The symbolic meal Jesus instituted on the night of His betrayal to commemorate His death and to foreshadow His coming kingdom; from the Gr. kuriakon deipnon ( 1 Cor. 11:20 ).
Seventh-day Adventist Practice. The “Outline of Doctrinal Beliefs” appearing in the Church Manual [1990]states: “The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper commemorates the Saviour’s death; and participation by members of the body is essential to Christian growth and fellowship. It is to be preceded by the ordinance of foot washing as a preparation for this solemn service” ( p . 182; see Foot Washing ).
In general, Seventh-day Adventists observe the Lord’s Supper once each quarter. A typical service would be as follows: A short sermon precedes the ordinance of foot washing, for which the men and women meet separately. The church then reassembles, and the minister and elder(s) officiate at the Communion table. The bread is uncovered,
1 Cor. 11:23 , 24 is read, and the prayer of blessing offered; the bread is then broken by the elders and distributed to the congregation by deacons. A similar procedure is followed for the wine, after the reading of 1 Cor. 11:25 , 26 . In each instance the congregation waits until all have been served, and partakes of the emblem simultaneously. The service is completed by the singing of a hymn and prayer.
Only unleavened bread and unfermented wine are used, leaven being considered a symbol of sin ( 1 Cor. 5:7 , 8 ), and fermented wine an unworthy representation of the blood of Christ. Seventh-day Adventists practice open Communion: “Christ’s example forbids exclusiveness at the Lord’s Supper. It is true that open sin excludes the guilty. . . . But beyond this none are to pass judgment. God has not left it with men to say who shall present themselves on these occasions. . . . There may come into the company persons who are not in heart servants of truth and holiness, but who may wish to take part in the service. They should not be forbidden” ( DA 656; cf . Church Manual , p . 81).
Communion services are conducted only by ordained ministers and ordained church elders who are elected to office by the church in which they serve ( ibid ., p . 83). Pastors who are not ordained ministers do not conduct the Lord’s Supper unless they have been elected and ordained as local elders by the congregation in which the service is being celebrated.
Historical Development in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Lord’s Supper has been a part of SDA services of worship from the beginning. For example, it is recorded that those attending the early Sabbath conference held in Volney, New York, beginning Aug. 18, 1848, celebrated it ( 2SG 97f.). As organization developed, it became a regular part of what was termed the “quarterly meeting.” With members often widely scattered, this meeting was a major institution in organized church life. According to recommendations, it was opened with the reading of the membership roll by the church clerk, each member giving testimony regarding his Christian experience as his name was called (a form of this practice is sometimes still followed in smaller congregations). Next the church record for the previous quarter was read and corrected. Then if an ordained minister or elder was present, the Lord’s Supper was celebrated. After sunset, or the next day, a church business meeting was held. Absence from quarterly meeting without report for nine months was grounds for dismissal from the church. While other aspects of this meeting have largely disappeared, in many congregations the Lord’s Supper is still commonly referred to as quarterly meeting.
Throughout SDA history there appears to have been little change in understanding of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. The bread and wine have been seen as symbols of the body and blood of Christ, as reminders of Christ’s passion and death. The Lord’s Supper is also a witness to the believer’s acceptance of Christ as his Saviour and of his faith in the Second Advent ( cf . 1 Cor. 11:26 ). In the Communion service Christ meets with His people and the Spirit is present to seal them as His ( DA 149, 659).
The Lord’s Supper in the NT . The institution of the Lord’s Supper is recorded in Matt. 26:20–29 , Mark 14:17–25 , Luke 22:14–20 , and 1 Cor. 11:23–25 . In both the Gospels and Paul’s Epistle the words of institution contain the same three themes-substitution, covenant, and eschatology. Each of these is found in the background of the NT : Jesus repeatedly compares His mission to the OT figure of the vicariously suffering Servant ( cf . Isa. 53:12 ; Mark 14:24 ; Luke 22:37 ); the “blood of the covenant” and the “new covenant” are familiar OT themes ( Ex. 24:8 ; cf . Mark 14:24 ; Jer. 31:31 ; cf . Luke 22:20 ; 1 Cor. 11:25 ), as is also that of the eschatological banquet ( Isa. 25:6–8 ; cf . Rev. 19:9 ; 21:3 , 4 , 9–14 ).
This eschatological orientation of the Lord’s Supper as an anticipation of the Messianic banquet in the coming kingdom of God finds a particularly relevant parallel in the communal meals at Qumrân (see especially IQSa II, 1ff.). After describing the entrance of the members of the community to their sacramental meal, “The Messianic Rule” states: “When the common table shall be set for eating and the new wine [poured]for drinking, let no man extend his hand over the first-fruits of bread and wine before the Priest; for [it is he]who shall bless the first-fruits of bread and wine, and shall be the first [to extend]his hand over the bread. Thereafter, the Messiah of Israel shall extend his hand over the bread, [and]all the Congregation of the Community [shall utter a]blessing, [each man in the order]of his dignity” (G. Vermès, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English [1962], p . 121).
This is reminiscent of Luke 22:21 (“The hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table” [ RSV ]), and the information is interesting from the Seventh-day Adventist viewpoint that the wine used at Qumrân was “new wine” ( Heb . téÆroÆsh). The broader significance of this meal is especially important: as in the Lord’s Supper, the Qumrân meal represents at once both the present community and the future banquet of the elect. Thus the eschatological aspect of the Lord’s Supper seems to have had a clear background in contemporary Judaism (F. M. Cross, The Ancient Library of Qumrân [1958], p . 64). This does not mean that the rite was simply borrowed from Qumrân; rather, we see both in Qumrân and in the NT similar developments, in the late Jewish milieu, of basic OT themes.