Expressing the Bounty of the Table

 By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at Thoughts From Parson Farms:

Grounding Ourselves in What Takes Place in the Lord's Supper

Good Morning,

Today in our look at the Westminster Directory of Public Worship we are going to see how the Lord’s Supper was historically observed in our Presbyterian churches. Our format at Bethany at least hopefully does not look that much different. Part of what we do at the Table should be to not only present Christ, but express the power and beauty of the gospel to all who present, that those who are in need of hearing might also witness to what our Redeemer has done in and through His death and resurrection. Many times we miss the witness to God’s awesome grace when we either make the Supper more than it is, or in the opposite way reduce it to just another thing we do at church. There is a reason why care and thought must be put into every observance of Communion by both the minister and the elders as they order worship for the praise of the Lord. Let us know look and read and learn from the DPW for our spiritual benefit:

When the day is come for administration, the minister, having ended his sermon and prayer, shall make a short exhortation:

“Expressing the inestimable benefit we have by this sacrament, together with the ends and use thereof: setting forth the great necessity of having our comforts and strength renewed thereby in this our pilgrimage and warfare: how necessary it is that we come unto it with knowledge, faith, repentance, love, and with hungering and thirsting souls after Christ and his benefits: how great the danger to eat and drink unworthily.

Next, he is, in the name of Christ, on the one part, to warn all such as are ignorant, scandalous, profane, or that live in any sin or offence against their knowledge or conscience, that they presume not to come to that holy table; shewing them, that he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself: and, on the other part, he is in an especial manner to invite and encourage all that labour under the sense of the burden of their sins, and fear of wrath, and desire to reach out unto a greater progress in grace than yet they can attain unto, to come to the Lord’s table; assuring them, in the same name, of ease, refreshing, and strength to their weak and wearied souls.”

After this exhortation, warning, and invitation, the table being before decently covered, and so conveniently placed, that the communicants may orderly sit about it, or at it, the minister is to begin the action with sanctifying and blessing the elements of bread and wine set before him, (the bread in comely and convenient vessels, so prepared, that, being broken by him, and given, it may be distributed amongst the communicants; the wine also in large cups,) having first, in a few words, shewed that those elements, otherwise common, are now set apart and sanctified to this holy use, by the word of institution and prayer.

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