Lord's Supper: WHY?

Crosspointe is moving toward the celebration of the Lord's Supper. That sentence gets me excited about what God is doing and will continue to do through this group of people united in Jesus as a church. There is wisdom in laying a biblical foundation rather than rushing into it without a solid understanding about what God's Word has to say about Communion. Two weeks ago, Crosspointe began a Bible Study that meets prior to Sunday worship that is working to lay that foundation. I encourage you to take part in those sessions whether you are a life-long Lutheran or someone who doesn't have a Christian or Lutheran background.

Our first session sought to answer one question:
Why should a church practice Communion?
We talked about four answers to that question- all drawn from the Bible.

1. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because Jesus told us to. According to Luke 22:19 and 1 Corinthians 11:24-25 Jesus told His disciples to repeat the meal that He was sharing with them. "This do in remembrance of me. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." Jesus taught that those who followed Him would make this meal a part of their life. Case closed, right. Jesus told us to, that should be enough! But there are additional reasons.

2. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because through it God delivers gifts to His people. Matthew 26:28 promises that the forgiveness of sins is delivered in the Lord's Supper. Where God forgives sins a number of other benefits follow; eternal life, hope, strengthened faith, and peace. The community in which the Lord's Supper is practiced also benefits as the unity and resolve of God's people is built up.

3. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it has been passed down through generations as part of the life of the church. This flows from reason #1. In 1 Corinthians 11:23, Paul states that what he received from Jesus (specifically the practice of Communion) he is delivering to the church in Corinth. This was the role of the apostles to be eye-witnesses of Jesus who could proclaim and pass down the Gospel to future generations.

4. A church should practice the Lord's Supper because it points to the eternal feast we will share in God's Kingdom. Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 26:29 indicate that the church's practice of Communion is a foreshadow or a foretaste of what will be experienced after His return. Jesus promises that we (all Christians) will share this meal with Him again after sin and death and everything that stands in opposition to God has forever been defeated and done away with. Then, the meal will not be about forgiveness of sin because there will be no sin. Instead it will be part of the praise, joy, and unity that God intended for His Creation. Definitely something to look forward to!

This is a great first step. A solid starting point as we move toward the practice of Communion at Crosspointe. If you have questions along the way, please don't hesitate to ask!