Proclaiming the Lord's Death Until He Comes

Devotional

Day 1: When Snack Time Becomes Sacred Space

The Lord’s Supper isn’t about crackers and juice but about proclaiming Christ’s sacrifice. Just as a child’s tantrum over missing "church snacks" revealed deeper hunger, our communion points beyond physical elements to eternal truths. Jesus chose a meal to anchor our memory because shared tables forge shared stories. Every crumb and sip whispers, "He gave everything for you." This ritual isn’t routine—it’s rebellion against forgetting. [43:57]

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you reduced sacred moments to mere routine? How might taking communion next time rekindle your awe at Christ’s sacrifice?

Day 2: Gluten-Free Grace at God’s Table

A teen’s dietary restrictions became an invitation for the church to love creatively. Like volunteers crafting gluten-free meals to include one girl, Jesus reshapes communities to honor the “least.” The Lord’s Supper dismantles social hierarchies—no one gets leftovers in God’s family. True remembrance means making space for those the world overlooks. [36:54]

“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’… Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:21, 27, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your circle needs intentional inclusion? What practical step could make your community more like Christ’s table?

Day 3: Ten-Year-Old Orders and Eternal Memories

A decade-old restaurant order remembered mirrors how communion etches Christ’s love into our story. Shared meals create identity—the early church broke bread daily, binding strangers into family. Every Lord’s Supper renews our “order” as God’s people: forgiven, united, expectant. What we rehearse now shapes who we’ll be forever. [26:50]

“And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:46-47, ESV)

Reflection: What faith memory do you most need to recall today? How does communion strengthen your “family recipe” as God’s child?

Day 4: Punch-in-the-Face Letters and Potluck Rebukes

Paul’s harsh correction to the Corinthians mirrors a parent stopping kids from hoarding cupcakes. Communion tests our unity—do we devour grace selfishly or serve others first? The early church’s meal fights weren’t about food but failed love. Christ’s table demands we check our hearts before we chew the bread. [30:18]

“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:28-29, ESV)

Reflection: Is there anyone you’d struggle to sit beside at communion? What step could heal that division before next Sunday?

Day 5: “Christ Will Come Again” Echoes in Empty Cups

The crumpled communion cup isn’t trash but a trumpet blast. Like shouting “Christ will come again!” after taking the elements, we live between memory and promise. Each empty cup proclaims: the story isn’t over. One day the potluck will never end, the gluten-free feast will include everyone, and the Child who once threw a tantrum will lead the song. [48:43]

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, ESV)

Reflection: What brokenness makes you ache for Christ’s return? How does communion strengthen your hope while you wait?

Sermon Summary

Paul confronts the Corinthians with a hard word: “when you come together, it is not for the better but for the worse,” because “it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat.” Their meal has been hijacked by status and selfishness, so the hungry leave empty while others overindulge. In a world sorted like a high school cafeteria, the gospel has brought slave and free, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor into one body. The Supper, then, must embody that new reality. The table calls the church to remember the church, not the building but the people, to show deference, make room, and refuse to leave brothers and sisters out.

The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread and cup and said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The Supper carries a memorial weight. The elements do not turn into his body and blood; rather, they signify his once-for-all sacrifice and the new covenant promised by the prophets and written on hearts. His sinless life, his cross in the sinner’s place, his resurrection, and the gift of the Spirit are all held in these simple signs. This is not “church snack time.” It is remembering the body given and the blood poured out.

The text adds a cadence for the church’s life: “as often as you eat... you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Frequency can vary, but the aim does not. Proclaiming his death keeps resurrection hope alive in the middle of broken systems, broken bodies, and broken relationships. The refrain rings true: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Paul then presses for examination. Some in Corinth are eating and drinking judgment because they refuse to “discern the body.” The Supper is not a place to prove personal worthiness, because only one is worthy. It is a place to confess sin, seek reconciliation, and receive mercy. The call is not “am I worthy,” but “am I taking this in a worthy manner” that honors Christ and his body. Paul’s closing word lands plainly: “wait for one another.” The table is a shared grace, not a private grab. The church remembers the church, remembers what Jesus has done, remembers he is coming again, and remembers to examine itself.

