Themes For The Lord's Supper

In our weakness we tend toward ritualism, remaining unmoved at the greatness of what we are celebrating.  We forget rather than remember.

The Main Texts

The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance of Christ’s cross and resurrection.  A great variety of Christian traditions are used in celebrating the Lord’s Supper.  There are four main Scripture texts used, three from the Gospel accounts (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22) and one from 1 Corinthians 11.  For example:

Matthew 26:26–29 ESV “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.””

Each of us likely uses a standard form for the ritual, including its elements and procedures.  And we likely add our words of explanation and words of instruction.  Often we will emphasize certain aspects of Christ’s death and resurrection.  

These explanations can be very helpful and worthwhile for our congregations.  Further elaborations would encourage people even more, and lead them into better worship.

Expansive Themes

While articulating the basic message of the Lord’s Supper, we might want to expand upon an additional theme.  Draw out further applications of our redemption in Christ.

Here are some sample themes I have used over the years.  It is especially advantageous when the theme matches the preaching for the day.

Communion with Christ, fellowship with one another, remembrance of the Gospel, mercy, judgment, Christ our Savior, the return of Christ, remembering the cross, the blessed man, grace, good works, joyful worshippers, forgiveness of sin, missions, love of God in Christ, justifying faith, Day of the Lord, discipleship, union with Christ, the glory of it all, Passover, watchfulness, closeness to God, blood of the New Covenant, a unique people, Gentile inclusion in the history of redemption, person of Jesus, deliverance, Jesus is Lord, love of God, cross-centered spirituality, calling and commission, the Servant of God, living as Christ’s people, purposefulness, healing, called out ones, dependent faith, honoring Jesus Christ, Christ as King, resolve to serve God, wisdom of God’s plan, soul satisfaction, covenant love of Father and Son, gift of Holy Spirit, belonging to Christ, confession, life, goodness, provision for mission, sacred community, humanity of Christ, generosity, humility, wisdom for life, sufferings and glories of Christ, Christian society, defeat of the devil, sin taken away, believing Jesus, the perfect man, common salvation, boasting in Christ, triumphant in Christ, renewal, virtues of Christ, Christian virtues, privileged children of God, rebirth, Christ’s leading His faithful, bread of life, and Jesus Christ’s mission.

There are endless glories to highlight and relevancies to apply.  How much more could be expanded and expounded for the benefit of God’s people!?

Preaching That Doesn’t Spiritualize Idolatry

The majority of the world worships idols—the real kind, made of wood, stone and even plastic.

While it is also helpful to talk about the “idols” of materialism, power, relationships, and whatever replaces God and takes first place in our minds and hearts, we need to talk less about this and more about the other kind of idolatry.

An Opportunity Missed

So often when we in America preach on Bible passages that discuss idolatry we move way too quickly to application.  It is common to hear a preacher describe the background of the text in just a few sentences and then move on to talk about the “idols” of our society and the those things that usurp God’s rightful place as the object of our worship and affections.

We talk as though worshippers of physical idols are from a bygone primitive era.  Anyone who would actually worship a real idol must be ignorant or isolated from the modern world.  But this is not the case.

To move right to this application usually misses the main point, the obvious point, of the text in order to find some spiritual principle that will be immediately personally applicable, or culturally appropriate for us.  We fail to be faithful to the text when we spiritualize idolatry.

Idolatry, real idolatry, has a powerful grip on over 3 billion people in the world today.  They live in remote areas and in urban centers; they are poor and rich, and some are even highly educated.  Idolatry, with all its relics and rituals, is the fabric of many societies, being the key to blessing and safety, and even the conduit for various immoralities.

An Opportunity Reclaimed

In our hasty application we miss an opportunity to talk about the greatest application of our Gospel mission from God in the world.  These idolatry passages offer us an opportunity to understand our world better, to describe the religious nature of man, to feel the burden of the lostness of so many souls, and to burn with jealousy for God’s glory alone!

Acts 17:16–17 ESV “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.”

And when we proclaim the Gospel, people will turn “to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

Instead of using the idolatry sections of Scripture to address ourselves and our own needs first, we could use them to open our eyes to the greatest need of the world!  In fact, these passages viewed and preached in such a manner will become refreshingly new texts for us on world evangelization and mission!

A Guide To Prayer

Many have found this structure helpful in developing their personal prayer lives.  This outline is from chapter one of Isaac Watts' "A Guide to Prayer," first published in 1715.

INVOCATION

1.   Mention of one or more of the names or titles of God.

2.   A declaration of our desire and design to worship him.

3.   A desire of his assistance and acceptance, under a sense of our own insufficiency and unworthiness, in such language as this:  “Lord, quicken us to call upon thy name.”

ADORATION

1.   A mention of his nature as God, with the highest admiration and reverence.

2.   The mention of his many attributes, with due expressions of praise and with the exercise of suitable grace and affection, as his power, his justice, his wisdom, his sovereignty, his holiness, his goodness and mercy.

3.   The mention of his many works, of creation, of providence and of grace, with proper praises.

4.   The mention of his relation to us as a creator, as a father, as a redeemer, as a king, as an almighty friend, and our everlasting portion.

