How are you doing? How is your week?
This Sunday, we will be partaking of the Lord’s Supper. It’s a very special time for us both individually and corporately. Here is what the Westminster Larger Catechism advises us to do for our preparation:
Q. 171. How are they that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s supper to prepare themselves before they come unto it?
A. They that receive the sacrament of the Lord’s supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves thereunto, by examining themselves of their being in Christ, of their sins and wants; of the truth and measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance; love to God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving those that have done them wrong; of their desires after Christ, and of their new obedience; and by renewing the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and fervent prayer.
Our denomination’s Book of Church Order calls the church to notify its members of the Lord’s Supper at least one week in advance. The reason for this notification is what’s stated above: to prepare our hearts.
Take some time this week to examine yourselves. Examine your relationship to Christ. Repent of your sins. Renew your faith in the gospel. Examine your relationship with others. Meditate. Pray.
When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we are called to remember Christ and His sacrifice of love for us (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). Through the Lord’s Supper, we look forward to the day when Christ will come back (1 Corinthians 11:26).
The Lord’s Supper is not just an individual act. We are doing it together. As we break the bread together, we remember that we are one body in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17). That’s why it’s so important for us to examine our relationships and our love for our neighbor before we come to the Table.
Lastly, we spiritually feed off of Christ. There is something sacred that is happening during the Lord’s Supper. The physical bread is ordinary. The juice is ordinary. However, spiritually, something extraordinary is happening. We are feeding off of Christ and His benefits. He grows our faith in Him through this mean of grace. That’s why Paul says that there will be judgment for those who partake of the Lord’s Supper without discerning him/herself (1 Corinthians 11:29).
I look forward to worshiping with all of you this Sunday! Prepare your hearts. Pray for one another.
In Christ,
Pastor Tim
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