A Glad Feast

Eucharistic Meditation

The Lord’s Supper is meant to be a feast, not a funeral, because it is a thanksgiving meal filled with joy, not sorrow. Although we do recall the death of Christ at this Table, we recall it with gladness and hearts filled with faith, for the Lamb was slain for the salvation of the world.

In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was often joined with a full meal known as a love-feast. The church would have what we call a “potluck,” and then at the end of the common meal, set aside the bread and wine. This sort of practice is how the Apostle Paul could rebuke the Corinthians for getting their fill before others, even to the point of drunkenness (1 Cor. 11:21).

Now, for various reasons, the practice of “love feasts” largely ceased in the church from the third century onward. However, while this particular custom has ceased, the celebrations continue. This meal is still a glad feast for the people of God. For at this Table we are joined together in love by God and with love for God. And as we commune with our Lord by His Spirit, this love overflows toward one another, as we recognize our unity as the Body of Christ.

So in the words of the Apostle Paul, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us keep the feast…” (1 Cor. 5:7). And come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

This communion meditation was given on March 2, AD 2026 at King’s Cross Church in Moscow, Idaho.