Part 4: The Church and Worship
The Lord's Supper, sometimes called the "Holy Communion," is a subject about which every Christian should have thorough knowledge. The partaking of this memorial service to our Lord should never be done lightly, thoughtlessly or in any way except with complete reverence. This is the cardinal point of the Christian worship service and of prime importance to the individual for I Corinthians 11: 26 thru 29 reads:
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore, 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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Thus, during this time, no one should pay attention to other things, engage in playfulness or talk with his neighbor.
This is a solemn part of the worship services. Perhaps, for some, the singing of a hymn during the Lord's Supper edifies its meaning if the words of the hymn are pertinent to the purpose and solemnity of the occasion. Others might prefer quiet so they can partake with complete concentration. Paul in I Cor. 11:33 tells us to: ". . .wait for each other."
The Lord's Supper is not a tradition. Our Lord started it when, on the night He was betrayed by Judas, He gave thanks and took bread and broke it saying, "This is my body which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." Later, after supper, He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the New Covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink of it, in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 23 through 25.)
Jesus established the Lord’s Supper during the Jewish Passover Feast. This was during the days of unleavened bread. The Passover Feast is a memorial of Israel's release from Egyptian captivity. Since the Lord's Supper was established during this feast it is obvious that Jesus broke unleavened bread and gave it to his followers. The term "cup" was a reference to the contents, which were the fruit of the vine, either grape juice or wine, a memorial to Jesus’ blood shed for many for the remission of sins. For this reason, our commemoration of Jesus' death should use unleavened bread and wine or grape juice.
Just how is this memorial service to be performed? When should it be observed and how often? Some Christians use only one cup and pass it from person-to-person. Others use many separate cups, one for each who partakes. But, is there any reason why one or the other of these methods, one cup or many cups, might be preferred? Is this a point of worship where congregations should divide and tear asunder Christ's Body to the shame of its members? Surely not! There is room for interpretation of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) where one might resolve this question either way. Thus, this minor point of worship (one or many cups) should be settled with respect and love brother-in-Christ to brother. The readings from Matthew and Mark seem to agree with the one cup idea, but the account from Luke 22: beginning at verse 17 indicates that the cup was divided into individual containers before supper, even before Jesus broke the bread. Then, after supper, after the breaking of the bread, they drank of the cup. We assume here that the twelve drank from their own cups, which Jesus had earlier passed to them. Thus, it would seem that the use of either one cup or of many cups would be scriptural.
How often should the Lord's sacrifice be celebrated? Jesus was quoted in I Cor. 11:25:
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Paul continues in verse 26:
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
The word, "whenever" in the foregoing scripture seems to indicate that there is no certain time for partaking of the Lord's Supper.
The early Christians came together on the first day of the week to break bread. See Acts 20:7.
Because of these few references, it is thought that the Lord's Supper should be scheduled each Lord's Day, the first day of the week, Sunday.
Whenever the Lord's Supper is celebrated, Christians should remember its origin and vital meaning. Each should remember the Lord's ultimate sacrifice for all believers.