St. Boniface House

I want to spend a couple of moments this morning as we come to the Lord’s Table to talk about why we use wine for communion, and why we think this is so important. As you know we are in a minority, at least in this part of the world, among Christian churches that do not use grape juice at the Lord’s Table.  Why do we think this is so important?

First of all, the Greek word in the New Testament that is usually translated “wine” means “wine”.  That sounds crazy, I know.  There was no such thing as “grape juice” before the process of pasteurization was invented.  Jesus drank wine, and so did everybody else—not only for the Lord’s Supper (and before the Lord’s Supper, for the Passover and the other feasts), but all the time.  That should be enough right there, but it is helpful for us to think about the meaning of wine, as well.

All throughout the Bible, wine is a sign of the blessings of God and the coming of the Kingdom.  Psalm 104 says that wine is a gift from God “to make glad the hearts of men”. Amos describes the coming of the Day of the Lord as a day in which God’s blessings will be so profoundly abundant that wine will flow down from the mountains, and the next crop of grapes will be ready for the harvester to pick before he’s even done preparing the one he’s working on now.  Listen to how Jeremiah describes the coming of the Kingdom: 

They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD– the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.  Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

An abundance of wine is a sign that the Kingdom has come in its glory and fullness.  When we drink sweet wine with the Lord, this is what we are celebrating.

Not only that, but wine is potent. It is powerful.  It does something to you.  Too much of it, and you lose control of yourself.  That’s also a sign of the Gospel, which Paul says “is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.”  When we drink at a feast that celebrates the victorious reign and rule of the King, we ought to notice the potency of what we’re drinking.  Wine is potent.

There are lots of reasons we could mention.  Let me add one more:  Wine throughout the Bible is a symbol of God’s wrath.  Because the meal signifies his victory over all his and our enemies, nothing but wine will do.  So after you eat your bread, drink your wine knowing that it is exactly what God has given you to drink at this meal, and rejoice in the powerful victory of the coming of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

This is the Lord’s Table…