How to Lead the Lord's Supper
Oh, oh…they asked me to lead worship in the Lord’s Supper!
Relax; you are among some of your closest friends. They know you and your heart. You do not have to prove anything to them or The Lord.
Remember, participation in the Lord’s Supper is NOT ABOUT YOU!
It is;
Do NOT work hard at coming up with “Something New”. The point of The Lord’s Supper is NOT to learn (or teach) something new but to be reminded of something we know. Many times, in a good-hearted attempt to encourage engagement we try some new teaching or spin on an old teaching, That is not what this is about and we may bring something heretical!
The Lord’s Supper IS a reminder.
The elements carry no intrinsic value at any time beside the value of causing us to be reminded of the Lord’s broken body and spilt blood.
The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of Jesus’ death on the cross in our place, on our behalf to pay our penalty;
...and to free us from slavery to sin
...and bring us into a familial relationship with God.
The main idea is to take your listeners to the foot of the cross. Certainly you can talk about God’s mercy, grace, patience, goodness, faithfulness etc.; but the MAIN POINT is Jesus’ death.
The aim and desire of the Leader is to elevate Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. If you find, as you are developing your message, that Jesus’ substitutionary death is NOT the main thought, please reconsider using those thoughts in this setting.
Things to think about:
How can I do it or what can I use?
Here is where you can use your imagination. Some ideas are:
Lets try to stay away from;
We all look forward to having you lead us in remembering our Savior’s work on the cross.
Thank you very much.
Relax; you are among some of your closest friends. They know you and your heart. You do not have to prove anything to them or The Lord.
Remember, participation in the Lord’s Supper is NOT ABOUT YOU!
It is;
- An act of obedience
- An act of identification
- An act of solidarity (community)
- An act of worship
- Not to be participated in without thought (See Matt. 26;26-35, Lk. 22:14-23, 1Cor. 11:23-34)
Do NOT work hard at coming up with “Something New”. The point of The Lord’s Supper is NOT to learn (or teach) something new but to be reminded of something we know. Many times, in a good-hearted attempt to encourage engagement we try some new teaching or spin on an old teaching, That is not what this is about and we may bring something heretical!
The Lord’s Supper IS a reminder.
The elements carry no intrinsic value at any time beside the value of causing us to be reminded of the Lord’s broken body and spilt blood.
The Lord’s Supper is a reminder of Jesus’ death on the cross in our place, on our behalf to pay our penalty;
...and to free us from slavery to sin
...and bring us into a familial relationship with God.
The main idea is to take your listeners to the foot of the cross. Certainly you can talk about God’s mercy, grace, patience, goodness, faithfulness etc.; but the MAIN POINT is Jesus’ death.
- Remind the listeners of their inability to redeem themselves.
- Remind the listeners of their desperate hopelessness.
- Remind listeners of the outrageous cost.
The aim and desire of the Leader is to elevate Jesus Christ and His crucifixion. If you find, as you are developing your message, that Jesus’ substitutionary death is NOT the main thought, please reconsider using those thoughts in this setting.
Things to think about:
- The qualification of the individual to participate/ partake of the elements does NOT come from anything they have done.
- Believers, who love Jesus Christ, are encouraged to participate. They are part of this ‘family meal’.
- If any Believer has undealt with sin, encourage them to fix it NOW. Go to Christ in faith and repentance and find the joy of your salvation in the fellowship of believers and the wonder of His death.
- If any Believer has undealt with sin and REFUSES to repent, encourage them to NOT participate. The state of their heart and standing in Christ is in question. Rebellion is a fearful thing.
- Anyone who does not or never has trusted in Jesus Christ is encouraged (commanded) to allow the Lord’s Super elements to pass them by. To participate ‘unworthily’; that is not aligning themselves with, loving and living for Jesus, carries God’s judgment. There is no added recrimination for passing them by as an unbeliever.
- As the one leading this act of worship, it is important to make this differentiation clear. This is sometimes referred to as ‘fencing the table”. It restricts access to believers only for the well-being of everyone present.
How can I do it or what can I use?
Here is where you can use your imagination. Some ideas are:
- Discuss an appropriate bible verse
- Read a devotional written from someone else
- Play, read or sing a song or a hymn having to do with Jesus death and resurrection
- Make it a time of quiet (guided) reflection
- Make it a time of sharing one another's thoughts (this requires you to moderate to ensure we stay focused)
- Please keep in mind, the idea is to draw us toward worshiping Jesus as the crucified, returning King.
Lets try to stay away from;
- long personal stories ( you can certainly use your personal testimony and interactions, just remember our attention spans are short and you need to keep us focused on Jesus)
- Bringing an entire sermon. The Lord’s Supper is a Meditation. It should take us quickly to the cross work of Christ then and leave us there. Your thoughts need to be ‘on point’, concise and meaningful. This makes it harder in some ways than the sermon.
We all look forward to having you lead us in remembering our Savior’s work on the cross.
Thank you very much.