By Bill Starr (Elder)
What do we believe?
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is given to believers to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ and to anticipate His glorious return.
Why do we believe this?
Matthew 26:26-29 – Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Why does it matter?
Jesus established a sacred worship practice – a sacrament – that would center the Christian faith upon his atoning death and unite believers in their communion with him during the long years between his death and his second coming.
Christ’s words here in this text establish the basic pattern for the supper, namely the use of bread to signify his body and wine to signify his blood. As these are respectively broken and poured, they give testimony to Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 11:26 that this is to be a perpetual observance until the return of Christ.
The parallels with the Jewish Passover are striking. Remember that the first observance of the Lord’s Supper is on that Thursday night before the crucifixion on Friday, when Jesus and his disciples were celebrating the Passover meal in the upper room. God established the Passover as a memorial to Israel’s exodus deliverance from Egypt. God had told them that when the angel of death came over the land of Egypt, that those who had slaughtered a lamb and spread its blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes would have the angel of death “pass over” their house and all who were “under the blood” would be spared. The blood would redeem them from God’s wrath. During the Passover meal there are 4 cups of wine that are consumed. The third cup is the cup of redemption which symbolizes the blood of the Passover lamb and this is the cup Jesus is offering when he utters the words in our text. He is letting the disciples know that He is the final Passover lamb and His impending sacrifice is to be memorialized by all His followers from this time forward.
The elements of the bread and wine together signify Christ’s death for us as an atonement for sin. The atoning death of Christ is at the very center of the Christian faith and the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to remind us that our salvation is dependent upon the finished work of Christ that he accomplished on the cross. As we participate, we are celebrating what Jesus has done for us and we are professing our faith in Christ our Savior and our allegiance to Him as our King.
Give thanks to God for what He has done through Jesus.