Honoring the Lord’s Table

We come this week to the first Sunday of the month. We plan to again observe Lord’s Table as a part of our Morning Worship. And, as we gather for worship in this way, we want honor, not profane, the Lord’s Table.

In the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, the people were charged by the Lord with the offense of profaning the Lord’s table, or altar. Jesus, of course, had not yet instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s table, and yet the Old Testament community had been taught the standards by which they could approach the table/altar - only with acceptable sacrifices. They had been bringing blemished sacrifices, and the Lord was not pleased (Malachi 1:6-14).

Is this same offense possible for us today? Yes, in a sense. We come to the Lord’s table, and it is “the Lord’s” for two reasons: 1) because He is the Lord of the table; at the head of the table, so to speak; and 2) because He is the One who gave of Himself, so that the emblems of the table point directly to Him.

I would suggest that we can be guilty of profaning the Lord’s table if we make it more about us than about Him. How would we do that? By celebrating our goodness rather than our sinfulness. By coming proudly and arrogantly, as though we were saved in some other way than the abundant mercies of our Savior. By elevating ourselves in our minds over others who may not be present.

One of the amazing things about Malachi’s audience is that they were not even aware of their sin. Whenever God would bring a charge against them, they would say, “How have we profaned the Lord’s table?” They could not even see their sin when they were confronted with it! We must not think that we are naturally more perceptive than they. We need to take this warning to heart, and embrace the Lord of the table; the Savior who mercifully saves sinners, like us.

One further note: these “worshippers” in Malachi were also guilty of regarding their sacrificial offering as “tiresome.” Over and over again, they would come to offer sacrifices, and some were doing it on the cheap. And, over and over we come to the Lord’s table, “in remembrance of Me (Jesus).” If it becomes tiresome to us, then we are not grasping the wonder of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Let us come prepared, to set self aside, and to present our hearts open to Him.