The Lord's Supper is one of the most familiar practices in the Christian faith, but familiarity can cause us to miss what it is actually communicating. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul confronts a church that had allowed cultural social hierarchies to corrupt the way they gathered for communion. The wealthy were eating well while the poor went hungry, and in doing so, they were no longer honoring Jesus as the true host of the table. Jesus is the host, and at His table, everyone receives a full portion and no one is turned away. Examining ourselves before communion is not only about personal sin but also about how we are treating the people around us. The way we relate to one another either supports or undermines the Gospel we claim to believe. Our gatherings should carry both the memory of what Jesus did and the present evidence that He is still alive and active. Jesus saves a seat for everyone at His table, and the question is whether we are willing to act like it.
