Celebrating the Lord's Supper
1. Preparing for the Lord’s Table
When we prepare to come to the Lord’s Table we must examine ourselves to make sure that we participate in the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner that honors the Lord. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 11:27-29: “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. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.”
We participate in unworthy ways when we participate without understanding the Lord’s Supper and its meaning. We should not participate out of habit, or because it is the custom of our church. We are then treating it lightly and not honoring the Lord. We also abuse the Lord's Supper when there is disunity among us and when we do not truly love one another. We should not come to the Lord's Supper with unconfessed sins in our lives.
Therefore, we must examine ourselves before we come to the Lord's Table. We must test, examine our faith, 2 Cor. 13:5—“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” Ask ourselves — Do I really believe in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection? Am I doing it because my friends or family are doing it? We must also test, examine our lives, our attitudes, thoughts, words, actions, and practices. Am I living according to God's will?
The Bible teaches us God's will and how we should live as his people. Thus, in the light of the Word we examine our lives for any disobedience and sin. Reading the Ten Commandments is one way of doing this. When we read these we realize that we fall short of God’s will, that we have sinned. But we should not despair and give up hope. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law. He met all the requirements of the Law. He makes us righteous. In Christ our sins are forgiven. In Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit we live holy lives according to God’s will.
Therefore, as we examine ourselves, we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show us the sins in our lives. Then we confess our sins, we repent, and we ask for God’s forgiveness, and He forgives us. This is the wonderful news of the Lord's Supper. It proclaims the message of God's love, grace, and forgiveness through the death of his Son, Jesus Christ.
Now let us examine ourselves by reading and listening to God’s Law (Ex. 20:1-17).
And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
We will now have some quiet time to examine ourselves in the light of God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of any sin. In silence confess those sins and repent. Short Prayer – Lord, we fail day by day to live according to your will. We confess our disobedience to you. We confess our sins. Have mercy on us, Lord Jesus, we are sinners. — Silent Prayer — Pray the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen
Proclamation of Forgiveness — Dear Brothers and Sisters, it is with great joy that I proclaim to you the good news that when we have repented with a sincere heart God forgives our sins as His Word proclaims — “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” ( 1 Jn 1:8-9)
2. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper
Let us read Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:26-29: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 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 from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
We celebrate the Lord's Supper to remember the death and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. The bread is the symbol of the body of Christ which was broken for us. It reminds us of his death on our behalf and in our place. The wine of the cup points to Jesus' blood poured out in death for the sins of humankind. His blood seals the new covenant which God has made with his people. This is the new covenant through which God forgives the wickedness of his people and remembers their sins no more (Jer. 31:31, 34). The bread and wine are only symbols through which we remember our Lord's sacrifice. Together they signify the death of the Lord. The Lord's Supper is a concrete sign and seal of God's promise of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We celebrate the Lord’s Supper to proclaim the Lord’s death. As Paul says in 1 Cor 11:26 — “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” This proclamation encourages believers because it reminds us every time that we are saved and that our sins are forgiven. It reminds us of the extraordinary love and amazing grace of God our Father.
We also proclaim his death to unbelievers. It is a concrete and symbolic way of telling and showing them God's love. It is an opportunity to explain to them the good news of Jesus Christ, and to invite them to believe in Jesus Christ and experience salvation.
Now let us come to the Lord’s Table and participate in His Supper.
The bread which we break is our fellowship with the body of Christ. Take, eat, remember and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was broken unto a complete forgiveness of our sins.
The cup of wine which we bless, is our fellowship with the blood of Christ. Take, drink, remember and believe that the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed unto a complete forgiveness of all our sins.
Celebration — in own time, either individually or as families together.
3. We Believe — The Apostles’ Creed
“Who are you?” How we answer this question will depend on the context, the circumstances, and who is asking the question. We may answer by giving our name and sharing some essentials about ourselves like our date of birth, where we are from, and what we do. We may present our driver’s license, passport, or work ID. We may have many different ID documents, which serve different purposes. All of these give the essentials and a summary of who we are. Of course, we are much more and there is more to us than what these documents or even our verbal answers represent.
After the Bible and with some other creeds, confessions, and statements of faith, the Apostles’ Creed is one of the Church’s ID documents, and a very important one, shared by the whole church around the world. It has stood the test of time. It has been used for teaching and recited by so many believers through so many ages. When we as Christians are asked who we are and what we believe, the Apostles’ Creed is one of the powerful, clear, and beautiful answers we give.
