How Marvelous

The Lord's Supper is a powerful sign act of worship. It was initiated by Christ just before his crucifixion, and it is practiced regularly in Christian churches worldwide to this day. I would argue that it is the most spiritually formational thing we can do to remember who we are in Christ. It tells the story of God better than any single moment in the worship service. Consider all that the Lord's Supper communicates...

It remembers how God delivered the Israelites from Egypt. Jesus first broke the bread and raised the cup as part of the Passover meal (see Luke 22:7-14). The Passover was celebrated annually by Jews, including Jesus. It's no coincidence that Jesus used this moment to initiate communion. It represents how God saves, whether from the oppressive Egyptians, or from the bondage of sin.

It represents grace. When Jesus said the cup is the new covenant in his blood (Matthew 26:28), he replaced all the covenants made before. In God's covenants with Noah, Abraham, and Moses, mankind was charged with fulfilling their end of the covenant agreement. But in Jesus, we are freed from sin entirely by the obedience of Jesus. In Jesus, we are covered by God's grace.

It shows forth Jesus' presence. In Luke 24, the disciples, who have walked the road with the resurrected Jesus and invited him to dinner with them, only realize it's actually Jesus when he breaks the bread (v. 31). The bread and the cup powerfully remind us that Jesus is with us.

It looks with hope to the end of God's story. Jesus says in Matthew 26:29 and Luke 22:16 that he won't eat the Passover again until it finds fulfillment in God's Kingdom. There will come a day when we will sit with Jesus, face to face, and enjoy a celebration feast—a wedding feast—because Jesus has returned, the Kingdom has come in its fullness, and death and sin will be things of the past. What joy! What peace! What freedom to live eternally in perfect communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!

In addition to these, the Lord's Supper represents the crucifixion, the sacrificial system of Israelite worship, the priesthood of Christ, the subversive act of following Jesus, the unity of believers, and on and on and on...

The Lord's Supper is the ultimate telling of God's story. No matter how often we celebrate it, the Lord's Supper can be a fresh reminder of all that Jesus has done and continues to do in us and in our midst.