The Lord’s Supper is Calvinistic and Celebratory

The Lord’s Supper is Christ given for his Church. It’s the way we bless one another (I Cor. 10:16), it’s our New Covenant reality (I Cor. 11:25), it’s the context of unity (Acts 2:42), it’s the sacrament of discernment where we know who is in and who is out (I Cor. 11:21) and it’s the promise of eternity (Rev. 19:9).

As we work through our worship at Providence, I wish to mention two features that characterize our Lord’s Supper:

First, it is Calvinistic. That’s a short way of saying it’s not Roman Catholic or Anabaptist. During the Reformation, our Reformed brothers affirmed that the Lord’s Supper was not the transformed substance of the body of Christ. Jesus did not come down from heaven in a physical body in the priest’s consecration, as the Roman Catholics affirmed.

But neither are we simply partaking of an empty sign, as the Anabaptists affirmed. To eat and drink is not simply a way of speaking of belief. The elements of bread and wine are truly the body of Christ, not because of the priest, but because of the Spirit who takes us to heaven to commune with Jesus. Christ’s human body is locally present in heaven, and we partake of it because the Spirit of God effects communion.

Second, it is Celebratory.

Now, most traditions, ranging from Roman Catholic to the local megachurch, treat the Lord’s Supper through the lens of the death of Jesus. Christ died; therefore, we bow our heads and meditate on his death. But we affirm that the Lord’s Supper is not a summary of our sins but a celebration of our sins forgiven by the blessings of Christ’s resurrection.

In other words, the Lord’s Supper is bread and cup of blessing, not of sorrow. It is full blessing. Total blessing. Exuberant blessing. We partake in it precisely because Christ is no longer dead but risen from the dead and vindicated.

The Supper embraces the joy of the disciples who ate with Jesus after the resurrection. It’s loud, talkative, and festive. It’s a moment of glory for people rooted in the Word of God and who allow the Word to bear fruit in us. Behold, the fruit of the vine is here, offered at this table, Jesus himself. We are fruitful ones eating of the great fruitful Christ, who became the first fruits of all those who trust in him. We eat and drink together not as those who weep but as those who are blessed by the fruitful Word. Rejoice, pass the peace, and trust in the vindicated Word made flesh.

You are welcome to this table if you are baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Come by faith, and the God of all peace will give you himself.