R.C. Sproul on the Lord's Day and the Lord's Supper

 [From The Holiness of God, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1998), 216, 218-219)]

"In Christian history, the sacred time of the Sabbath has three distinct orientations. The first is the commemoration of God's work of creation. The second is the celebration of God's work of redemption. The third is the celebration of the future promise of the consummation of redemption when we enter our Sabbath rest in heaven....

"The celebration of the Lord's Supper involves sacred time in three distinct ways. First, it looks to the past, instructing believers to remember and to show forth Christ's death by this observance. Second, it focuses on the present moment of celebration, in which Christ meets with His people to nurture them and strengthen them in their sanctification. Third, it looks to the future, to the certain hope of their reunion with Christ in heaven, where they will participate in the banquet feast of the Lamb and His bride."