Jesus established a means for His disciples to remember Him. . . “This do . . .” A request? It’s a necessity like a rescuer’s call to grab the rope. He made it a meal, something to sustain us. Our life in the Lord is dependent on this food for the soul. According to Acts 20:7, the disciples met on the first day of the week for such a meal: “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread. . .”. In addition, the supper is the focal point of the church’s worship set forth by this rebuke: “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” (I Corinthians 11:20) In other words, their meeting should have been for the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. Through Jesus’ command and scriptural examples we can be at peace with keeping this weekly meal. And it is a meal that can bring us to peace.

We should not make the Lord’s Supper into a mystical event, a ritual for feeling close to God. The Sunday morning fisherman says he feels close to God, as do the hiker, the musician, and the farmer; all can have a sense of peace without doing God’s will. But it is not real. Unless we use active intent, the Lord’s Supper can become just another religious experience. The Lord wants us to eat, drink, and think. The physical part is easy enough; chew, drink, and swallow. Thinking requires some effort. It takes away the mystical and brings us to clarity of purpose. We will feel and be close to God because we participate in Jesus’ self-denial and love.

A sacrifice was made and we must remember. Jesus said, “. . .do this in remembrance of Me.” We must think upon the event of His broken body and shed blood. Self examination comes into play. The Holy Spirit taught, “. . . let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and so let him drink of the cup.” (I Corinthians 11:28). An honest look inside our lives reveals need. How many times have we stumbled? How many times did we pray for forgiveness? These are things to ponder as we remember Jesus, the answer for our need. The failure to remember and the failure to examine turns the Lord’s Supper into a mindless ritual. “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (I Corinthians 11:29). A startling word, “judgment”, and it stands as a warning. (A side note; if there is judgment against us because of an unworthy manner, what is the price for neglect?)

The above verse also points to another element, “discerning the Lord’s body.” Discernment is the summary of eating and drinking, remembrance and examination. We are given to remember what He did and why He did it. He purchased the church with His blood (Acts 20:28). If we discern the body of Christ, we cannot leave out the church. It is His body. It is His beloved. ( See Ephesians 1:22-23 / 5:25-27). He didn’t die just for me, he died for us.

The Lord’s Supper is a communion of the body; souls gathered in the name of Jesus. I Corinthians 11:21-22 cites a needed change for those who ate and drank according to their personal convenience and pleasure. The Supper is not for carnal appetite or private devotion. It is a sacred act of the assembly. While private reflection is requisite in meditation, it is not good to eat and drink alone. There is no biblical encouragement for the individual to take it as a personal rite before God. On the contrary, “Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” (I Corinthians 11:33). We should regard the Supper as a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. The Lord calls His people to remember their need together, a meal among like fellows who hunger and thirst after righteousness.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (I Corinthians 11:26).“As often” means as long as we continue to observe this command of the Lord. The proclamation of His death is implemented through observing the Supper. The outcome is a life obedient to the Father. “Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”(Luke 9:23). In order to carry our cross we need strength from above. The Lord’s Supper nourishes us to do that very thing.