The words of grace that surround this Table of grace are glorious words. The great Augustine once said that if God gave what He commanded, He could command whatever He wanted. This Table has conditions—the unholy are not welcome. This Table contains a promise—the unholy are most welcome. Scripture frequently assigns conditions to us. If …
What Else Was Broken?
The words of institution say that this bread is the body of Christ, which is broken for you. But that is not the only thing that is broken. Scripture says, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19, ESV). When Christ …
Actual Neighbors
As we gear up for our upcoming campaign centered on the theme of Gospel Presence, we want to urge you to do just a few things to prepare yourselves for what we want to do. One of the things we don’t want to do is think of these campaigns as events where we do something, …
No Dead Space Between Us
One of our problems is that we do not recognize the reality of our relationships. We tend to think of individuals as hard centers of reality, and the relations between them as being a matter of arrangement. If things are good, well, that’s fine, but they can be “not good,” and the individual is still …
Brokenness and Unity
When I lift up the loaf and break it, this fraction of the bread is a key element of our observance of the Supper here. It is not just important because Jesus broke the loaf He had, and we are to mimic everything without understanding. No, there is a world of glory in everything here. …
To Untie Every Knot
The Puritan William Bridge once said that “the word ‘father’ is a sweet word, for it sweetens all our duties.” So it is here. We have a duty or an obligation to come here to the Supper, but at the same time, it is a sweet duty. The Lord Jesus is here, His Spirit is …
Evicting Everybody
ExhortationGod expects our worship of Him to come from honest lips. We know that we are not capable of this on our own steam, but we should also know—just as certainly—that God’s grace makes honesty possible for sinners in this world. With it having been made possible, by His grace alone, it is therefore obligatory …
When Your Child is the Mystery Pill
Children are often the beginning of conflict between adults. Sometimes it isn’t their fault, but at the same time, it sometimes is. There are multiple ways this can happen, but let me focus on just one. The attitude that drives this one is found in most if not all of the others, and so it …
Done With Accusation
This Table goes by various names, like the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, or by the Lord’s Supper, or the Lord’s Table. One of the common names for it is communion. In this meal, we have communion with the Lord Jesus, and with one another. But communion entails more than a nebulous spirit of unity. Christian …
Keeping It All
This Table embodies one of the central realities of the Christian life, which is the glory of my life for yours. Of course, it doesn’t seem that way. It is designed to seem different than it is, so that we can walk by faith, and not by sight. How can breaking bread make it whole? …