Examine Yourself

Anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

PARENTING OUR CHILDREN in the pew can be a challenge. We want to worship, and we want to bring up good listeners and glad worshipers. Depending on how the Lord’s Supper is handled in the church we attend, it can be very challenging to help our hungry little children understand that the bread and the cup are for those who have been joined to Christ by faith and are not just a snack for all to enjoy during the church service.

As our children grow, the challenge may change, but it is still there —how to help our children grasp the meaning and enter into the blessing of the table, as well as examine themselves before the table. Frankly, it would be easier to let this go. But when we read Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11, we realize that neglecting to teach our children what it means to eat the bread and drink the cup in an unworthy way is to neglect to protect them from eating and drinking God’s judgment on themselves.

When Paul writes about eating and drinking unworthily, he’s not concerned about whether the person deserves to approach the Lord’s Table. If that were the case, none of us could eat and drink. To come to the table in an unworthy way is to come with a heart of indifference toward one’s sin or a refusal to repent of sin. Paul calls on believers to examine themselves prior to approaching the table, not to find reasons for why they are unworthy, but to find evidence of a repentant heart —evidence of grace at work.

Lord, I need this reminder of your expectation of self-examination before I come and feed on your broken body and shed blood. It is easy to go through the motions, and it’s often uncomfortable to look squarely at the condition of my heart. So thank you for your Word that reminds me to examine myself. And, Lord, give me the opportunity and the words to talk to ________ about the importance of self-examination before your table. Help me to communicate this rich truth in a way that draws ________ toward your table and, therefore, toward you.