The Lord’s Supper is important. The apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth, saying, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:23-29, NKJV).

As a key part of the worship in which the local church is to engage, this solemn observance must be rooted in adhering to the instruction of the Lord and His apostles regarding the matter. Please notice that Paul’s instruction concerning the Lord’s Supper is:

1. Simple. The observance of the Lord’s Supper is not an elaborate ritual. Its observance requires no extravagant planning, no sophisticated trappings, and no complex external items. Instead, Paul writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). Each member of the church, upon thanks being offered, simply “eats this bread” and “drinks this cup” (v. 27). Rather than involving a large feast, the Lord’s Supper involves only the “unleavened bread” (c.f. Lk. 22:1, 7, 19) and the contents of the cup, namely, “fruit of the vine” (cf. Matt. 26:29). Two simple emblems are the only external items required in order to properly observe the Lord’s Supper.

2. Straightforward. The observance of the Lord’s Supper should not be confusing or unclear. As Paul relates, Jesus referred to the unleavened bread as, “My body which is broken for you” and instructed His disciples to eat it “in remembrance” of His sacrificial death on the cross (1 Cor. 11:24). Likewise, the Lord referred to the contents of the cup as “the new covenant in My blood” and instructed His disciples to also drink it “in remembrance” of Him (v. 25). There is nothing in the New Testament’s instruction regarding the bread and cup being blessed by a priest, being approved for consumption in connection with a social meal to satisfy one’s physical hunger, or being somehow mystically changed into the actual body and blood of the Lord. While the Lord spoke symbolically of His body and blood regarding the bread and cup, both the purpose and manner involved in observing the Lord’s Supper are presented in very straightforward language.

3. Significant. The simplicity and straightforwardness of the Bible’s instruction regarding the Lord’s Supper should not be understood as diminishing its significance. Paul writes, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). When the local church assembles for worship on the first day of the week and observes the Lord’s Supper a public and ongoing proclamation is sounded forth concerning the amazing impact of the loving and gracious sacrifice of Christ. Christ’s death on the cross is the “one sacrifice for sins forever” that has the power to save mankind from eternal condemnation (Heb. 10:12). Since a proper recognition of His death is so central to faithfully following Him, Paul writes, “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:27). The observance of the Lord’s Supper as a memorial of the death of Christ is of considerable significance in the spiritual lives of His people.

Conclusion: Paul writes, “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?” (1 Cor. 10:16). Followers of Christ are invited to share with the Lord in partaking of, “The cup of blessing which we bless” and, “The bread which we break,” to commemorate the offering of His body and blood which He gave for our salvation. May we always remain aware of the importance of the Lord’s Supper each time we “eat this bread and drink this cup” (1 Cor. 11:26).