Ruminations for the Remembrance of the Lord - what are they about and how to use them.

The ruminations are to prepare you for the Remembrance Feast. Each one will take the form of a short Biblical link or outline to lead you to meditate and ruminate on thoughts that will focus on the remembrance of the Lord as He commanded when He instituted the Lord's Supper - "this do in remembrance of Me. " (I Cor. 11:24, 25). Often believers find this difficult – either they allow their thoughts to stray because of “empty minds” resulting in “empty hands” that cannot Remember and Revere because of “empty hearts” which are not prepared, hence, the "silence of emptiness" at many a Remembrance Feast in many assemblies.

One condition in approaching the Lord is “they shall not appear before the LORD empty, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.” (Deut. 16:16, 17).

The Ruminations are Bible texts that will lead you to the Remembrance of the Lord. Few thoughts are given with the texts. It is expected that with further meditation on these texts, your spirit will be in tune with the Spirit Who will expand these thoughts further to lead you to Remember the Lord and Revere Him. 

How to use these Ruminations:

Before attending the Lord’s Supper, prepare your mind, heart and spirit. Spend a time of self-examination before the Lord (I Cor. 11:28). Then refer to the outlined rumination and further meditate on it seeking the Spirit’s help to expand the outline further with thoughts that are focused on the Lord.

Then go to the Lord’s Supper.

During the service, pay attention to the words of the hymns sung, listen carefully to the sentiments expressed in the prayer and praise of each participant, and refer to any Bible passage reading when called upon to do so. Should any of the thoughts so expressed be in line with what you have been meditating seek to connect these thoughts with what you have been ruminating and recall your ruminations to further express or join the others to lead them into a further expansion of what the whole congregation is meditating upon, keeping in mind all the time the purpose of the gathering to remember the Lord.

On the other hand, if the thoughts of the congregation do not seem to link up with your ruminations, do not insist on using them, but follow what the Spirit is leading the congregation to focus their thoughts upon, and think on these things (Phil 4:8) as the Spirit leads you to do so.

Your ruminations are still good because they have benefited you personally in your preparation. You can keep them to yourself and edify yourself. This is not the time to edify the church. (I Cor.14:4). Do not insist on using them publicly.

To help you in your preparation, these Ruminations will be posted every Thursday (to also help those who observe the Lord’s Supper on Friday in the Malay States in Malaysia) so that you can prepare yourself for the Lord's Supper on the Lord's Day. May this weekly feature make the Lord’s Supper a time of meaningful remembrance of the Lord for you.

As a side benefit, these ruminations can also be basic outline studies to help you prepare any sermonettes that you are called upon to deliver or share from time to time.