July 12, 2026

“Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper…” — 1 Corinthians 11:20

The Lord’s Supper is central to the life of every Christian. Christian traditions vary widely in practice and understanding, but one thing remains constant: the Lord’s Supper is a vital part of our Christian experience.

The name itself tells us why. We too quickly pass over the word “Lord’s” in our reading. It has more to say than we realize. We might confuse it with the familiar word κύριος (“Lord”), which appears some 717 times in the New Testament. But in 1 Corinthians 11:20, a different word stands behind “Lord’s” — κυριακός, a word that appears only twice in the New Testament. It is related to κύριος but distinct from it. κύριος is a noun, meaning Lord. Κυριακός is an adjective, meaning belonging to the Lord. Its only other New Testament occurrence is Revelation 1:10, where John writes, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet.”

Throughout church history, Sunday has been called the Lord’s Day — the day that belongs to the Lord. It is His day. That is what makes it holy.

The same is true in 1 Corinthians 11:20. The meal is the Lord’s Supper. The phrase stands parallel to “the Lord’s table” in 1 Corinthians 10:21. It is His table, His supper, His Supper. To sit at the Lord’s table is to receive food from Him — and through it, to enter into communion with Him.

Communion is the Lord’s Supper not only because it belongs to Him, but because He is the meal. As Jesus says in Matthew 26:26, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And in verse 28, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”

At the Lord’s table, we receive spiritual food from Him — and that food is His own life. Christ is our feast. He is our host. He is our meal. He is the nourishment we need for the wilderness of this life.

As Paul writes:
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

And: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Today, we get to have fellowship with our Lord on His day, and communion with Him at His table — to enjoy Him as He nourishes us afresh with His own life.