1 Corinthians 11:17-27

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Questions to consider:

• What is Paul’s reaction to what he has heard about the Corinthians’ gatherings?
• What explanation does Paul give the church about the communion meal?

Possibilities for prayer:

Paul reminds us of what communion is all about--Christ’s very physical sacrifice of His body and blood for us. He challenges the Corinthian church to take communion much more seriously, and grant it more respect than it appears they have been. This is a challenge relevant to us as well. A time of communion should not be taken lightly, just as Christ’s death should not be taken lightly. Today, let’s remember that sacrifice and take some time to thank and praise God for the intense love we were shown through Jesus’s death on the cross so many years ago.