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We create sayings to remind ourselves about things we recognize as important:

  • “Keep the main thing, the main thing”

  • “First things first”

  • “Don’t sweat the small stuff”

Each of these slogans helps us remember the importance of prioritizing our priorities. And they highlight the reality that often other things distract us from what we believe should be central.

The church is not immune to this. I’ve seen Christians become obsessed with ‘biblical’ diets, numerology, church growth, the end times, particular forms of worship, home-schooling, social justice, speaking in tongues, and not speaking in tongues. In each case, a secondary issue became an all-consuming issue. In some cases, a good thing became a bad thing because it replaced the best thing. At times, I despaired that Christians seemed to get excited about almost anything other than the gospel!

Today, there is a trend to make the gospel a priority. But like all trends, this one will likely pass. When it does, we will still have God’s appointed means for keeping the gospel front and centre in our lives: The Lord’s Supper. Let me explain three ways that the Lord’s Supper can help us remember to keep our focus on the gospel.

1. Looking back, I remember what Jesus sacrificed for me

On the night before Jesus was crucified, He shared a meal with His disciples. He took bread and somewhat cryptically said, “Take, eat; this is my body” (Matthew 26:26) and then He took a cup and asked them to drink it, saying “this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). The disciples don’t appear to be confused by the words. They had already heard Jesus refer to Himself as “the bread of life” (John 6:35), “the door” (John 10:9), and “the true vine” (John 15:1), so they knew that He was explaining something about Himself by the terms. He wanted them to remember His sacrifice of Himself for the forgiveness of their sins. He wanted them to understand that the basis of God’s covenant or relationship with them was His sacrifice for their sins. When we take the Lord’s Supper, we look back with gratefulness to what Jesus did at the cross and we remind ourselves that it’s what He did that secures our forgiveness and relationship with the Father.

2. In the present, I recognize that I am sustained in dependence on Jesus

Even though Jesus called Himself “the door,” He didn’t ask us to open doors and walk through them regularly as part of our worship. But He did that with the Lord’s Supper. He said, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24) and Paul added, “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). We’re called to re-enact that Last Supper, in a sense, and the bread and the cup remind us that Jesus’ sacrifice for us is what we hunger and thirst for. Jesus is the nourishment that sustains us and the wine that gives us joy. And the Lord’s Supper, like salvation itself, is a gift that we receive through faith.

3. Looking forward, I anticipate what Jesus has planned for me

When Jesus had passed the cup, He said, “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). It’s a statement of Jesus’ impending death, but also of future hope. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we’re invited to look forward to a future celebration. The ‘meal’ we enjoy now by faith points to a great banquet that we’ll experience together with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth.

The Lord’s Supper is brilliantly designed to exclude any secondary causes. The symbolism can’t be expanded to include anyone’s hobby horses or side projects. It reminds us that our relationship with God is a gift made possible solely through Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. It reminds us that Jesus is what fills us and satisfies us. It reminds us that Jesus is our hope and He’s the One who will make heaven heavenly.

Our world has a way of pulling us in a million different directions. We’re tempted to try and earn our acceptance with God based on our performance. We’re tempted to look for fulfillment in the things of the world. And we put our hope in causes, comfort, and things. Let the Lord’s Supper keep pulling you back to the gospel and to Jesus as our life and hope.

In awe of Him,

Paul