THE LORD’S SUPPER

A Guide to the Heavenly Feast

JOHN W. KLEINIG

CHRISTIAN ESSENTIALS

The Lord’s Supper: A Guide to the Heavenly Feast

Christian Essentials

Copyright 2025 John W. Kleinig

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

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You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV84) are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The hymn “Wide Open Stand the Gates” on p. 138 is by J. K. Loehe, tr. Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. Copyright © 2002 GIA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Print ISBN 9781683597964

Digital ISBN 9781683597971

Library of Congress Control Number 2024939335

Lexham Editorial: Todd Hains, Ethan McCarthy, Paul Robinson, Mandi Newell

Cover Design: Sarah Brossow

To my dear soul brother and fellow servant of Christ, Dr. Scott Bruzek,

for his faithful stewardship of God’s mysteries,

his warm appreciation of the beauty of holiness,

his deep devotion to the regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper,

and his fruitful practice of pastoral care that revolves

around Christ’s bodily presence there.

CONTENTS

Series Preface

Prayer for Meditation on the Lord’s Supper

I Orientation

II The Meal of Meals

III The Feast within a Feast

IV An Ordered Meal

V A Sacrificial Banquet

VI The Blood of the Covenant

VII The Unseen Host

VIII Sound Remembrance

IX Bread from Heaven

X How Can He Do This?

XI Heaven on Earth

XII Full Remission

Scripture Index

SERIES PREFACE

The Christian Essentials series passes down tradition that matters.

The church has often spoken paradoxically about growth in Christian faith: to grow means to stay at the beginning. The great Reformer Martin Luther exemplified this. “Although I’m indeed an old doctor,” he said, “I never move on from the childish doctrine of the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I still daily learn and pray them with my little Hans and my little Lena.” He had just as much to learn about the Lord as his children.

The ancient church was founded on basic biblical teachings and practices like the Ten Commandments, baptism, the Apostles’ Creed, ...