We find the ancient roots of the creed in the early church in the teaching of new believers preparing for baptism and in the baptism ceremony itself. During baptism they were asked three questions: “Do you believe in God the Father Almighty?” They replied, “I believe!” And they were immersed in the water and raised up again.
They were asked a second question: “Do you believe in Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who was born of the Holy Spirit and Mary the virgin and was crucified under Pontius Pilate and was dead and buried and rose on the third day alive from the dead and ascended in the heavens and sits at the right hand of the Father and will come to judge the living and the dead?” Again they confessed, “I believe!” And again they were immersed in the water.
Then a third question: “Do you believe in the Holy Spirit and the holy church and the resurrection of the flesh?” A third time they said, “I believe!” And a third time they were immersed.
Thus, by the second century the creed in its basic form was widely used in many Christian communities. As the church grew and expanded it faced false teachings, other beliefs, opposition, and persecution. It became necessary to clarify what Christians believe and what is biblical and unbiblical. By the fourth century, the creed as we know it, existed with small variations. In the seventh century, it was finalized in the form we have it today.
Throughout the centuries the church has used a series of creeds and confessions of faith in order to define, teach, and defend true Christianity. Even today churches use statements of faith to identify who they are and summarize what they believe. The Apostles’ Creed is one of the most important of these confessions.
The Apostles’ Creed is not Scripture but is rooted in God’s Word. It does not replace Scripture but gives us an excellent, short, and powerful summary of God’s Word from creation to revelation. The Apostles’ Creed was not written by the apostles, but it does express and summarizes the faith and teachings given by Christ to the apostles and taught by the apostles to the early church.
As one author explains: “As the Lord’s Prayer is the Prayer of prayers, the Decalogue is the Law of laws, so the Apostles’ Creed is the Creed of creeds. It contains all the fundamental articles of the Christian faith necessary to salvation, in the form of facts, in simple Scripture language, and in the most natural order—the order of revelation—from God and the creation down to the resurrection and life everlasting.”
J.I. Packer explains it in this way: “If life is a journey, then the million-word-long Holy Bible is the large-scale map [or perhaps an atlas] with everything in it, and the hundred-word Apostles’ Creed is the simplified road map [or the pocket map], ignoring much but enabling you to see at a glance the main points of Christian belief.”
You could say that the creed is a pledge of allegiance to the God of the Bible, the God of the gospel—the God who is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the God who is present and acting in the world, creating, redeeming, and sanctifying us for good works, for his kingdom, and His glory.
Today, we still face the same challenges of unbelief, untruths, opposition, and persecution. Under the rule of the evil one, the world tries its very best to conform us to its ways. If we give in and give up on the truth, we will lose our identity as God’s people. Therefore, we still need the Apostles’ Creed as our pocket road map for our Christian journey, as our ID document to remind us and to tell the world who we are, what we believe, and what we stand for. This creed states the fundamental core truths of the Christian faith. It affirms the true identity of Christ’s people.
So, every time after we have celebrated the Lord’s Supper, we respond to God’s love, grace, and the gift of salvation by saying, “I believe …” These are powerful words. With these words we follow Jesus Christ and begin our Christian life. With these words we enter the faith and find eternal life in Christ.
We are not doing it out of habit or because it is part of the Holy Communion ceremony. We are not doing it because some people want it or like it. No, when we stand up and recite the Apostles’ Creed we join the Church, the assembly of believers, across the ages and across the world. With them we declare the truth of the Christian faith with the very words that gave the early Christians hope, sent martyrs confidently to their deaths, and have instructed Christ’s church throughout the centuries. With brothers and sisters from all ages, from across the globe, and from different denominations, we unite around the unchanging truth of God’s revelation.
When we stand up and say, “I believe” it is the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s promise that from every tribe and language and people and nation every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God the Father. Isn’t this exciting? Every time we stand up and recite the Apostles’ Creed we join millions of believers from around the world, from many nations, countries, tribes, races, and cultures. With these millions of brothers and sisters we stand up for Christ, and we stand united in Christ. In thousands of languages, we say, “I believe,” and we proclaim to the world, this is who we are, this is what we believe. With these words we acknowledge and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.
So, let us stand together and unite with the Church across the ages and across the globe, and with our whole hearts and whole minds reaffirm our faith and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God the Father.
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe in the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.