I couldn’t help notice the young man squirming impatiently in the pew.

It continued until the sacraments of The Lord’s Supper ritual were eventually distributed to him and the rest of us present in the local congregation. But then, having partaken of the bread and juice, he flew the coop.

I had to assume he thought participating in Christian communion was a crucial act of self-preservation in itself. But what caught my attention was that, regardless of what he might have thought it meant, he took it very seriously.

And that’s important.

Because sincerity was the focus of the apostle Paul’s letter to the church of God which [was] at Corinth when he recounted to them the significance of Jesus Christ’s covenantal supper with His disciples. [see: Matt. 26:26-28]

So, what was Paul trying to get across to the congregations whenever they would come together to share The Lord’s Supper? [see: 1Cor. 11:23-33]

I would think that taking the sacraments “…in remembrance of Christ” would be at the top of the list. [vss. 24-25] It seems easy enough. But to seriously consider [or remember] what Jesus did and what happened to Him as a result is both unsettling and humbling.

Having repeated Jesus’ words, Paul wrote:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” [vs. 26]

[καταγγέλλω: (kâ-tân-gê’-lō) proclaim, make known, preach, teach, advocate]

I used to unwittingly limit the full context of this sentence. Sure, every time I took communion, I was declaring that Jesus died on the cross and that He’s coming back again. Right?

But I’m also saying something more profound.

By “proclaiming” His death, I’m demonstrating to the world my intention to die also to the power of sin. That’s making a serious statement.

But Paul mentioned something else worth repeating:

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.” [1Cor. 11:27] [my emphasis]

[ἀναξίως: adverb, (â-nâck-sî’-ōs) in an unworthy, improper or careless manner]

So what would make a man unworthy to take communion? I’m certainly not qualified to say, but I can learn how to make that determination about myself. Paul had some suggestions:

“But let [a] man examine himself, and in so doing, let him [decide whether to] eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one eating and drinking does [indeed] eat and drink judgment to himself if he does not discern the body correctly. For this reason, many among you are weak and sick, and many die. But, if we were discerning ourselves correctly, we would not be [in the process of] being judged. [1Cor. 11: 28-31] [my emphasis]

[δοκιμάζω: (dô-kî-mâ’-zō) test, examine interpret, discern, discover, approve, prove, demonstrate]

It appears that some level of prayerful introspection is necessary for any disciple of Jesus Christ to be able to demonstrate to Him [and to himself] that he is in fact worthy of sharing in The Lord’s Supper.

But whatever might make him unworthy of actually partaking of these sacraments is for him alone to decide.

According to Paul, our Lord demands us to solemnly qualify ourselves for the occasion of Holy communion. If I can see that I’m not able to do that, I might want to pass on the bread and grape juice that day.

If I don’t, then perhaps I should get serious about accepting the consequences.