
urge caution
here
I think we
should be slow
to draw a
principle here
about how
God usually
or always
works in
the lives
of his
children
first of all
this thing
some of the
Corinthians are
doing is
especially
grievous
it's hurtful
to the
whole church
it's
sacrilegious
it dishonors
the name
of Christ
it treats
something very
special
and holy
as if it
were profane
and unholy
could it be
that God
reserves this
severity
of discipline
for those
who are
willfully
and repeatedly
committing the
worst
of sins
perhaps
another
angle
here
or another
question
we could
ask
is
should we
always be
looking at
the bad
stuff that
happens to
us
as God
judging us
for particular
sins
well we know
from the story
of Job
that God
sometimes
allows bad
stuff to
happen to
us
for other
purposes
even when we
haven't sinned
it's possible
to go through
this Christian
life
always worried
always afraid
always assuming
that everything
that happens
to us
that's bad
is God
judging us
or even
punishing us
for our sins
but as I said
before the truth
is that Jesus
already took
the full punishment
for our sins
on the cross
when he died
he made full
atonement for us
that's the good
news
and so I would
say rather than
always worrying
or wondering
whether the bad
things that
happen to us
in life
are God
bringing this
sort of
judgment
on you
or on
someone else
simply make
it your aim
to please
the Lord
to live in a
way that
honors him
to be obedient
to him
to love one
another
as he has
commanded
and if we
keep that
humble
and responsive
heart towards
God
thinking carefully
about how we
are living
we don't
need
the Lord's
disciplinary
judgment
on our
lives
at least
not like
this
I think
this is
what Paul
means in
verse 31
when he
says
but if we
were more
discerning
with regard
to ourselves
we would
not come
under
such judgment
so I want
to encourage
you
with this
these sober
words
I want to
encourage you
to let these
words put
some fear
of God
into your
heart
enough that
it makes
you think
twice
about doing
something you
know is
wicked
God will
not allow
you to sin
and sin
and just go
on doing
it willfully
without any
thought to
it with
no consequence
but
at the same
time
remember
that God
loves you
he is for
you
that's why
he sent
Christ
and he
will bring
what discipline
or correction
you need
at the time
that you need
it so that
you have
that outcome
that we all
desire
so that we
will not be
finally condemned
with the world
final salvation
so this is
not a message
of damnation
it's a warning
of God's grace
it's a message
of mercy
finally Paul
here at the end
tells them
what they should
do as they
observe this
special meal
the Lord's
supper
and he gets
fairly practical
verse 28
he says
everyone ought
to examine
themselves
before they
eat of the
bread
and drink
from the
cup
this is
why we
often
give everyone
a few
minutes of
quiet
before we
pass out
the elements
it's a chance
to reflect
and pray
it's a chance
to think
about how
your week
went
about how
you're doing
with the
Lord
to confess
your sins
to him
again
to put
your heart
in a right
place
so that
we're not
eating this
bread
and drinking
this cup
in a flippant
manner
we want to
be fully
conscious
of what
we are
doing
of what
these
elements
represent
as we
take them
verse 33
Paul says
so then my
brothers and
sisters
when you
gather to
eat
you should
all eat
together
quite literally
he says
when gathering
to eat
wait
for one
another
this is
one of the
reasons I
always say
we will
wait until
everyone has
been served
and then we
will eat
and drink
together
we won't
want to
be just
thinking
about
ourselves
this is
the place
where we
see the
the most
selfless
loving act
in the
universe
what Christ
did for
us
how ironic
if we
would
wouldn't even
wait for
each other
to be
served
to get
there
to the
meal
before we
partake
there's
so much
we could
go into
to apply
all this
to
ourselves
we could
think about
other ways
that we're
selfish and
rude
like these
wealthy
Corinthians
we could
think about
how we
might
promote
division
in our
church
or how
we might
discriminate
against
those
who are
different
by our
attitudes
and
behaviors
we could
think about
ways that
we could
show this
kind of
love and
consideration
in our
context
but I'm
going to
leave all
that to
you for
your own
personal
prayerful
reflection
later on
we want
to move
now to
the Lord's
Supper
and partake
of it
again
and so
I want
to end
by pointing
us as
Paul did
to that
main thing
that this
supper is
all about
this table
this meal
is all about
Jesus
and his
death
for us
and why
did he
have to
die
for us
because
we sinned
we did
things
that are
wrong
things for
which we
deserve
punishment
but at
the cross
we know
and believe
that Jesus
offered himself
as the
sacrifice
that takes
away
our guilt
he took
that punishment
that we
deserve
on himself
so now
we have
all of us
who believe
a right
standing
with God
this is the
most precious
gift
in all
of life
it's a
gift
worth
remembering
and so
let's partake
again
of the
table
to remember
Jesus
and what
he did
for us
as usual
we'll have a
couple minutes
of quiet
prayer
and reflection
examine
yourselves
before you
eat and drink
discern
recognize
what this
bread
and this
cup
represent
the body
and blood
of the
Lord
Jesus
given
for you
after a
few minutes
of that
we'll have
our elders
come forward
and they
will serve
the bread
and the
cup
if you
believe in
Jesus
and your
heart is
right before
the Lord
today
then I
invite you
to join
with us
remember
Christ
with us
and partake
if not
please abstain
for you've
heard the
warning of
Christ's
apostle
about partaking
in an
unworthy
manner
we'll wait
until everyone
has been
served
and then
we'll eat
and drink
together
endure
and
Thank you.
Father in heaven, thank you so much for your great love.
Thank you.