June/July 2007
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The Lord's Supper
by Mark Roberts
It takes only a few minutes. It is so easy to do a child could do it. It costs no money to be involved in. Despite all of this, it may well be the most important activity any Christian does. “It” is, of course, the Lord’s Supper.
The Weekly Observance of the Supper
J.W. McGarvey
This passage indicates both the day of the week in which the disciples broke the loaf, and the prime object of their meeting on that day. It shows that the loaf was broken on the first day of the week; and we have no apostolic precedent for breaking it on any other day.
The Lord's Supper and the Passover
Phil Roberts
It was Passover season in Jerusalem, in the nineteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Jews from all over the empire were streaming into Jerusalem a week ahead of time to make preparations. Among them was a group from Galilee, including Jesus and His disciples, coming to commemorate their national birthday. Almost fifteen hundred years earlier, God had set them free from slavery and delivered then from Pharoah and the Egyptian bondage. On the night of their deliverance each family had sacrificed a lamb. They had put the blood on their doorposts to escape the plague of death that swept over Egypt that night, and then they had eaten the lamb along with some hastily cooked unleavened bread. The next morning God had led them to freedom. The Jews who were coming to Jerusalem on this Passover would celebrate their national birthday by re-enacting it. They, too, would sacrifice a lamb, prepare some unleavened bread, and gather that night in families to eat it as though they were once again in Egypt, preparing to leave for freedom the next morning.
What should I think about during the Supper?
T.D. Roberts
Observing the Lord’s Supper properly involves engaging our minds. But just what should we direct our minds toward? There are a number of paradoxes associated with the Supper that provide fertile ground for good meditation. This little article stresses the use of these “conflicting ideas” or paradoxes as an aid to our worship during the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.
Can mothers with small children take the Supper?
Ed Whittlesey
“Anything ranging from a dirty diaper, to a child not wanting to sit still or sit quietly, can serve as distractions for mothers of young children during the Lord’s Supper,” one mother exclaimed. Another commented, “My worst fear (and has come close to happening) is that theyll grab one of the trays and dump it on the floor. They see us eating and drinking and don’t understand why they can’t with us … ” While young mothers are required to share in communion of the body and blood of the Lord, they must also tend to the needs of their children. The challenge is one of multitasking, as young mothers struggle to find balance between the two. “It is very hard to concentrate on the Lord’s Supper while watching your kids, especially in the cry room,” remarked one mother. “Some people use the cry room as a play room and it’s hard to focus when kids are crying or playing and being loud.” Another suggested, “everyone needs to be understanding of the fact that children are being trained in how to worship God correctly and that isn’t always going to be as quiet an activity as we parents wish it were.” Let’s be honest, no mother wants undue attention drawn to her or her children during solemn observance of the Lord’s Supper. That said, how are frustrations like these overcome?