Our church looked at the significance of the Lord’s Supper yesterday from I Corinthians 11:23-26.  As we think about what the Lord’s Supper is all about, at least four things come out of the passage.

• It is a meal of remembrance.  We are to eat and drink in remembrance of Jesus.  Specifically we remember his suffering and death for us.  And we remember his great love that led him to make this sacrifice on our behalf.  And so our time around the table is a somber, reverent time of remembrance.  We dare not partake in a flippant, careless manner.
• It is a meal of affirmation.  “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (v25).  The Lord’s Supper is then a covenant meal.  In participating we affirm our place in the new covenant.  We affirm our relationship with God thru Jesus.  We affirm that our sins are forgiven through Jesus.  We affirm our new life in the Spirit.  We affirm our faith in Jesus.  And so only believers should partake of the Lord’s Supper, for only believers can affirm these things.
• It is a meal of proclamation.  In eating and drinking we “proclaim the Lord’s death” (v26).  It is a visible tangible proclamation of his death and hence the gospel.  We proclaim the gospel to each other as we partake.  And we proclaim the gospel to any unbelievers who may be present as they see the central importance of Christ’s death.
• It is a meal of anticipation.  We “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v26).  As we remember his death we recognize that he did not remain dead, but rose, ascended, and is one day returning.  We look forward to the day when we will partake of a new meal – the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19).  We look forward to the day when we will be with the Lord forever, and there will be no more suffering or pain or death or sin.