Reconciled at the Lord's Table

Summary

This communion service opens with the question the disciples asked Jesus - where do you want us to prepare the Passover - turned back on every listener: where do you want to meet with the Lord today? The preacher calls the church to prepare their hearts, setting aside every sin and every doubt, before approaching the Lord's Table.

Reading from 1 Corinthians 11 and 2 Corinthians 5, the message centers on reconciliation. While we were still sinners and even enemies of God, Christ died for us, and now God no longer counts our trespasses against us. The parable of the prodigal son shows that the Father's deepest joy is not only that the lost son survived, but that their broken relationship was fully restored.

Drawing on Psalm 103, where God carries our sins as far as the east is from the west, the congregation is urged to come to the cross, confess, forgive one another, and receive the bread and cup worthily - living no longer for themselves but for the One who died and rose again.

Key Points

• Communion is a personal meeting with Christ, so prepare your heart before you come.
• We are reconciled to God now, not someday: while we were still enemies, Christ died for us.
• God no longer holds our sins against us; He removes them as far as the east is from the west.
• The prodigal son's greatest gift was not survival but the restored embrace of the Father.
• You cannot share the bread and cup at peace with God while holding bitterness toward people, so forgive.
• The blood of Christ cleanses every sin, from the greatest to the smallest.
• Live no longer for yourself but for the One who died and rose for you.