From the Form for the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper⤒🔗

The fourth section of the Form for the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper deals with the Remembrance of Christ (Book of Praise, p.596). This section begins by pointing to the promises which God made to the believers of the Old Testament and which have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus:

Let us now consider for what purpose the Lord has instituted his supper; namely, that we should use it in remembrance of Him. We are to remember Him in the following manner:

First of all, let us fully trust that the Lord Jesus Christ was sent by the Father into this world, according to the promises made from the beginning to the fathers in the Old Testament, and that he assumed our flesh and blood.

God’s Promises Wonderfully Fulfilled!←⤒🔗

Jesus has commanded me to celebrate his Supper to remember Him.

Remembering – that means more than just thinking about the death of Christ.

Remembering – that also includes that I consider the manner in which my Redeemer has come to me, the way in which He has come into this world.

The world had to wait a long time. But the Lord Jesus has come, at the time that God had determined. At God’s time He came. This fact I must not forget: my Lord and Messiah was sent by the Father. I am able to discern God’s merciful faithfulness and goodness behind the cross of Golgotha.

I see God’s faithfulness towards his creation.

I see God’s goodness towards sinful people.

And in these things we discern his grace and mercy. From the beginning, already right after the fall into sin, these things were so. Adam and Eve hid themselves. They were sinful people and could no longer exist before God. “...when you eat of it you will surely die.”

And yet, at that very moment, God showed his faithfulness and goodness. He said: “I will redeem my people.” Adam and Eve were comforted that God would pardon fully

Immediately after the fall into sin, God announced his plan for redemption. The Redeemer would come at God’s time. Yet the Lord made his light shine already in paradise. The very first sinners, Eve and her husband, found shelter with Christ, and hid in his shadow. What a miracle of grace!

For Adam and Eve.

For all believers.

For me.

Why is it a miracle for me? Because since that time God has not changed at all. He continues with his plan of salvation, despite all the efforts of Satan to prevent it.

When the descendants of Cain gained the upper hand, God saved Noah by means of the waters of the flood. And when later the people again chose their own ways, God ordained that the road to salvation would go via Abraham and his descendants. And when the people of Israel were exiled, the Lord kept alive a faithful remnant.

God did all this because He is faithful and his plans cannot fail, certainly not his plan of salvation. Satan cannot stop Him.

Therefore, God’s Son became Man. This happened at God’s time: a long waiting period, yet He came. In God’s way: conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the virgin Mary. With one purpose: to reconcile people of flesh and blood with their God, people such as you and I.

Therefore Jesus also took upon himself my flesh and blood, took upon Himself my sins and carried them to the cross.

In paradise God Himself revealed this gospel.

Later He spoke of it through the holy patriarchs and the prophets.

And finally God gloriously fulfilled His promise in his only begotten Son.

At the table I do not think only of the death of Christ on the cross. I also think of God’s gracious goodness and faithfulness. From the very beginning He already marked the road of salvation along which my Redeemer would come. From the very beginning He already thought of me!

Christ came into this world. Christ also came into my life. God included me in his covenant.

God granted me faith through his Holy Spirit.

In this way He continues to fulfil His age-old promises every day anew. This shows his goodness and faithfulness. This is grace as well. Therefore I may celebrate the Lord’s Supper next Lord’s day. I know with mind and heart: Christ has accomplished all things for me. His Spirit will strengthen my faith.

Readings for the Week of Preparation←⤒🔗

Sunday:	Genesis 3:1-15
Monday:	Genesis 12:1-9
Tuesday:	2 Samuel 23:1–7
Wednesday:	Isaiah 9:1-6
Thursday:	Isaiah 11:1-10
Friday:	Micah 4:1-3 and 7:18-20
Saturday:	Galatians 4:1-7
Sunday:	Luke 1:5-25 – in the morning
	Luke 1:26-38 – in the evening

From the Scriptures←⤒🔗

Genesis 3:15←↰⤒🔗

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Luke 1:67-79←↰⤒🔗

67. (John the Baptist’s) father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

68. “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.

69. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David

70. (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

71. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us –

72. to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

73. the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

74. to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear

75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

76. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

77. to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,

78. because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

79. to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Singing←⤒🔗

Hymn 14:1, 2←↰⤒🔗

1. Blest be the God of Israel
   The Lord who visited his own;
   Who by His gracious providence
   Redemption unto us made known.
   Within his servant David’s tent
   Has He to us, his people,
   sent The horn of full salvation;
   E’en as He spoke by holy men of old,
   Who unto Israel foretold
   How He to them his mercy would unfold.

2. He promised that He us would save
   From all who for our ruin wait,
   And from the hands of them that rave
   Against us with a warring hate;
   To show the mercy once foretold
   Unto our fathers, and uphold
   His holy cov’nant with us;
   That He would still remember in his care
   The oath which He to Abram sware,
   To benefit his seed from heir to heir.