LESSON TWELVE – THE LORD’S TABLE MEETING

1 Cor. 11:24-25 — Having given thanks, He broke it and said, This is My body, which is given for you; this do unto the remembrance of Me. Similarly also the cup after they had dined, saying, This cup is the new covenant established in My blood; this do, as often as you drink it, unto the remembrance of Me.

REMEMBERING THE LORD— WITH THE LORD AS THE CENTER

The bread-breaking meeting is not for anything other than remembering the Lord with the remembrance of the Lord as its center for the Lord’s enjoyment. Everything in this meeting, whether hymn singing, prayer, Bible reading, or words of inspiration, should take the Lord as the center, speaking either concerning His person and work, His love and virtues, His living or suffering on the earth, or His honor or glory in heaven, that others may consider or realize these things in order to remember the Lord Himself. In such a meeting, we should think of the Lord in our hearts and behold the Lord in our spirit that we would be inspired concerning the Lord. Then we will express our inspiration through songs, prayers, reading of the Bible, or words, that the feeling of the entire meeting would be directed to the Lord and that all would remember the Lord. (Life Lessons, vol. 2, pp. 27-28)

THE PRACTICE OF REMEMBERING THE LORD

By Eating the Bread

The next crucial point concerning our remembrance of the Lord is our eating the bread to enjoy the fellowship in Christ’s mystical Body. The breaking of the bread mainly implies the Lord’s physical body broken for us on the cross. Eating the bread, which is to take in the bread, mainly implies the fellowship in the mystical Body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16b-17).

By Drinking the Cup

Our drinking the cup is to review the redemption of the new covenant. For this point it would be good to read Matthew 26:27-28: “He took a cup and gave thanks, and He gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, all of you, for this is My blood of the covenant, which is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

To eat the bread is to receive life; to drink the cup is to receive blessing. In the Bible the bread is called the bread of life (John 6:35a), and the cup is called the cup of blessing (1 Cor. 10:16a). Thus, to eat the bread means to receive the life supply, and to drink the cup means to receive the blessing.

We have a joint and mutual participation in the drinking of the one cup. Both eating and drinking indicate oneness and fellowship, communion (1 Cor. 10:16a).

At the Lord’s table we do not remember the Lord’s death, but we declare, proclaim, display, the Lord’s death. First Corinthians 11:26 says, “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you declare the Lord’s death until He comes.”

First Corinthians 11:26b says that we declare the Lord’s death until He comes. While we declare the Lord’s death, we express our desire of the Lord’s second coming.

WORSHIPPING THE FATHER— WITH THE FATHER AS THE CENTER

[After breaking the bread and drinking the cup], the Lord will lead us to worship the Father. This is based upon Matthew 26:30, which says that after the Lord finished His supper with His disciples, He and the disciples sang a hymn. That hymn was sung by the Lord with His disciples to the Father. In the Lord’s table the Lord takes the lead to praise the Father, to worship the Father. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “Basic Lessons on Service,” pp. 19-22)

According to Hebrews 2:12, after we have broken the bread in remembrance of the Lord, we should be led by the Lord to worship the Father. In this section of the meeting, we take the Father as the center, and, as depicted in Hymns, #52, all our singing of praises to the Father is the Lord in us leading us to sing praises to the Father. (Life Lessons, vol. 2, p. 36)

References: Life Lessons,  lsns. 16, 17; CWWL, 1979, vol. 2, “Basic Lessons on Service,” chs. 2, 3, 5; Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msgs. 49, 50, 54—56

LORD, WE THANK THEE FOR THE TABLE

Praise of the Lord— Remembrance of Him – 221

• Lord, we thank Thee for the table,
  With the bread and with the wine;
  At this table we enjoy Thee
  As the feast of love divine.
  We partake the bread, the emblem
  Of Thy body giv’n for us;
  And we share the wine, the symbol
  Of Thy blood Thou shedd’st for us.

Lo, the holy table!
With the sacred symbols;
Its significance in figure
Is unsearchable!

• By the death of Thy redemption,
  That Thy life Thou may impart,
  E’en Thyself to us Thou gavest
  That we share in all Thou art.
  By the bread and wine partaking,
  We Thy death display and prove;
  Eating, drinking of Thyself, Lord,
  We remember Thee with love.

• By this bread which signifieth
  Thy one body mystical,
  We commune with all Thy members
  In one bond identical.
  By this holy cup of blessing,
  Cup of wine which now we bless,
  Of Thy blood we have communion
  With all those who faith possess.

• Thou art our eternal portion,
  Here we take a sweet foretaste;
  We are waiting for Thy kingdom,
  And Thy coming now we haste.
  At Thy coming, in Thy kingdom,
  With all saints that overcome,
  We anew will feast upon Thee
  And Thy loving Bride become.