Santee church of Christ

The Most Important Ten Minutes This Week

For almost 2,000 years, disciples of Jesus Christ have followed the pattern set forth in New Testament times wherein Christians gathered together on the first day of the week to commemorate the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior. As with all things spiritual, the pattern provided in the inspired scriptures is the source of authority for what 21st century Christians do and such is the case with partaking of the Lord's Supper each first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Eating the bread and drinking the cup are not acts of worship which we participate in today simply or only because of what "they" did "then" but rather must be done with the recognition that the time we spend memorializing Christ is the most important ten minutes of any week.

These ten minutes are important because it's a time for us to consider Christ's broken body. Jesus Himself said, (in reference to the bread) "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you" (I Corinthians 11:24). It is quite fitting for us to spend a few moments on the Lord's day to consider the nails being driven into His body, it breaking apart, and the fact that He endured the pain for each of. Furthermore, the time observing the Lord's Supper is vital because we consider its representation of the new covenant between us and our God. In reference to the fruit of the vine, Christ said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood... drink it in remembrance of Me" (I Corinthians 11:26).

It's equally important to appreciate the fact that the few moments spent each week with other Christians considering the great sacrifice of our Lord is seen by God's people as an opportunity to tell others and remind each other of the greatness of Christ. Paul tells us that each Lord's Day observance is a proclamation of Christ's death (I Corinthians 11:26). During the moments that we sit and eat the bread and drink the cup, Christians are cautioned to fully appreciate the importance of the event. The inspired writer even goes so far to tell us that if we don't observe the Supper with the appropriate respect, we make ourselves "guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (I Corinthians 11:27).

Finally, the minutes spent partaking of the Lord's Supper are designed by our Father and His Son to be an occasion for our own self examination. As we partake of the emblems, we are to spiritually "examine" ourselves (I Corinthians 11:28). No mature Christian is ever fully "satisfied" with his current state. We are to grow and work daily at becoming stronger and more faithful to our God. As part of this effort to grow, we must always be aware of where we are and where we want to go and in order for that to occur, we must examine ourselves. The most important ten minutes of our lives occurs today. Let us take advantage of these few, precious moments and consider the greatness of our Savior and the responsibilities we have to Him.