Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
The speaker calls communion “an object sermon” and says it’s “very improper” to treat it as an appendix; how does viewing the Lord’s Supper as a preached proclamation (“you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”) reshape the way we participate, prepare, and connect it to repentance and obedience?
Another way to ask: How does seeing communion as a kind of preached message about Jesus’ death change how you prepare for it and take it? How should it connect to repentance and obeying Christ?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Viewing communion as an “object sermon” means it should be treated as a central proclamation that teaches and calls the church to remember and respond, not as an add-on at the end of a service. The speaker implies participation should include being “brought along” to understand what is being proclaimed and why its repetition matters.
- He says preaching is the “pinnacle,” but adds communion is “an object sermon… a sermon all in itself.”
- He critiques treating it “as just an appendix onto a service… very improper.”
- He says leaders should “bring people along to understand that,” even though it is “somewhat repetitive.”
- He explains repetition: “It’s repetitive for a reason, that we would remember the essentials of that sermon.”
- He notes congregations are “actually practicing that sermon.”
- The interviewer connects this to: “as often as you do this, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”