Baptism is a kind of front door to the local church, the God-ordained means through which a person identifies with Jesus Christ and formally comes to belong to Christ’s body, the church. Baptism is the church’s sign that this person is one of us, a brother or sister in the Lord, who has now been welcomed into the house through the front door.
And just like baptism proves that a person belongs, so too does the Lord’s Supper. Bobby Jamieson says that if baptism can be understood as the front door of the house, then the Lord’s Supper can be understood as the family meal for all the members of the house. The family is identified by walking through the front door, and the family then celebrates and signifies their unity by enjoying a meal together. This is what we do every time we participate in Lord’s Supper together!
What does God accomplish through this meal? He nourishes and strengthens us as individuals while also drawing us together as a family. As Christ says “Take, eat; this is my body” and “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:26-28), he feeds our faith, he stirs our hearts, he causes us to grow in love, grace, and obedience.
