“As You Commemorate The New Covenant…!”

“As You Commemorate The New Covenant…!”(I Cor.11:23-26).
“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.”
“For I received from the Lord…” may not be understood in the sense that the Lord Jesus directly told Paul these words. Elsewhere he says, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins…” And he was the last of those to whom the risen Lord appeared to (I Cor.15:3-8).
Even somebody like Luke was not an eye witness, but having heard the stories from those who were eyewitnesses, he did a careful investigation of everything from the beginning to come out with his gospel for the benefit of Theophilus (Lk.1:1-4).
We cannot dismiss academic research on the slim excuse that the apostles were ordinary fishermen with no academic background. That may be true, but it needed learned people like Luke and Paul to fill us in, on what would have otherwise remained obscure.
In most Reformed traditions the liturgy for the Lord’s Supper prefer the words of Paul than those of the gospel writers at the point where the minister lifts up the Host and the wine in thanksgiving.
The minister ends by pronouncing: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” The congregation responds: “Your death O Christ we proclaim, your resurrection we announce, your coming we await.”
The Lord’s Supper is a meal that seals the new covenant, not with animal blood as in the old covenant, but with the precious priceless blood of Jesus Christ, the new and last Passover Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world.
It is equally a meal of remembrance. In the same way that the Passover Feast was a commemorative meal, so too “the Lord’s Supper is a memorial supper, recalling and portraying Christ’s death for sinners.”
That is why in memoriam, at each celebration we proclaim the Lord’s death, announce his resurrection and remind ourselves that we await his second coming.
Bearing this in mind, we should not come to the table of celebration with a discriminative spirit and gluttonous appetite. Besides, “…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”(v.27).
During the celebration we always also remind ourselves that it happened “on the night on which he was betrayed…” Judas the betrayer was there and he participated in the meal. Does that say something to you? It is left to you!
Prayer: “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.