It's Suppertime

By James Gresham

Have you ever been asked to share a devotion for the Lord’s Supper and you’re not sure what to say? Or maybe you’re looking for a different way to prepare your congregation for communion. You might just be looking for some inspiring thoughts about Jesus’ sacrifice for your personal devotions. Then this book is for you!

It’s Suppertime presents 52 devotions that direct our thoughts to Calvary in a fresh and inspiring way. Each presents the truth of Christ’s sanctifying work in our lives but from a variety of perspectives. They are inspired from news stories, historical events, every day experiences or familiar hymns. Old and New Testament scriptures reinforce the themes and prepare your heart for the Lord’s Supper. They can be used as written or as a beginning for your own thoughts. 

Each devotion will direct your attention, renew your appreciation and inspire your adoration for Jesus and his sacrifice that redeemed us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Jun 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386476719

Book preview

Introduction

Whether they call it The Lord’s Supper, Communion, or Eucharist; whether they think of it as an ordinance, memorial, or sacrament; Christians can all agree that this meal established by Jesus on the night before his death is special. The Last Supper, as we know it, must have resembled to the disciples many Passover meals they had eaten in the past, but then Jesus added new significance to the simplest parts of the menu. The bread was his body, the wine was his blood, and with this simple observance, the old and new covenants were tied together and the miracle of our redemption was illustrated. He instructed the disciples—and through them, us—to do this whenever we gather. The church has followed this instruction ever since. In a sense, this was really the First Supper for Christians. They have faithfully continued this meal, and its observance will continue until the Lord returns to take us to share a meal with him in glory.

I enjoy all aspects of the worship celebration when the church meets together. Singing, prayer, preaching, and even the offering are all important and meaningful, but I consider Communion time to be the most significant. It is an intimate time spent with my Lord and Savior, a time spent in direct communion with him. We need this time and we need it often; we forget so easily how much God loves us and what it cost him to make us his children. I’m grateful for the reminder.

When the congregation with whom I worship meets on Sunday, the Lord’s Supper is preceded by one of our members making comments that direct our thoughts to the Communion meal. It has been my honor and privilege to take my turn and share a Communion meditation for many years. This book is a compilation of some of the thoughts I have shared. If you have the same privilege and are able to use some of the thoughts from this book as the basis for your remarks, I am thrilled. If reading these thoughts helps you in your remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for you, then we are both blessed.

Our Communion Worship

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drinks of the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of the Lord eat and drink judgment on themselves.

(1 Corinthians 11:23–29)

Of all the things we do when the church comes together to worship, the Lord’s Supper stands out as unique and quite different from all the rest.

First, it is the only thing that Jesus instructed us to do when we come together. Singing, prayer, and preaching are good things to do, and we have evidence in Scripture that the early church did these things when they gathered, but the Communion meal is the only command from Jesus.

Communion is the most personal part of our worship. The other things we do are corporate, and our expressions of worship are, to some degree, dependent on the participation of our fellow worshipers. The partaking of the loaf and the cup are just an exchange between us and Jesus.

It is the quietest part of our worship. We attempt to block out other distractions and just focus on him.

Communion is the most intimate part of our worship. As we examine ourselves, we expose our innermost selves to our Lord, He, in turn, presents to us his Body and his Blood.

It is the most serious part of our worship. The sacrifice represented by the bread and the wine is the greatest expression of love ever, and we are overwhelmed that Jesus died for each of us. The manner in which we participate is supremely important; if we partake in a way that is not worthy, we are bringing condemnation upon ourselves. It is crucial that we take this time seriously and truly recognize the Body of the Lord.

The Lord’s Supper prepares us for eternity in a unique way. As we partake, we proclaim his death, but we also reaffirm our hope in his return and anticipate sharing this meal with Jesus in heaven.

Sticker Shock

Most of us experience sticker shock from time to time when the price of an object we were planning to purchase is much higher than we expected. In some cases, the price is also higher than we can afford, and we’re forced to choose a cheaper alternative or do without that item entirely. Other times, we have no choice, and we just have to pay the high price because the item or service is something we cannot do without. Sticker shock fades, though. The first couple of times you pay the highest price ever for gasoline, it hurts, but after a few times it becomes normal to you, and you don’t give it much thought.

Do you ever experience sticker shock when you think about your salvation?

Do you think God did?

We didn’t pay the price for our salvation, God did. The price was steep—it couldn’t have been any higher. The amazing thing is, he didn’t have to pay that price; God owed us nothing. He could have walked away but he didn’t. He paid the price he did not owe for a debt we could not pay so that are sins could be washed away and we could be reconciled to him.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:6–11)

But what about us? Are we still shocked at the high price God had to pay for our salvation, or have we become so used to the idea that we don’t give it much thought? The Lord gave us this Communion meal as a remembrance of him. We