Many have been in a church service where a short skit or play has been included as an element of worship. There was a big emphasis on using this form of drama in worship services in the not too distant past. On numerous occasions in my years of ministry I have been asked, “Do you have drama in your worship services?” The simple answer is no. The real answer is yes.

The Lord Jesus Christ has given the church two very specific ordinances to be continued until He returns. They are Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These two ordinances are the reason for the real answer to the question above.

As you will see below, each of these has been instituted and commanded by Jesus as a way to remind and encourage the church. The way the church is reminded and encouraged is by the “drama” that unfolds before the church’s eyes as the ordinances take place.

Baptism

We see the ordinance of Baptism commanded by Jesus in His words to the disciples just before the ascension. He said to them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19).

As we see in the New Testament, baptism is an act of obedience performed by believers in Jesus Christ and is to be done as an outward sign of the inward reality of their death and resurrection with Christ. As the ones being baptized go under the water, the imagery of death and burial is given; as they come up from the water, the imagery of resurrection and being raised to newness of life is given (Romans 6). 

Baptism is not to be understood as a saving act that must be done for salvation. It is an obedient act in which the believer in Jesus Christ is publicly testifying of his or her salvation in Christ and fellowship and allegiance to Him. Baptism should be done by immersion, thus giving the imagery of death and resurrection.

The church is greatly encouraged by the ordinance of Baptism. As the baptism candidate proclaims the greatness of Christ and his or her salvation in Him alone, the church is edified and encouraged by the grace of God and His work in the life of the candidate and their own lives as well.

The church is reminded of the death and resurrection of Christ on their behalf as they visually see the candidate go under the water and be brought back up again. It is a joyous ordinance that should be a tremendous source of encouragement to the body of Christ. It is drama at its best.

The Lord’s Supper

The second of the two ordinances ordained by the Lord Jesus Christ is The Lord’s Supper. In the Upper Room on the night He was betrayed, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. He took bread and broke it and said, “’This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’” (1 Corinthians 11:24-26).

The Lord’s Supper is the remembrance of Christ’s atoning death. The ordinance involves the eating of bread and the drinking of wine. The elements represent the body of Christ (bread) and the blood of Christ (wine).

An important distinction should be made that the bread and wine are not the actual body and blood of Christ. They represent Him and the sacrifice He made once for all on behalf of those who would trust in Him. 

The Apostle Paul writes that this ordinance is a way in which the church proclaims “the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). As the church participates in the Lord’s Supper it is remembering the work of Christ. The elements are a visual representation of the reality of Christ’s death.

This time of worship is an encouragement as church members reflect on their salvation and are reminded of the work of Christ. As with Baptism, the Lord’s Supper has an element of “drama” as the service of the Lord’s Supper unfolds and the members of the church partake of the elements together.

Do we have drama in our worship services? We do. The ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which are given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ as encouragement and reminders of His life, death and resurrection.