Sean C. Capparuccia

7 June 2026

1 Corinthians 10:16–17; 11:23–32

          The Lord’s Supper, like the other sacrament of the Church, baptism, has been interpreted and practiced in several diverse ways depending on the particular denominational, or even the local church, context.  And I have always thought it interesting that some churches take a lot of ownership in the sacrament of baptism, while others take ownership of the Lord’s Supper. And yet each one belongs to the Lord, not to a church.  Just as nobody is baptized into a church, neither does anyone participate in a “denominational” Table; we are baptized into the Church, the Church that is the Lord’s Body, and we participate in the Lord’s Supper, which represents the Lord’s body.  This is why I prefer to say, as do some Methodists, though not all, that “This is the Lord’s Table; it is not Trinity’s Table, or a Global Methodist Table…”  This is properly called “fencing the Table,” although it does not surround it with steel bars and a gate with a password. 

But I do believe that this is a sacrament of the Lord for His Church. I confess, I happen to disagree somewhat with Wesley here who felt that this Supper should be open to anyone, whether with faith or without faith. In his defense, Wesley wanted to be open to the possibility that someone may come to faith in Christ through the taking of Holy Communion. That may be possible, I don’t know, God can reveal Himself however He desires, but I firmly believe that He told us that faith comes by the hearing of the Word, and that by the Word of the Lord (Rom. 10:7). And even though this Table is the Lord’s, it is the task of the Church to keep it from being profaned.

And so, this Table is indeed open to “all who truly love Him, who earnestly repent of their sin, who dwell in charity with their neighbors, and who intend to live a holy life.”[1] We do not insist that you must believe a certain way about the Eucharist in order to partake. We do not insist that you have to be a member of this church or our denomination in order to partake. We are not in the business of being the judge of your conscience before allowing you to partake. In other words, whether or not you are worthy of Christ’s sacrifice is between you and God.  And in order to properly understand the meaning of the Supper, we must understand that Christ is the host, not me or any other minister or priest or the church or any Christian denomination. It is He who says, “Come; take and eat.”  We don’t stand in the place of Christ, but only administer, like a butler would for the Host.[2]

Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, is one of the most beautiful things we do together in worship, isn’t it? It is a solemn time, but it is also a joyful time because, in this act, we remember what He has done for us. That being said, what is holy communion and why did Paul warn that it not be taken in an ‘unworthy manner’?

Let us first reflect on the ubiquitousness of bread and wine. Our Lord used these two elements, bread and wine, because they were common to all cultures in every time and place. Notice He did not ordain the use of rice cakes, or barley loaves, or multi-grain non-GMO wheat flour. He simply said, “Take this bread…” It doesn’t matter what it’s made of.

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu, melech ha olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz.[3]

In the same way he took the fruit of the vine, or juice made from the fruit of the vine. Whether or not it was alcoholic was, and is, irrelevant, it was the juice of the grape, a simple commodity found the world over. 

Baruch atah Adonai Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, borei pori ha-gafen[4]

And with these two elements He said “Remember Me.” We remember that it was He who first called us, we did not come to Him with anything but our own sin. Our salvation is His gift to us who in no way deserve it.[5]We remember what He had to do to achieve the right to grant us our salvation. His body broken, His blood spilt, His innocent life hung on a tree at Calvary in our place. This meal is a reminder that we don’t put our ultimate trust in others, not even in ourselves, but in Christ alone.

 Communion with the Lord    

The Lord’s Supper is also a meal of communion. The Apostle Paul asks, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (I Cor. 10:16).  When we come to the Table we are meeting Jesus, who is really and truly present spiritually in these elements. Through the Holy Spirit, He is present with His people, and we with Him.  In the sursum corda, when I say, “Lift up your hearts” and you respond, “We lift them up to the Lord,” we are not calling Jesus down, removing Him from the heavenly sanctuary into ours, but He is lifting us up into His. His body and divinity are in Heaven, not here on earth in any part.

We should be reminded of the angels at Jesus’ ascension when the Disciples were staring off after Him as He rose into the sky. “Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring into the sky? This same Jesus who is going up into heaven will come back in the same way…” (Acts 1:11, my own paraphrase). Why was this significant? Because the Disciples, in their weakness, before the Holy Spirit was sent, though they needed to have the “flesh and blood” Jesus. But after the Spirit was sent, they realized that they didn’t need the physical Jesus. The Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter, who proceeds from Father and Son, who was sent to fill the void until Jesus comes back, is sufficient.[6]  To demand a physical presence is nothing less than to deny the power of God’s Spirit and not only disregard, but supplant, His work in the Church.[7]

And so, Christ brings us up to Himself through this spiritual communion. And there, in that heavenly place He nourishes our souls, He strengthens our weakness, He reassures the doubts and the fears. Through this meal, in His spiritual presence, He gives us the grace we need to continue on in faith.  

The Promises         

In this meal He also renews His promises to us.

He says, “You are mine.”

He says, “Your sins are forgiven.”

