For communion this past Sunday we meditated on Christ, The Lord of the Feast. For many of us our faith tradition rightly emphasizes the need for solemn self-examination in approaching the Lord’s Table. In doing so we’ve unintentionally neglected another important biblical emphasis: the Lord’s Table is meant to increase our assurance of pardon and reassure of his steadfast love. Yes, it’s a Table for repentant sinners. But it’s still a Table for sinners. 

Accordingly, many of us often approach the Lord’s Table suspicious of his grace. We think that God’s called us to the Table “to get us” rather than than to reassure us. In the end, even his desire to reassure of his love through the Lord’s Supper is meant to lead us to ongoing repentance and faith, as his goodness and grace always do. 

To illustrate how suspicious of grace we are when coming to the Lord’s Table, we referenced the film Babette’s Feast. An entire congregation grows suspicious about an extravagant meal being provided by a loyal housekeeper. The film provides a convicting reflection of the way we often approach the Lord’s Supper-suspicious of grace. It also displays the unifying results within a congregation when we boast in his lavish grace and nothing else.