Nourished Together
Saturday · Anchor: 1Cor.10.16· preview (not yet released by the daily cron)
From the sermon Ecclesiastical Authority
Paul asks a rhetorical question in First Corinthians 10:16 — *The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?* And then he adds: *Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.*
The Lord's Supper isn't just a memorial. It's not just a moment to remember what Jesus did two thousand years ago. It's a *participation* — a fellowship, a communion. When we take the bread and the cup together, we're proclaiming our unity in Christ. We're saying, 'We are one body, nourished by one Lord.'
And we need that nourishment. Faith is weak, not strong, in the believer. We don't have faith in our faith; we have faith in Christ. And that faith needs to be regularly fed. That's why we gather. That's why we sing, pray, hear the Word, and take the Supper together. These are the means of grace God has given us to strengthen what is weak.
You can't take the Lord's Supper alone. It's not designed for that. It's a meal for the assembled church, a tangible reminder that we belong to one another because we belong to Christ. When we come to the Table, we come as people who are needy, humble, and dependent on His grace. And we leave strengthened, not because of anything in us, but because of everything in Him.
As you prepare your heart for worship tomorrow, remember this: you don't come to the Table because you're strong. You come because you're weak. And in your weakness, Christ meets you, nourishes you, and binds you together with His people.
Pause and consider
How does understanding the Lord's Supper as a participation — not just a memorial — change the way you approach it? What does it mean to you that we take it together, as one body?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of the Table. Thank You that You meet us there, weak and needy as we are, and nourish us by Your grace. Help us to come with humble hearts, ready to receive and ready to be bound together as one body in You.