At CrossPoint Church, one of the meaningful rhythms we share across all our locations is the regular practice of the Lord’s Supper. While the moment itself may be brief within a service, its significance is deeply rooted in the commands and promises of Scripture.
The Lord’s Supper is one of two ordinances Jesus gave to His church, the other being baptism. On the night before His crucifixion, in Matthew 26, Jesus gathered with His disciples and established this practice, instructing them to continue it in remembrance of Him. From the very beginning, the Lord’s Supper has served as a visible and tangible reminder of the gospel.
The bread and the cup are symbols that point us directly to the cross. The bread represents Christ’s body, broken for us. The cup represents His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins. As the apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11, whenever believers eat this bread and drink this cup, they proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again. The Lord’s Supper continually draws the church back to the central truth of our faith: that Jesus Christ willingly gave His life so that sinners could be saved.
Because of this, the Lord’s Supper is far more than a church tradition or routine we practice. It’s an act of remembrance and proclamation. When we participate, we are remembering the sacrifice of Christ and declaring our faith and trust in Him for salvation. It is a moment for the church to slow down, reflect on the weight of the cross, and give thanks for His sufficient grace that has been extended to us through Jesus.
The Lord’s Supper is also meant to be experienced together as a community of believers–even as one church in many places! 1 Corinthians 10:17 reminds us that “because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.” When the church takes communion, it becomes a visible expression of our unity in Christ. Though we come from different backgrounds and life experiences, we share the same Savior and the same hope because of what He accomplished through His death and resurrection.
For this reason, participation in the Lord’s Supper is reserved for those who have personally placed their faith in Jesus Christ. At CrossPoint, we practice what we call open communion for believers. This means that anyone who has professed faith in Christ is welcome to participate, regardless of church partnership. However, Scripture also calls us to approach it with reverence. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” This calls us to come with humble hearts–confessing sin, trusting fully in Christ, and recognizing the seriousness and beauty of the sacrifice we remember.
Each time we share in the Lord’s Supper, we return to the foundation of our faith. We approach with humility and gratitude. We remember the cross. We proclaim the gospel. We give thanks to Jesus, who gave His life so that we might have life in Him.
Micah Sanderson | CrossPoint Hays