CONFESSION

1.   A humble confession of the lowliness of our original nature; our distance from God, as we are creatures; our subjection to him; and our constant dependence on him.

2.   A confession of our sins:  both original, which belong to our nature; and actual, that have been found in the course of our lives.

3.   A confession, arising from our sense of all our aggravated sins, that we deserve punishment and are unworthy of mercy.

4.   A confession or humble representation of our wants and sorrow of every kind.

PETITION

1.   Deprecation:  a desire of deliverance from evil (temporal, spiritual, eternal).

2.   Comprecation:  a request of good things to be bestowed (temporal, spiritual, eternal).

3.   Supplication for the church of Christ, for Zion lies near to the heart of God and her name is written upon the palms of the hands of our Redeemer.

4.   Supplication for God’s mercy for the nation to which we belong.

5.   Imprecation, never against our personal enemies, but only against the enemies of Christ and such as are irreconcilable to him.

PLEADING

1.   We may plead with God from the greatness of our wants, our dangers or our sorrows, whether they relate to the soul or the body, to this life or the life to come, to ourselves or those for whom we pray.

2.   The many perfection of the nature of God provide another kind of argument in prayer:  “For thy mercies’ sake, O Lord, save me.”

3.   Another argument in pleading with God may be drawn form the several relations in which God stands to men, particularly to his own people.

4.   The various and particular promises of the covenant of grace form another class of arguments to use in prayer.

5.   The name and honour of God in the world is another powerful argument.

6.   Former experiences of ourselves and others are another set of arguments to make use of in prayer.

7.   The most powerful and most prevailing argument is the name and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

PROFESSION, OR SELF-DEDICAITON

1.   A profession of our relationship to God.

2.   A profession of our former transactions with God.

3.   A present surrender of ourselves to God and a profession of the present exercise of our affections and graces towards him.

4.   A profession of our humble and holy resolutions to be the Lord’s forever.

THANKSGIVING

1.   Those benefits which God has bestowed on us without our asking are proper to be mentioned in the first place, for they are the effects of his rich and preventing mercy.

2.   We must give thanks for the benefits we have received as an answer to prayer.

BLESSING

1.   Mentioning the many attributes and glories of God with inward joy, satisfaction and pleasure.

2.   Wishing the glories of God may forever continue, and rejoicing at the assurance of it.

AMEN, OR THE CONCLUSION

1.   A belief of all that we have said concerning God and ourselves, of all our ascriptions of honour to God in the mention of his name, attributes, and works; and an inward persuasion of our own unworthiness, our wants and our sorrows which we have before expressed.

2.   A wishing and desiring to obtain all that we have prayed for, longing after it and looking for it.

3.   A confirmation of all our professions, promises and engagements to God.

4.   The hope and sure expectation of the acceptance of our persons, and audience of our prayers.

Get the whole book here: A Guide to Prayer.

To “Come And Do” Is Better

A south Asian national partner friend of mine scoffs at the American notion of wanting to simply “come and see.”  This is the idea of exploring and observing ministry and culture, being fearful of imposing Western Christianity, or speaking too soon before a thorough analysis can be completed.  This is an overly cautious approach.  And taking too long to get involved can lead to other problems.

Just Speak and Do Something

His advice, and mine, is to move past our reticence, and what are often only selfish concerns.  We can observe while we are busy contributing.  In so many places in the world Christian leaders and people are starving for good teaching, for outside encouragement, for friendship with a smile, for advice, counsel, a helping hand, for any input that might possibly be helpful even in the least!

Once we start speaking and doing, the national Christian leaders will be able to discern between Biblical truth and value, and simply American applications.  No worries, much of the time.  People are smart, especially God’s people.  Be open and seek deeper dialogue and your most valuable contributions will become obvious.  But, you have to be open and non-defensive, a learner yourself.

Be Prepared for Anything

Sometimes I wonder if we Americans are too often too lazy to prepare, even too afraid of an intense schedule or the strenuous work ahead of us that is required.  Many of our national partners and hosts wonder why we only want to watch and not participate.  Is this a waste of their time, perhaps?

A good national partner friend of mine, trusted colleague, and true Gospel partner, only allows foreigners to “come and do.”  A good policy.  He challenges me every time to put out, and be useful, and be valuable to those God has placed in front of us.  The mission is urgent, so get up there and share something.

Speed it Up

Often as Americans we are looking for the perfect mission setup, but in the process we slow down the mission.  We want a thorough analysis, all our questions answered, and absolute, or near enough, guarantees of success.  We want the best situation out of all the situations in the world.  I have actually thanked my national partners for their patience with Americans, and with me.

We move way too slowly, producing uneasiness in our national partners, because we are looking at advancing the Gospel the way we do at home—not very well, hidden deep within our own methods of painstakingly seeking cultural acceptability.  We need to move it, move it!

Please do not go over there just to “come and see,” but go to “come and do.”  This way you will invest yourselves; you will learn; you will grow; you will be appreciated.  Ultimately, you will return and keep on blessing your friends and partners in the Gospel!  And you too will be blessed beyond your own expectations!

Just get on the plane, and just do something, my friends.