A More Meaningful Lord's Supper
After traveling among churches of Christ throughout much of America and also abroad, I am increasingly distressed with the Lord's supper in many places. Indeed, in some places and on some occasions it is handled in an excellent manner, but usually one of the two following rather meaningless procedures is used:
1. Someone waiting on the table clears his throat two or three times and says, "Let us pray". Then the bread is passed and the same procedure is repeated for the fruit of the vine. And that is all! Any stranger present would wonder what we are doing. Any weak member would be made no stronger. It is a ritual. One would think our objective is to get this thing over with quickly so we can go home!
2. In some other places someone reads from Matthew 26 or First Corinthians 11. Of course someone has read these same passages last Sunday, two weeks ago, and in fact almost every Sunday for months. These passages tell us who is to partake, what we are to eat and drink, and why we do so. They are good, suitable passages for occasional use at such times, but surely we don't need to be told who, what and how every Lord's day.
After all, we are to remember Christ. If the Lord's supper is to be most meaningful, and if it is to strengthen the weak and encourage the strong, then we ought to read something that will help all of us to truly think of Jesus and of his death. Paul said that because the people did not really remember Christ "many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Con 11:30), Surely it is the duty of the one waiting on the table to help all of us partake worthily so that we will not be condemned because of our forgetfulness regarding the very thing for which we have come together.
It is certainly proper to briefly remind the people of the purpose and the plan for the Lord's supper. But then surely we should be able to read something from the Bible that would bring their minds into sharp focus with the desired objective.
Too Much Time
Some people will complain if much time is used at the table, but these complaints usually are due to one of the following faults:
1. The "time" is all used for something else, and we hardly have any time left for the Lord's supper. Then why not cut out one song, or cut the sermon short by five minutes so that we can have sufficient time to really set our minds to the Christ of the cross? He bore the pain of the cross all day, surely we need to take time to remember his sacrifice just as vividly as possible.
2. Sometimes some man insists upon making a long, tired speech at the table, and quite often he really doesn't have anything dynamic to say either. He just rambles. But whoever waits upon the table should prepare himself to do the work with enthusiasm, dignity and scriptural discernment. With a few well-chosen words, read or said, he can make the Lord's supper the real center of the worship.
3. Then, as already stated, people complain of the service when the very same, identical passages are read every Sunday, especially if those passages only tell the who, the what and the how of the matter.
Real Christians will never complain if someone takes four or five minutes to really remind them of the death by which they are saved. In fact we will be delighted and profitably humbled if someone will step to the table and in a clear, audible voice will read with sincerity the 53rd chapter of Isaiah or a portion of one of the last chapters of one of the gospels telling the vital story of the greatest sacrifice ever made.
The Lord's supper must not degenerate into a ritual or a ceremony. It is for our spiritual betterment. Regular remembrance means never forgetfulness! Let's try to improve the Lord's supper where we worship so we will bring our minds and hearts ever closer to Christ our crucified Redeemer.