FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
Have We Lost the Reverence of the Lord’s Supper?
There was a time when the Lord’s Supper was approached with holy awe. It was sacred space—where hearts were humbled, sin was confessed, and the body of Christ remembered. But somewhere along the way, many churches have drifted into a casual, almost mechanical observance of communion. What was meant to stir our souls has become routine. We whisper the words—”This is Christ’s body, broken for you”—but do we feel the weight of them? Do we grasp the mystery and majesty of what we’re doing?
As Pastor Pete shared with us at Forge this week, the problem isn’t the words. It’s that we no longer prepare our hearts.
In 1 Corinthians 11:28, Paul gives a clear charge: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” This isn’t just a religious checkbox. It’s a call to pause. To reflect. To remember the price that was paid for our redemption. Communion should not sneak up on us Sunday morning. It should begin the night before—with prayer, confession, and quiet anticipation.
But we rarely give it that time.
Music blares through the sound system while communion servers—often unaware of their role as holy stewards—hand out the elements like samples at a grocery store. Some come dressed like they’re headed to the beach rather than to the Lord’s table. I’m not suggesting a return to neckties and long dresses for the sake of tradition. But I do believe our outer posture often reflects our inner one. When we lose the sense of reverence, we lose something deeper: our awareness of Christ’s real presence with us.
Communion is not about putting on a show. It’s about coming face to face with the Cross—where grace met justice, and love bled for us. It’s where we remember that Jesus didn’t just die for humanity, He died for me. For you.
It is meant to be a moment that re-energizes the believer in Christ. A time of spiritual nourishment. A fresh reminder that our sins have been paid for, that the tomb is empty, and that Jesus is alive. But when we approach it flippantly, hurriedly, or without reflection, we short-circuit the very blessing God offers us in the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the cup.
And maybe that’s the real loss. Not just the sense of formality or tradition—but the power.
If communion is just another part of the service, then we’ve missed the point. If the Lord’s table becomes background noise to our busy lives, we’ve dulled the one place God designed for us to stop, remember, and receive.
Maybe it’s time to recover the reverence.
Maybe it’s time to re-teach our churches that communion is not a ritual, it’s a holy moment. A sacred invitation. A grace-filled pause in a noisy world to encounter the crucified and risen Christ.
Do this in remembrance of Me, Jesus said.
Let’s not forget what that really means.