Key Takeaways

1. Remember the church at the table The table is not a private moment but a family meal where the gospel rewrites social lines. Believers honor Christ by honoring one another, refusing to let anyone be invisible or left out. Love sets the pace, and patience sets the place. “Wait for one another” is part of the liturgy. [34:21]
2. Remember Christ’s body and blood Bread and cup carry the story of a sinless Savior who stood in the sinner’s place and sealed a new covenant in his blood. Nothing mystical happens to the elements; something meaningful happens in the church. Memory becomes worship, and worship becomes obedience. The signs point to the sacrifice that saves. [39:21]
3. Proclaim his death until he comes Saying “Jesus died” also says “Jesus lives” and “Jesus is returning.” That proclamation steadies suffering saints and confronts proud hearts, promising that wrongs will be put right. The table teaches the church to live on tiptoe, expectant and faithful. Hope is baked into the meal. [44:43]
4. Examine manner, not manufacture worth “Unworthy manner” targets how a person receives, not whether a person deserves. No one deserves this grace; Christ alone is worthy, and he welcomes the contrite. Honest self-scrutiny opens the door to repentance, reconciliation, and restored fellowship. The Supper is for the needy, not the numb. [50:57]
5. Let remembrance lead to reconciliation To “discern the body” includes seeking peace with actual people. Sometimes the right move is to pause, confess, and make a phone call before picking up the cup. The meal that announces forgiveness trains a forgiving people. Vertical grace bears horizontal fruit. [59:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[22:58] - VBS week and gratitude
[25:05] - Preparing to share the Lord’s Supper
[25:56] - Meals that carry memories
[28:42] - Turning to 1 Corinthians 11
[29:51] - Paul’s punchy rebuke in Corinth
[31:54] - Early church potluck context
[33:02] - Gospel overturns social pecking orders
[34:21] - Remember the church, not just bread and cup
[35:39] - Inclusion and the noise of real family
[38:33] - “This is my body… this cup…”
[39:44] - A Baptist memorial view of the Supper
[41:33] - New covenant, Spirit, and transformed hearts
[43:17] - Not “church snack time”
[44:21] - Proclaiming death until he comes
[47:09] - Hope for a broken world
[48:21] - The simple gospel refrain
[49:50] - Examine yourselves and discern the body
[54:57] - Unworthy manner vs. unworthy person
[59:21] - Move toward reconciliation
[60:01] - “Wait for one another”
[69:43] - Sharing the Supper together
[71:18] - Christ is risen; Christ will come again
[83:24] - Sent to proclaim the good news

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (ESV)
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 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, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. 33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

Observation Questions

What specific problem does Paul address in the Corinthian church regarding their gatherings (vv. 20-22)?
What two actions does Paul instruct believers to take before participating in the Lord’s Supper (vv. 28, 33)?
According to verse 26, what does the act of taking the bread and cup proclaim?

Interpretation Questions

Why does Paul connect divisions at the Lord’s Table (like favoring the wealthy or excluding the poor) to a failure to “discern the body” (v. 29)? How does this contradict the gospel’s message of unity?
The phrase “unworthy manner” (v. 27) focuses on how someone participates, not if they are worthy. Why is this distinction important for understanding grace and repentance?
What does the command to “wait for one another” (v. 33) reveal about the relationship between practical hospitality and spiritual worship?

Application Questions

In what ways might our church gatherings unintentionally exclude or overlook people (e.g., socioeconomic differences, age, disabilities)? How can we actively “wait for one another” in practical terms? [34:21]
When was the last time you paused to examine your heart (relationships, unconfessed sin, pride) before participating in communion? What step could you take this week to prepare more intentionally? [50:57]
The Supper proclaims Christ’s death until He returns. How can this hope shape your response to current struggles—whether personal, relational, or societal? [44:43]
Is there someone in your life (family, church, community) you need to reconcile with before taking communion again? What would it look like to “move toward reconciliation” this week? [59:21]
How can we cultivate a culture of “remembering the church” in everyday life—not just during formal gatherings? Share one practical way to honor Christ’s body this month.

Sermon Clips

36s

#UnityNotFactions

“In other words, Paul's saying, what's going on in church at Corinth is so bad, it would be better if you guys stayed home. That's not good news. Okay? He says, for in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part. For there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you might be recognized. In other words, some of you guys are acting like you're big shots. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper that you eat.”

45s

#DoThisInRemembrance

“When we come to the Lord's table, the first thing we need to remember is to remember our church, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Then we get to the section that you might be familiar with. Pollock says, okay. So you guys are doing all of this wrong. Let's talk about how to do it right. And he says this. He says, for I received from the Lord Jesus 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.”

46s

#HopeInChristReturn

“And what that means is no matter what is going on in your life, because we live in a world that is filled with darkness and sin and brokenness. And whether you are dealing with a health crisis or a financial crisis or a poverty crisis or broken relationships or a broken body, or broken systems of oppression. There will come a day when Jesus will come back and he will put right everything that was wrong. There will come a day when God's perfect world will be restored to its perfection, and we will all worship Jesus as Lord. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.”

54s

#ReconcileBeforeCommunion

“Use it as an opportunity to be reconciled to the Lord. Use it as an opportunity, to be restored in your relationship with God or your relationship with others. We remember our church. We remember what Jesus has done for us. We remember that Jesus is coming back, and we remember to examine ourselves. And Paul concludes, and he says, so then my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home so that when you come together, it will not be for judgment. About the other things, I'll give directions when he come when I come.”

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