Why We Celebrate the Lord's Supper and Baptism...and Why it Matters

Some Sundays, I come to church feeling pretty good about my walk with Jesus. I've spent time in the Word, I've prayed, and I'm encouraged by what God is doing in my life.

Other Sundays…not so much.

Maybe I've been impatient with someone I love. Maybe I've let life and ministry responsibilities crowd out time with the Lord. Or maybe I've found myself struggling with something I thought I'd moved past a long time ago.

I love Jesus. I trust him. But I still have plenty of moments when I'm reminded of just how much I need his grace.

And then we come to the Lord's Table.

I've always liked how Jesus uses ordinary things to communicate such important truths. Water, bread, and a cup. None of them is particularly remarkable on its own. Yet Jesus has given them to his church to help us understand and remember the gospel.

We call baptism and the Lord's Supper ordinances because Jesus commanded us to observe them. But they're not simply religious traditions we continue out of habit. They're gifts Jesus gave His church to strengthen our faith and remind us that we belong to Him and to one another.

When someone is baptized, we're seeing a picture of what it means to be united with Christ. Paul explains in Romans 6:3-4 that believers share in Jesus' death and resurrection. Going beneath the water pictures the death of our old life, and coming up out of the water pictures the new life we've received in Him.

Of course, the water itself doesn't wash away anyone's sin. Jesus does that through his death and resurrection. That's why we baptize those who have placed their faith in Christ. Baptism is their public declaration that they belong to him.

And I love watching our church celebrate a baptism.

We're not just watching someone express their personal faith. We're celebrating God's work in their life and recognizing that they've become part of something bigger than themselves. That’s why we cheer when a person comes out of the water. It’s a moment to celebrate!

Here’s the beautiful thing that we often miss. Jesus doesn't save us and then leave us to figure out the Christian life on our own. He brings us into a family where we're known, encouraged, challenged, and cared for. I think we need to remember that, especially in a culture that tends to treat faith as a private matter.

The Lord's Supper reminds us of that same grace.

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus took bread and a cup and gave them to his disciples. The bread pointed to his body given for us. The cup pointed to his blood, poured out to forgive our sins.

In 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul tells us that whenever we eat the bread and drink the cup, we're proclaiming the Lord's death until He comes.

We remember the cross, but we also look ahead to the day Jesus returns. Redemption has been accomplished, and one day we'll enjoy its fullness in His presence.

Something else is happening at the Table. Paul describes the Lord's Supper as a participation in Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). As we receive the bread and cup in faith, Christ strengthens us by his Spirit. His sacrifice doesn't need to be repeated, but we continue to need the grace and encouragement he provides.

That's one reason we celebrate the Lord's Supper every week at New City. And I'm grateful that we do.

I need that regular reminder of the gospel. I need to remember that my relationship with God doesn't depend on whether I've had a good week. It rests on what Jesus has already accomplished for me.

When we come to the Lord's Table, we're coming to the Table of grace!

We're not celebrating our accomplishments or how much we've improved as Christians. We're celebrating Jesus and the grace his sacrifice purchased for us.

Now, Scripture does call us to examine ourselves before participating (1 Corinthians 11:27–29). The Table is for those who belong to Christ, and we should come with repentance and faith. But I think we sometimes confuse examining ourselves with trying to make ourselves worthy.

I've heard Christians encouraged to stay away from the Lord's Table when they're struggling with sin, as though they need to get things right with God before they can come back. I understand the desire to take the Lord's Supper seriously. We should. But I wonder if, in our effort to honor the Table, we've sometimes missed the grace Jesus intended us to receive there.

There's a difference between someone who refuses to repent and someone who is struggling against sin and longing to follow Jesus. We should never treat sin casually. But if you're trusting in Christ, confessing your sin, and turning toward him, you don't need to wait until you've had a better week to come to the Table.

The Lord's Supper isn't a reward for having your life together. It's a gift Christ has given to strengthen the faith of those who belong to him.

We're not coming because we've made ourselves worthy. We're coming because Jesus is worthy, and through his sacrifice, he's made a place for us.

That's why I call it the Table of grace.

And we're celebrating it corporately. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:17 that because there is one bread, we who are many are one body. We may come from different backgrounds and carry different burdens, but we belong to the same Savior.

So when you witness a baptism, remember what Jesus has done to bring someone from death to life. And when you receive the bread and cup, remember that you're being welcomed to a Table where the focus isn't on what you've accomplished.

It's on what Jesus has accomplished for you.

That's why we celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper. Jesus knows how easily we forget what matters most, and he's graciously given us these gifts to keep bringing us back to him.