Category Archives: Communion Meditations

A Communion Meditation: The Poverty of the Passover Lamb

One of the Bible’s most common images for Jesus is the “lamb of God.” Over and over he is pictured as a sacrificed lamb — a Passover sacrifice. For example, (John 1:29 ESV) he next day he saw Jesus coming … Continue reading

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1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (FAQs)

Q. Should we practice open or closed communion? A. The Churches of Christ have always practiced open communion. Following Alexander Campbell’s counsel to neither “invite nor debar,” the Churches never refuse communion to anyone present (other than an unbaptized child). Most Churches … Continue reading

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1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (The First Century Pattern for Communion)

It’s easy enough to compare our contemporary communion practices with the practices of the First Century and see a huge difference. We’ve managed to turn a real meal involving real fellowship among believers into a symbolic meal involving virtually nothing … Continue reading

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1 Corinthians 11:27-34 (“If Anyone Is Hungry”)

(1Co 11:27-28 ESV) 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so … Continue reading

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1 Corinthians 11:22-26 (the Supper of the Lord)

(1Co 11:22 ESV) 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in … Continue reading

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1 Corinthians 11:17-21 (The Love Feast and the Wedding Banquet of the Lamb)

Abusing the Lord’s Supper (1Co 11:17-19 ESV) 17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.  18 For, in the first place, when you … Continue reading

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Saturday Night Worship?

I get emails — What do you think of worship service being held on Saturday night? First argument Any time is a good time to worship God. Obviously, it’s not wrong to worship God on a Saturday night. Second argument … Continue reading

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Communion Meditation: The Lamb of God

Jesus is the lamb of God. We know that. But what does it mean? Well, lambs were commonly sacrificed under the Law of Moses. And Jesus was sacrificed. That’s true, but is that all there is to it? Lambs could … Continue reading

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Atonement: The Lamb of God

So as we ponder the meaning of the atonement, we have to take up what is likely the most pervasive metaphor for Jesus’s role in the atonement — Jesus, the Lamb of God. What does that mean? What are we … Continue reading

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Communion Meditation: On Being the Ekklēsia

We are here today, assembled in the name of Jesus, for several reasons. But perhaps the biggest reason is that we are God’s ekklēsia,* his church. Jesus and the apostles call us the ekklēsia because the word has an important … Continue reading

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