Did you ever ask your parents or elders what the Lord’s Supper was all about? Did you think it was only allowed for big older kids? Maybe you thought it was only for grown ups? But did you know that you too might be able to take the Lord’s Supper?
You might have smelled the bread and the wine some Sundays and wished you could have eaten the bread or drunk the wine because you were hungry. Yet, you knew that it was more than just a snack. Everyone seems so serious and quiet. At times, their seriousness may make you a little uncomfortable. Your mom or dad appeared to be more serious during this time than any other time during the service. Why all this seriousness? What is going on here that is so serious?
What is it called?
The Bible uses several names to describe the Lord’s Supper. Sometimes it is called “communion” from 1 Cor. 10:16 (KJV) — “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” The phrase “Lord’s Supper” comes from 1 Cor. 11:20 — “Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.” Some call it the “Lord’s Table” from 1 Cor. 10:21 — “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.” It is also called the eucharist from the Greek word for giving thanks in 1 Cor. 11:24. Each term describes an important part of the Lord’s Supper. So, we can use these terms interchangeably (communion, Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist).
Why do we do this?
If you are curious about the meaning of the Lord’s Supper and if you really believe in and love Jesus Christ, then you will want to know what the Bible has to say about the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is not something your parents or church made up. It came into use because our Lord Jesus told us to do this. He said, “DO THIS in remembrance of me.” (Lk. 22:19) Think about it. Why would we all eat the bread and drink the wine so quietly and seriously during a church service unless this was something our Lord told us to do? We do not want to do anything during church that our Lord did not command us to do.
Now, we might say that we already knew that. But there are several important reasons for pointing that out. First of all, as we mentioned, the church should do only what our Lord commands her to do. We cannot simply do things in the church service because we like them. Some things in the church may not be fun while other things may be easier to enjoy. Yet, when it comes to a Christian worshipping one’s Savior, one must only do what God commands one to do.
Our Lord’s Command
Another important reason relates to you. If Jesus says, DO THIS, then you should want to do it. If you don’t, then it says a lot about you. We hope you want to obey Jesus.
Let us imagine for a minute. Let us imagine that a young girl named Hannah found out that her father was about to die and he requested to see her by his bedside. After encouraging her to seek the Lord, he asked her to do one thing for him. The dying daddy asked her to always remember him on a certain day each year and on that very day he asked her to buy some beautiful flowers for her mother. He wanted his daughter to do something special each year for her mom in his behalf. Now, do you think Hannah will comply? I would think so. Why? Because she loves her daddy and wants to always remember him. She will never forget this one request.
In a similar way, our Lord commanded us to remember Him with the Supper. This was one of His last commands before He offered up His life for our sins. It was not a useless request. We will learn later of the importance of this command and how helpful it is for us. But still, shouldn’t we honor Him in this even if we don’t understand everything?
What about you?
It is true, you may not understand everything about WHY you need to do this, but because Jesus is our Lord and the one who loves us, we should want to obey what He says. A question that you must ask yourself is, “Do I want to obey Jesus?” If you said Yes to that question, then consider another one, “Do I want to obey Jesus in the area of the Lord’s Supper?” For believers, this is not an option. If Jesus commands it, then we must obey Him. So children, this is something that should get you to think and pray. Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Right now, you may not be taking the Lord’s Supper but did He not command His disciples to do so? Are you one of His disciples?
When I became a Christian in high school, I was very happy. I began to read the Bible over and over again. I wanted to understand more and more who Jesus was and how I was to live for Him. There were many things I did not understand in the Bible at all. But some things became clear to me. I noticed that all believers were baptized. “I was a already a believer and growing. Why do I need to be baptized? What is that ceremony going to do for me?” But the more I read, the more convicted I became and realized two things. First of all, I did not understand much about baptism and could not see any need for it. Second, the Bible was very clear. All believers had to be baptized. This second point bothered me greatly. I struggled with the issue for some time until I finally decided by God’s grace that I had no excuse. I was baptized and have been thankful for it every since.
I share that story to help us understand one important point. Whether we understand it or not, we are required to obey what God’s Word teaches. We are not given an option to obey some of God’s Word and skip over the rest. Jesus wants His disciples to DO THIS.
Questions
1. What are some of the names for the Lord’s Supper?
2. Who came up with the idea of the Lord’s Supper?
3. Should churches create new things to do in worship because they are fun? Explain.
4. What is the point behind the story (about baptism) mentioned in this chapter?
5. What if I don’t want to take the Lord’s Supper?