“My brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another” (1 Cor. 11:33).
Here, Paul is addressing problems that sometimes arise at the Lord’s Supper. In particular, he is urging the Corinthians to evaluate themselves, to judge themselves so that God doesn’t have to. Paul urges the Corinthians to discern the Lord’s body in one another, by paying attention to making sure everyone is served. Wait for one another.
The principle is one of hospitality. We are sharing the Lord’s Supper, and if we want it to actually be the Lord’s Supper, we need to discern the Lord’s body in one another. The Lord’s Supper is not a solo event, just you and Jesus jamming. The Lord’s Supper is a community event, a covenantal meal. This is why people who try to celebrate the Lord’s Supper all by themselves are not really celebrating the Lord’s Supper. It’s a meal that embodies what it proclaims. We are proclaiming the Lord’s death that is reconciling all things in heaven and on earth, and we embody that reality by our fellowship together, by looking out for one another. There are lots of ways this needs to be lived out in our community, but let me point to just one this morning.
There are a number of students, student families, as well as a number of newer families here with us this morning. And we want to welcome you in particular. We know that we are a large congregation, and God has blessed us with the kind of fellowship that really is sweet. We love being around one another, talking to one another and fellowshipping. But we really don’t want any of that to seem like you aren’t welcome to join in. You most certainly are welcome here, and we want to meet you and get to know you. And this is one of the reasons we have added another service here at the fieldhouse. We want you to be able to find parking, seats, and maybe also more quickly recognize a few faces each Lord’s Day.
And to all the old regulars, let me remind you that this is what the Lord’s Supper means. It means hospitality. It means welcome. And so as we wait for one another to be served, remember that this means that we are called to look out for one another, to welcome one another because God in Christ has welcomed us.
So Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ.
Leave a Reply