As a pastor, I have seen time and again folks approach the Lord's Table thinking about themselves. And in many ways, I understand this. For Paul in today's scripture passage calls for us to examine ourselves before coming to the table. However, if we just leave communion as something that is privately about the state of my own soul or my relationship with Jesus, then we set ourselves up to be part of the much larger issue that we see in 1 Corinthians.
Paul is upset because the table has become a place of exclusion and favoritism. And it got that way because folks were focusing on themselves. Therefore, he is ultimately calling on the church to remember who they are and why they celebrate the Lord's Supper in the first place.
He retells the story that we share in each time we come together for communion. But he also reminds the church that we are part of one body. In fact, it is one chapter later that he writes what it means to be the body of Christ.
Therefore, we are not only to think about ourselves at the table, but also the body, the church. And not just our local church, but the global church. How we are one in the body of Christ.
How does the Lord's Supper invite you into a posture of remembering your brothers and sisters around the globe?
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