My experience with Communion ranges from the man who called it “crackers and grape juice” to the deep reverence a Catholic priest gave the bread at a pastors’ prayer summit. There may not be a “secret” in Communion for you to discover, but there certainly are experiences with the Lord you won’t want to miss.
Matthew records the first Communion with these words:
“While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.'” (Matthew 26:26–29)
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I see Communion through different lenses. Rudy has a rich heritage with the Jewish observance of Passover. Bruce is an Orthodox Catholic, and I am a Protestant.
Rudy sees Communion as the fulfillment of the Passover celebration that took place after the Israelites left 400 years of slavery in Egypt. When Bruce takes Communion, he believes a miracle transforms the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. I join Protestants and see the event in terms of symbolism and witness.
I agree with the preacher who said the value of Communion is that the cross and resurrection are proclaimed through the experience every time it is observed.
What Are You Missing?
I have had the privilege of learning from and participating with many different streams of the church while observing Communion. If I hadn’t had that privilege, I might have missed the gifts the Lord has in this sacred meal.
- Let the Lord feed you. In one gathering, a leader invited us to ask the Lord to feed us during the Lord’s Supper. Since that day, I have made it a practice to ask Jesus to feed my spiritual, emotional, and physical body in communion with Him. I hope you will try this out the next time you participate.
- A Sacred Meal: It was years ago, but I still remember the reverence of the Catholic priest toward the host following Communion. Even crumbs that were left over in a basket were revered by this servant of the Lord. One of the things we can do is to observe this meal with the greatest amount of reverence possible.
- Remember with Awe: Jesus told His followers of all time, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The Methodist missionary, E. Stanley Jones, spent a night in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. While he was there, he prayed and meditated on the events in the garden, the trial of Jesus, and the crucifixion. Jones already had a dynamic relationship with the Lord, but wrote that this experience was life-changing.
If you know the schedule of your church’s Communion or Lord’s Supper observance, try spending a considerable amount of time the night before in prayer and meditation on Jesus’ passion. Read the relevant passages of scripture that deal with His prayers in Gethsemane, the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. Pay attention to how this preparation increases your awe of the Lord during Communion.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discuss Matthew 26:17–30 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 