These questions coordinate with Engage Your Faith and This Week with the Word.

Lesson Text: 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

Use either or both of these questions to introduce the lesson:

1. What did you have for dinner last Thursday? Why is that question easier to answer on a holiday week than it would be any other week? 

2. Many cities have festivals called “A Taste of [city’s name].” What would be served at such a festival in your town?

Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 and 10:14-17.

1. Paul had obviously taught the Corinthians about the Lord’s Supper earlier. His words in these verses were written before any of the Gospels were written. How does 1 Corinthians 11:23a explain how that can be?

2. People who share the same hopes, dreams, and goals may be said to have a connection. To whom are we connected when taking the Lord’s Supper? Why does this connection persist, even as years pass and as people are separated geographically?

3. We as individuals can certainly remember the sacrifice of Jesus. But our remembrance has another element (1 Corinthians 10:16). What is necessary for one to be a “participant?”

Read 1 Corinthians 11:20-22; 27-29.

4. When is the Lord’s Supper not the Lord’s Supper? See 1 Corinthians 10:17. Why is unity essential for “discerning the body of Christ?”

5. Can we truly discern the body of Christ when we merely reflect on the fact that Jesus died for us without recognizing that he also died for the believer who might be sitting next to us? Why or why not?

Read 1 Corinthians 11:30-34.

6. What happens when a part of one’s physical body is amputated, separated from the rest of the body?  What are some ways we can “amputate” members of the church? What inevitably happens to a church that does that?

7. Some church traditions refer to the Lord’s Supper as the Eucharist, the Greek word for thanksgiving. How can we make sure each Lord’s Day is Thanksgiving Day?

8. A worship service should be a festival that we could call “A Taste of Heaven.” Does our worship leave the rest of the world hungry for more? Or do we leave a bad taste in the mouths of others? Explain.