I Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come."

This morning, different seasons of our life are marked by certain calendar occurrences. This past weekend commemorated an occasion when we, in this country, typically call to remembrance the sacrifices made by our faithful soldiers that have given their lives in the defense of our freedom and liberty. Their sacrifice kept he liberty that we experience every week in assembling to public worship without fear of local or civil authorities. Because of their efforts and pains, we have not been overrun in different wars that would have seen the cessation of these and our many other blessed freedoms and liberties. Yet, I believe all would attest that these sacrifices are due more service and remembrance than this one time of the year. We have set aside this time (by our custom) for such thoughts, but the work performed is due more thought than that. Transitioning to a higher and nobler plane, no man, woman, or child could possibly sacrifice to the level that Christ did. While our lives can be given in His service (with our enemies taking our lives from us), we have not the ability to save ourself from our own sins. How much more are we less able to save our own families from their sins? The whole family of God?  Indeed, the work of Christ and His sacrifice goes beyond anything that we can fully comprehend: the depth of the riches of God! (Romans 11:33-34) But, Paul brings to light an occasion that commemorates this great and noble sacrifice. He brings to remembrance the first communion that Christ had with His apostles, and quotes the Saviour's exhortation to us (even to this hour) about how we should view the Lord's supper. Paul discusses the table items in the previous verses, and brings to bear in the reader's mind that the unleavened bread signifies the perfect, sinless flesh that our Lord assumed while walking this earth. Even though our sins were laid upon Him and borne by Him in His body on the tree of the cross, His flesh had no sin of its own, and the angelic announcement heralds this great truth in Luke 1:35. So, when we eat the bread, we should remember that sinless body that was broken for us. The sinless One bore the guilt of the sinners, of whom I am chief.

Then, Paul describes the wine, which typifies the precious blood that washed us from all our iniquity. Again, the wine shows forth purity in the blood, much like the unleavened bread shows purity in the flesh. What is interesting about the wine (in contrast to the bread) is that the bread is kept away from leaven completely. Nowhere in the process of preparation, baking, etc is leaven conveyed. However, the process of wine in fermentation necessitates an introduction of leaven. The wine is considered complete and ready when the leaven is overcome completely. When all the leaven is purged out, the wine is ready. When all the sins of the Lord's elect family were paid for, we see the significance of the wine that shows forth the only blood that could redeem us from all our many and varied crimes. This blood washes us white as snow in the sight of God Almighty, and when He appeared in the holy places made without hands with His own precious blood, all the leaven (our sins) that were imputed to Him were stamped out by His blood. So, Paul makes it imperatively clear that our partaking of these two things brings to mind this sacrifice and noble work of Christ. We show forth His death for us by taking the picture of His body and blood to us: showing in action that we believe it was done for us. While the picture is not what makes the thing so, the picture does give great hope and consolation for the morrow that we believe these things to be so. For example, someone may not have seen a loved one for many years, and one day, a picture of them arrives in the mail. The picture does not make their existence a reality, but it bears testimony to the receiver that they are still alive.

Likewise, the communion supper is not what makes Christ's sacrifice and victory a reality, but it bears testimony to us (the receivers) that we feel it to be a reality unto us. We remember the Lord and His work during this time, but is this the only time we remember that sacrifice? Is the communion service the only time a preacher preaches about it? As we mentioned about service personnel that have given their lives, the Memorial Day holiday is set aside for that purpose, but they deserve more thought than that one day. How much more thought does our Lord deserve for His sacrifice? Indeed, we should think about nothing else during communion, but may we think upon that most blessed subject more often than that. It does us good to have these things called back to our remembrance. It does us good to pause from all the things we are doing (and should be doing) to remember that He stooped down to lift us up. He left heaven and immortal glory, to be humiliated and marred more than any man ever has, but thanks be unto God that He ever lives now at the right hand of the Father! Paul ends the verse by saying that when we partake of communion we "shew forth the Lord's death till he come." May our steps in life shew forth the Lord's death until He come. May they also shew forth the Lord's life till He come. One of the things I find simply amazing about the Lord's wisdom in that first communion is that the first two things (bread and wine) were elements that the Lord used in a new way from the old Passover elements. The old Passover called to mind being spared from death. The Lord's passover (communion) should bring even more to mind us being spared from death by the Lamb of God. But, right after that, the Lord brings out the washing of feet, which is completely new to the disciples. What did that show forth? That act showed forth the Lord's life, whereas the former showed forth His death. He served in His life, and His service was borne out of love. May our service today be borne out of love that we show forth both the Lord's death and life till He come, always seeking to keep this remembrance with us.

In Hope,

 Bro Philip