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The mood of the early church while "breaking bread" was not a time of solemn reflection, not that there is anything inherently wrong with considering one's state before God. Rather, they "took their meals together" with "gladness".

You are assuming this incompatibility between solemnity and gladness without any justification. As I mentioned, a marriage is both a solemn occasion AND a joyful one. It seems clear to me that the Apostle expects the Lord's Supper to be BOTH solemn and joyful. Or, what do you think it means for a man to "examine himself"? Can this possibly be exclusively about the mistreatment of the poor? What you fail to recognize, in my opinion, is that we can hardly have a sense of joy without a knowledge of our misery.

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Hence, properly the Lord's Supper is an anticipation and foretaste of the Messianic Feast to come in the consummated kingdom at the end of the age.

Of course, it is also about declaring the Lord's death until He returns, as the Apostle plainly states.


Kyle

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified.