What is Communion?
Communion (also referred to as the Lord’s Supper, Lord’s Table or Eucharist) (1 Cor. 11:20) is one of two sacraments given to us by Jesus. (The other is baptism.)
Jesus established communion on the night before he went to the cross as he ate a meal with some of his followers (Matthew 26:26-28).
Why do we take communion?
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus invites us to share in this meal (Luke 22:19-20). For more than 2000 years, Christians worldwide have continued this tradition as an act of remembering Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
For more on the importance of communion, check out this article by the Bible Project.
The following excerpt is from the Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun
ONE OF THE VERY FIRST PRACTICES in the early church was the observance of Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper or celebration of the Eucharist. Jesus himself instituted this practice with his disciples just hours before his death. This Supper ties the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices to God’s radical rescue of humankind through his Son. Kathleen Norris writes in Amazing Grace, “The Incarnation [and I might add Communion] remains a scandal to anyone who wants religion to be a purely spiritual matter, an etherized, bloodless bliss.” It reminds us that our faith is not ethereal and bodiless. The radical nature of our sin problem resolves itself in innocent blood.
In Exodus 24:7-8 we read: “[Moses]took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people….Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said,’ This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.'” Building on the old covenant, Jesus ushers in the new covenant.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they drank from it. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. (Mark14:22-24)
Jesus becomes the innocent lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Sacrificing his own life, he opens a doorway from death to life, from rebellion to friendship, from separation to communion and from senseless suffering to redemptive suffering.
The significance of the Lord’s Supper is revealed in its sacramental nature. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible reality. Holy Communion invites us into deeper unity and communion with Jesus and his body. The bread broken and the wine poured out signify the cost of the Communion meal. Christ’s blood and body were sacrificed for us! And his sacrifice becomes a pattern for our own journey. The “feast” of Christ’s table nourishes us and strengthens us with heavenly food. This new manna is the way we get from here to home. In receiving this nourishment we anticipate another feast-the marriage supper of the Lamb-the table of eternal union and communion.
In many ways, the Lord’s Supper opens us wide to a divine mystery. This mystery is some- times dubbed the “paschal mystery” of redemption: Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. Explaining this mystery may be beyond us, but that does not mean we cannot participate in it. In Communion, Christ is here for us. We eat of his body and are part of his body-the one loaf. Though we may feel alone in our journey, we are part of the train of apostles, prophets, martyrs, saints, and all servants of God. The meal reminds us that we belong and are not alone. Because of Jesus, all will be well.
Years ago, Tim Keller used this illustration from The Lord of the Rings to convey the immense meaning of the Lord’s table. Enemies and dread weapons pummel the walls of the city of Gondor. As the city gates begin to give way, death, doom and the bitterness of defeat take hold. The evil dark lord grimly claims the city for himself. But in that moment of bleak despair the Riders of Rohan come charging, their horns blowing.J.R.R.Tolkien writes in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” Pippin rose to his feet,…and he stood listening to the horns, and it seemed to him that they would break his heart with joy. And never in after years could he hear a horn blown in the distance without tears starting in his eyes.”
The Lord’s Supper reminds us that when the dark lord looms before us shrieking, “all is lost, “the Lord of light stepped forth and said, “This is my body given for you.”When we partake, we taste what redemption cost God in order to call us home. Indeed it is hard to see the bread and the wine without “tears starting in [our]eyes.”