Communion is a time of just that: communing. It is a chance to bring ourselves before the Lord and partake in the life He has given us through His death and resurrection.
Communion is also a time to be in community with fellow believers, past and present. As an ordinance that has stretched from the original disciples to twenty-first century believers and is celebrated all over the world, it brings us together as the body of Christ.
Communion is about placing my faith for my healing in the broken body of Jesus and for my forgiveness in the blood of Jesus by placing my focus on what Jesus has done for me. As I receive communion, I reflect powerfully that no matter what I face, Jesus is greater.
It’s a continual reminder that we have another communion coming someday, but it will be in the kingdom and in the presence of Christ!
When we take communion, we are remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The bread and wine are tangible, visible reminders of Christ’s love. Rather than simply saying “remember,” Jesus gave us a reminder. Just as we depend on food and drink to live physically, we can only live spiritually through Christ.
We should also take the time to examine ourselves to ensure that our relationship with Christ is authentic and genuine. Not only recalling the inauguration of our relationship with Christ, but also seeking to discover if there is any unconfessed sin impeding our current fellowship with God (1 John 1:6–9).
The twelve disciples were gathered with Jesus, and it was a somber time, though the disciples didn’t quite understand why. He foretold His death, and His betrayal by Judas. However, He had also foretold that His death would be “a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In this ritual of breaking the bread and taking the cup, Jesus was reminding His disciples of what He was about to do.
As early as Acts 2, early Christians are recorded “breaking bread” with one another. In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, Paul gives specific directives for celebrating what he calls “The Lord’s Supper.”
Jesus told us why we celebrate communion when He instated it. He said, “Do this… in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthian 11:25).
Prayer: Gracious Lord, thank you for the gift of your Supper. Thank you for giving us tangible reminders of your love and grace. Thank you for the opportunity we have, indeed, the responsibility we have, of sharing communion with our fellow believers. May our experience of your Supper always be a time of deep fellowship with you. But may it also be a time of communion with our brothers and sisters in your family. Teach us, dear Lord, the fuller meaning of your Supper, so that we might be more fully your people and enjoy more completely the benefits of your salvation. All praise be to you, Lord Jesus, because through your death we have new life, and through your sacrifice we are made one, not only with you, but also with your people. Amen.
Exercise: Do you experience communion as something private, or as something to be shared with your Christian family? When has the Lord’s Supper helped you experience a sense of being one with your brothers and sisters in Christ?
Scripture Reference:
Luke 22:19-20 And he took bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34 Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private supper. As a result, one person remains hungry, and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers and sisters when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come, I will give further directions.
Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
1 John 1:6–9 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.