We look forward to celebrating Easter during our livestream service this Sunday at 10am! We will be reflecting on the Lord as our Refuge and the hope we have in him because of the resurrection. We hope you can join us and encourage you to invite a friend to tune in, as well, at
nscbc.org/live
.
We will also be sharing communion this Sunday. Below is a letter from Pastor Bobby which outlines the significance of communion, why we have chosen to take it at this time, and how to practically prepare for it.
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:23
This coming Easter Sunday we plan to take communion together online. We never could have imagined sharing the Lord’s Supper this way. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink many of our common practices and cherished traditions. Nevertheless, the celebration of “the Lord’s death until he comes” is an ordinance instituted by Christ that goes back to the “night when he was betrayed.” There are two rites that Jesus set up for his followers to observe: 1) a rite of entry into fellowship with Christ and the church (baptism) and 2) a right of remembrance of that fellowship that he secured with his death and resurrection (communion). And these rights are both considered a “sign” and a “seal” (Rom 4:11).
Communion as a sign and a seal
As a
sign
, communion reminds us that Jesus loved us to the full-extent (John 13:1) – holding nothing back, body and soul, in his sacrificial redemption of us (Mark 10:45). He really did die and rise again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). And though we cannot see everything in subjection to him, we believe that he is reigning even now as our Servant King, and will one day reunite heaven and earth (Heb 2:8-9, Rev 21:1-2).
The Lord’s Supper reminds us of these truths and
seals
them on our hearts. Just as the Bible makes the promises of God audible, so the ordinances (baptism and communion) make the gifts of salvation
visible.
And when we receive these rites by faith, resting in Christ alone for salvation, these promises are sealed by the Holy Spirit as belonging to us. The sign serves as a declaration of his grace. The seal serves as a communication of that grace through the presence of the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16-17, Gal 4:4-6); namely that by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, we belong to God (Eph 2:8). This is only a foretaste of what we celebrate when we take communion together.
Should we take communion at this time?
So how can we do this without physically gathering together on a Sunday? Shouldn’t we wait until this pandemic passes over? Won’t that only increase our longing and appreciation for the Lord’s Supper? It certainly may. And we recognize that some may not be comfortable taking communion in this manner. You have that freedom. Nor do we want to minimize the pain and grief of physical separation. We uphold the value of embodied corporate worship. We would far rather gather physically together on Easter Sunday.
But on balance, after consulting with: theological arguments for and against, other pastors in the North Shore Gospel Partnership, and our Converge denomination; the Elder Board believes that we should take communion at this time and sense the need to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, perhaps now more than ever. Moreover, we see this as an opportunity to remember truths sometimes overlooked in our corporate gatherings – namely that we are united spiritually to Christ through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Rom 6:5-7, Eph 1:13-14).
We have real unity through the Holy Spirit
We are “seated with Christ” even now in the “heavenly places” (Eph 2:6). And beyond that, we are united with the worldwide church – the “great cloud of witnesses” – both now and throughout the ages (Heb 12:1, 22-24). So Christ is really present with us, through the Holy Spirit, whether we gather physically or virtually. And we are really present with him in heaven, through the Holy Spirit, with all the saints that have gone before us (Rev 6:9, Col 3:1-4). Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we join together with Christians throughout the world in China, Rwanda, Australia, Tunisia, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, etc. We gather with saints that are living and those who have gone before. Most importantly, we gather before our Father, united in Christ, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And just because it’s a ‘spiritual-gathering’ doesn’t mean that it’s less real; in fact the spiritual things are the most ‘real’ of all.
How to prepare for communion
So as you make preparations for communion this Sunday we want to encourage the following:
- Spend some time reflecting on these truths. You might want to look up some of these passages referenced in this article. You might want to ‘work it over’ in conversation with each other. Let’s use this opportunity to intensify and deepen our appreciation of the Lord’s Table.
- You might also want to have a conversation with your family ahead of time. Communion is for those who are resting in Christ for salvation and seeking to live as his followers. Maybe you’ve never talked to your children about where they stand on these issues. Maybe this Sunday is an opportunity for parents to re-discover their spiritual leadership in the home and discuss these matters together.
- You will want to have some bread and ‘wine’ ready for communion ahead of time. Maybe have it set out on the coffee table or elsewhere before the service starts at 10:00am. After the sermon, I will introduce the time of communion. I will remind us what it means and why we celebrate it together. There will be an instrumental song about the Lord’s provision and grace to us, which will allow us to prepare ourselves to take communion together. After the song I will invite us to take and eat the bread, followed by a prayer, and then to drink from the cup. During this time you can hand out the elements to each other – first the bread, then after the prayer, the cup. It’s not about perfection or performance; God looks upon the heart (1 Sam 16:7; Mic 6:6-8). After that we will pray and sing together.
One day I trust that we will gather again at 9 Hart St. in Beverly for gathered worship. And when that day comes – whatever day it is – we will take communion together in great celebration. But until then we trust that the “sign and seal” of Christ’s death, resurrection, and reign will encourage your hearts, and remind you of your union with Christ and his people throughout the world and time. And we trust that if we’re all “in Christ” together, he can’t be far from us, nor we from each other.
Yours in Jesus,
Pastor Bobby