He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

But listen, this table does not create these promises; they aren’t made here. Christ has already secured them by his death and resurrection. But here, God places those promises before us in a tangible form. We hear them. We see them. We taste them. They are in the words of institution and in the bread and the wine.  It is easy to become weakened in our faith; the daily pressures, the world that goes on around us every day; the thoughts, the fears, the worries, the monotony – it wears on us. Sometimes our emotions fail us. Sometimes we wonder whether God, when He is generally silent, is really for us. But then we meet at this Table and hear him say, “Remember what I have done. Remember whose you are. You belong to Me.”

Unity

The Lord’s Supper is a meal of unity. Paul says, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body.” Of course, for convenience’ sake, many churches have gone to wafers, but historically there was a loaf of bread, visibly broken, and people took their piece of it. (I like that; if anyone wants to bake bread, we should do that.) But Paul’s words, and the loaf declare our oneness in the Lord. At the foot of the Cross, we’re all equal. In God’s eyes there are only two types of people: sinners, and those who are saved by His grace. That’s it. All of Christendom, all true believers in Christ meet at this Table when we partake of this heavenly food. It is also why we must be reconciled to one another. There is no place for pride, bitterness, resentment or any cherished sin at this Table. “All who earnestly repent of their sin” are welcome.

A Sending Table

This is a “sending” Table.  If we come to this Table only for ourselves, then we are missing a crucial part of what this is all about. We come not only for self-renewal, but to be renewed for our mission in Christ: “to make disciples, and to spread scriptural holiness around the world.”[8] Whenever we receive this bread and cup, we are reminded of the gospel itself—that Christ died for sinners, that forgiveness is available through His precious blood, and that God is reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus Christ and committing to us the work of reconciliation.[9]

The same grace that welcomes us to the Table of the Lord, encourages us to invite others to the Savior. How can we be truly grateful for what Christ has done for us and in us and not desire the same for those we know? At this table, Christ strengthens us for that universal calling on all Christians.  He gives courage to the fearful, compassion to the indifferent, and perseverance to those who have grown weary in prayer and service. Having been fed by Christ, we are then sent out by Christ—to bear witness to His wonderful love, to speak the truth of the gospel, and to invite others into the fellowship of God’s people.  And so, every Communion service ends with a mission. We come to the table to receive from Christ, and we leave the table to serve Christ.

Hope

And the Lord’s Supper is a symbol of our hope. “When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Cor. 11:26). We are looking forward to that day when we will be feasting at the Supper of the Lamb; us and all who are His holy Bride. Christ will return; He said He would, and when He does there will be no more faith, there will be sight. This table is a foretaste of that coming kingdom.

So today, we come remembering; we come repenting and believing; we come receiving; we come rejoicing. And we come with a hope, if not an expectation, that our Lord will come back just as He left, riding on the clouds in triumph as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that He is indeed the Lord of the Universe. 

And we come to this Table, not because we are worthy in ourselves, but because Christ is worthy. Not because our faith is perfect, but because our Savior is faithful.

When someone tramples on our nation’s flag, I wonder, is that so bad? I mean, it’s just a bit of cloth, right? It’s just a symbol of a great nation. And yet, the truth is, when you see someone do that, you just want to smack him upside the head, don’t you? This Table is not purely symbolic, but it is a symbol of our life in Christ and of what He has done for us. When we come to this Table with our sin and our pride: in other words, in the knowledge of our sin and an attitude of “so what?” we are disrespecting not only the Table, but the Lord Himself. This is what Paul was addressing when He warned not to come to this Table unworthily.  Confess your sin; ask forgiveness, and come with the assurance that you are forgiven, or don’t come at all, Paul warns.

Brothers and Sisters, have you truly repented of your sin and received a broken and contrite heart? Can you sing,

“I come with joy, a child of God,

forgiven, loved, and free,

the life of Jesus to recall

in love laid down for me?”[10]

If so, the Table is open. And as we come to this table, may we find again and again what Christians throughout the ages have found: the grace of God, the fellowship of Christ, the power of the Spirit, and the hope of the coming kingdom.  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. ~AmenBottom of Form

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[1] Our Great Redeemer’s Praise Hymnal, “Services of Holy Communion” (Franklin, TN: Seedbed Publishing, 2022), 730.

[2] Interestingly, a synonym for “administer” is “oversee,” the exact word used for a pastor in New Testament language (presbyter, bishop, minister). The word “priest” is only used in connection with a) Old Testament priests who ministered in the Temple; b) a priest of a pagan cult (i.e, Jupiter); and c)  Jesus as the true High Priest.  NT ministers can not be true priests because there are no sacrifices to be made; Christ was the final one, and so He is the last priest.

[3] “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”

[4] “Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.”

[5] Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

[6] This should be adequate enough to decide where the anathemas should truly fall.

[7] Such as these have “a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof: from such turn away” (II Tim 3:5).

[8] The mission statement of Trinity and the Global Methodist Church.

[9] II Cor. 5:19

[10] Brian Wren, “I Come With Joy” (in Great Redeemer’s Praise, #426).