May 27, 2020
by Pastor Don Willeman
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Transcript:

Hello, this is Pastor Don Willeman of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to a special-edition series of the Kingdom Perspective.

How should we respond to the coronavirus stay-at-home-order and the church not being able to gather?

We should let this cause us to long all the more for our fellowship with one another around the Lord’s Table.

The Lord Jesus Himself instituted the ordinance or sacrament of Holy Communion as a way for us not only to remember him and the heart of his mission but also as a tangible participation in our fellowship with him and the church. Now, certainly, God is not bound by the sacraments, as some might superstitiously suppose. Nonetheless, the Scriptures seem to suggest that He has bound us to them.

In the bread and the cup, we share in Christ and His body (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:27-32). It is for this reason that the church has historically referred to the Lord’s Supper, as “communion”—because it is a meal we share together in community. At the Table, we are in communion with Christ and his people in a tangible and special way.

But for now, in this time of isolation we long for the beauty of that shared meal, perhaps like never before. And, actually, this longing is quite fitting, for the Table itself is intended by God to be a reminder week by week of that ultimate longing for Christ’s return. Paul tells us that as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup, we proclaim Christ’s death, until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Indeed! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
~ Luke 22:14-23 (ESV)