1) A great way to prep for this Sunday will be to do a little comparison study. I encourage you to read 1 Samuel 9:1-2, describing Saul’s origin and physical appearance, then compare this with what we are told of Jesus in Isaiah 53:2. How is Jesus, who accepted kingly praises from the Jews on Palm Sunday, different from Saul and the kings of the nations?
2) This Sunday we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. We do this each month, but we never want it to become merely a routine. Therefore, it is appropriate that we take some time to prepare our hearts to come to the Lord’s table each month. The Heidelberg Catechism is a particularly helpful tool in reminding ourselves what the Lord’s Supper is about, and the manner in which we should come to the table:
Q. 75. How does the holy supper remind and assure you that you share in Christ’s one sacrifice on the cross and in all his benefits?
A. In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat this broken bread and to drink this cup in remembrance of him. With this command come these promises: First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup shared with me, so surely his body was offered and broken for me and his blood poured out for me on the cross. Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the one who serves, and taste with my mouth the bread and cup of the Lord, given me as sure signs of Christ’s body and blood, so surely he nourishes and refreshes my soul for eternal life with his crucified body and poured-out blood. (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-25)
Q. 81. Who should come to the Lord’s table?
A. Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves. (1 Cor. 10:19-22; 11:26-32)