Main Text – Matthew 26:26-30 & John 6:52-59
The following 4 words have continued to be divisive among different churches: “This is my body.” What does “is” mean in this phrase, and why does it matter?
This Sunday we’ll continue our Worship Series by unpacking the Lord’s Supper, a special moment occurring in the context of the Jewish Passover. The Passover (see Exodus 12) commemorated two important events in the history of God’s people: the Exodus from Egypt and the passing over of the firstborn male child, “passed over” only because an unblemished lamb was sacrificed. When we celebrate Communion together, we too commemorate an exodus (God has liberated us from the power of sin) and a “passing over” (Christ, our Passover Lamb, has offered himself – 1 Cor. 5:7). With faith and true repentance, we receive in the Lord’s Supper ongoing nourishment for our souls, what the apostle Paul calls a “participation” (1 Cor. 10:16) in the body and blood of Christ. This has implications for holiness: Christ works in us, calling us to faithful obedience and fellowship with our brothers and sisters. The gathering around the table is the heart of our worship; through it, the gospel is proclaimed to sinners in constant need of the healing touch of Jesus, who poured out His blood “for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:28).
Listen to the sermon: