Greetings RNCM readers and listeners, Brethren, friends!
I want to take some time this early AM before we get too busy to say a few encouraging words to those of you who follow along with what we do here through this out-reach.
Today for us is Passover Day (5/21/2024), this evening and entering into the night will be among the highest point of worshipfulness we are encouraged to in the liturgical year, this is the one time a year we partake of the Lord’s Supper, also often called “Communion”.
What is the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper is the Christian practice of eating unleavened-bread in remembrance of Christ’s broken body, followed by the drinking of Red Wine in remembrance of Christ’s blood of the New Covenant shed for the remission of sin for many.
We observe what is historically called an exclusive ‘Quartodeciman Communion’, this means that we only partake of the elements afore mentioned on this day.
As Quartodeciman’s, we believe that the “often as ye do this (ὁσάκις =hosakis” in 1 Corinthians 11:25-26 is a reference to the Lord Jesus’ keeping of the Passover on this day, which is the 14th (Quartodeci-) day of the lunar-month (men) of the first agricultural month called Abib; this day was started last evening as the daylight mixed into the night according to the biblical examples of a lawful ‘day’- “from evening to evening”. Thus last night was as 1Corinthians 11:23 states we have received as delivered in the gospels record, “That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed…”, this night of the ‘Last Supper’, as we often call it, was the 14th day of the month having happened after evening and at night is the day of the month in which we are to keep and celebrate the Lord’s Supper “often”, and we have only this example to identify the “often” reference.
Now, for us as it was with Jesus, we practice the keeping of the Paschal meal in a house together, as a family observation more than a large Church gathering as it is commanded and recorded to be kept in Exodus 12.
The Sabbath which immediately follows on the 15th day, is a day of decent and orderly “Holy Convocation” (see: Lev 23), and serves as a time for usual convocation praise, worship and ministering in the assembly setting, with all the local families of the Church elders and individuals to come out from their common homes or ‘upper-rooms’ and worship together.
So, Communion for us is not encouraged to be kept in the ‘church’ setting, among the greater congregation of the local church, but to be kept by Elders respectively in homes with their own family and “a neighbor or two’s family near unto them (Ex 12:3-4)”, these observations are by the Scripture and the Rule of Faith to not be large ‘Church functions’, but are feast dinners with the Head of the homes family as the congregation with ‘sojourning neighbors joining in’. The Passover meaning being eaten according to the commandment, “in haste (Ex 12:11)” begun in early evening as the dusk starts to just set in (about 7:30-ish (this time of the year) is followed immediately by the Communion service after the Paschal meal’s first course of Roasted Lamb, Bitter herb salad and Unleavened-bread.
In this way, there is time at the very end of the “14th day at evening” to partake of the Lord’s Supper followed by singing of a Paschal Psalm (Psalm 116).
After the Paschal meal’s first course on “the 14th day of the month at evening” is concluded with the Communion of the Body of bread and Blood of the wine is remembered of our Lord Jesus Christ the focus of this feast, the evening turns swiftly into night and the Celebratory Sabbath of the 15th day begins, the Scripture provides for the Lamb dinner to be continually enjoyed later into the night, and that the lambs carcass to be disposed of by fire by before the morning light, a time culturally enjoyed by all as they often sit around the ‘camp’ like fire and enjoy fellowship with one another in the afterglow of the Paschal experience ‘often keep’ once a year.
I’d like to encourage each and every one of you who are inclined by the words of Scripture to make Passover and the Lord’s Supper as it is written part of your yearly experience, commitment and renewal with your family and your local church fellowship!
Now may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
Yours Truly in Christ and in the Service of His Kingdom,
JS Lowther
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