True Christian Observance of the Lord’s Supper
by Darrell A. Davis. The Bible Advocate, March 15, 1937
This service includes feet washing, eating of bread and drinking of wine. It was instituted to be a blessing to every child of God. Every true Christian, every true follower of Christ, should take part in this observance. The church should not, and does not, make it a test of fellowship; but Christ makes it a test of fellowship, for He said to Peter, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me’.’ John 13:8.
Every heart must be prepared for this solemn occasion. “whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.” I Cor. 11:27. “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself.” Verse 29. Some have said, “I will not take part this year because I am not worthy.” But God wants us to follow a few simple instructions, and then we will be worthy in His sight. “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” Verse 28. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. “ James 4;8. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I
John 1:9. Whether we feel worthy or not, God expects us to prepare ourselves the best we know how, and He will accept us.
The ordinance of feet washing will help to prepare us for the partaking of bread and wine. Feet washing is as much for us as the Lord’s Supper is for us. Many professed Christians do not practice feet washing. They say that it is not necessary to actually perform the service, but just be willing to do it. The fact that they do not perform the service shows that they are not willing to do it. There is real enjoyment and happiness in it, if they only knew it. “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” John 13:17. And the way to get the most lasting enjoyment out of such a service is to go to the one that has wronged you the most, or the one that you love the least. Or the one that is least esteemed in the church, and wash that person’s feet. The Holy Spirit will touch both your hearts, and you will have a joy and peace and comfort such as you cannot get in any other way.
Carful preparation should be made for the entire service. Unleavened bread should be baked aby a deaconess, or an elder’s wife, or one of the other sisters in the church. This gives more sacredness and reverence to the occasion that when bread is purchased, The wine should be the pure juice of the grape, unfermented, and free from sugar or anything else. Matt. 26:29 speaks of the “fruit of the vine” which shows that it was not water, as some would try to make us believe.
The table should be covered with a clean, white cloth. The bread should be on one or more plates and should be broken and blessed in the presence of the assembly. The wine should be in clean individual glasses or cups. Some say that all drank from one cup, but it does not say so. In Matt 26:27 we find the expression, “Drink ye all of it.” This may mean that each one had a cup, for if there was only one cup for everybody, and the first one served was to “Drink ye all of it” there would be nothing left for the others.
The service shall be in charge of a minister or church elder, who shall break the bread. He shall also pass the bread and the wine. If more than one elder is present, the work may be divided. Deacons also are qualified to pass the bread and wine, which are emblems of the body and blood of Christ. I Cor. 10:16. All should wait until every one is served, and then all eat tat the same time. Follow the same procedure when the wine is served, all partaking together. “Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.” I Cor. 11:33. The wine cups should be gathered and put on the table.
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” Mark 14:26. A well known song should be sung to close the meeting. No benediction is necessary, Depart immediately in quiet meditation. Let no one remain to visit, not even for one minute, because that always destroys to some degree the spiritual uplift and experience that goes with it.
Any bread which has been blessed and unused should be consumed by fire. All this should be sacredly and religiously done. Wine which has been blessed and unused should be reverently poured out.
If there is any difference of opinion concerning the communion service, let us all have charity enough to try to have everything done in the way that will be agreeable to the greatest number of believers. “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you, Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:53, 54. “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:19, 20.
In the Continuing Church of God we tend to use the term 'Passover,' instead of 'Lord's Supper.'
More about it can be found in the following:
How often should we partake of THE LORD'S SUPPER? Herbert Armstrong answers that question.
Keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread How should Christians keep Passover, especially if they are by themselves. Why does the Church of God not require lambs for Passover? How does one keep the Days of Unleavened Bread? For a step-by-step video for Christians to keep it, check out a CCOG Passover Service; here is a link to the service in Spanish: Servicion de Pascua CCOG. Here is a link to a related article in the Spanish language: Guardando la Pascua y los Días de los Panes sin Levadura.
Examine Yourself before Passover This article goes into some of why real Christians are to do this. Two related sermons are Really examine yourself before Passover and Passover Examination. Here is a link to this article in the Spanish language: Examínese antes de la Pascua.
Preparing for Passover The Apostle Paul taught that Christians should examine themselves prior to taking Passover. This YouTube video sermon gives suggestions on how to prepare.
Passover and the Early Church Did the early Christians observe Passover? What did Jesus and Paul teach? Why did Jesus die for our sins? There is also a detailed YouTube video available titled History of the Christian Passover.
The Passover Plot What was the first Passover plot? Which plots have Islam and the Greco-Roman faiths perpetuated about Passover? A sermon video of related interest is The Passover Plots, Including Easter.
Melito's Homily on the Passover This is one of the earliest Christian writings about the Passover. This also includes what Apollinaris wrote on the Passover as well. Here is a related sermon, also titled Melito's Homily on the Passover.
TPM: Passover on the 14th or 15th? While the real COG observes Passover on the 14th, some observe it on the 15th. Why is the 14th correct? A related sermon is titled Is Passover on the 14th or 15th for Christians?
Did the Apostles Keep Passover on Easter Sunday or Nisan 14 Some have claimed that the Apostles Peter and Paul institued Easter Sunday, whereas the Apostles John and Philip kept Passover on Nisan 14. Were the apostles divided? What does the historical and biblical evidence point to? Here is a link to a related video: Did Peter, Paul, & John keep Easter Sunday or Passover?
Unleavened Bread recipes A Serbian COG member, now CCOG elder, sent these recipes for those who would like more ways to prepare unleavened bread. Here is a link to recipes in Spanish: Recetas de Recuerdo.