Has taking the Lord's Supper (Communion) just become a ritual for you? Are you just going through the motions when taking it? Do you understand why you take it?
To better understand the Lord's Supper, you first need to know some things about the "Last Supper". The Last Supper was actually the Passover supper for Jews held once a year to commemorate their release from Egyptian slavery by God's hand through the last plague when the angel of death killed all the first born of Egypt but "passed over" the first born of the Israelites who were spared by spreading the blood of the lamb on their doorposts. Moses then led them out of Egyptian bondage.
The Passover supper or Seder had different components that symbolized different parts of the story of the Jews escaping slavery. The night before he died, Jesus and his disciples observed the Passover supper, but at the end of the meal, Jesus did something paramount: He instituted his own memorial!
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 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. (Luke 22:17-20)
At that Passover supper, Jesus declared a New Covenant sealed once and for all by His blood on the cross, making the Old Covenant obsolete. The day after that Passover supper, Jesus, the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, offered His life on the cross.
Now we as Christians continue to this day observing His memorial: the Lord's Supper. The bread we eat is a reminder of the physical sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, while the cup we drink symbolizes the blood of Jesus shed to forgive our sins.
So how should you approach taking the Lord's Supper as a Christian today? How can you make it more meaningful? From now on, when taking the Lord's Supper, here's 3 things you should try to incorporate:
1 -- A Personal Attitude
Get yourself into the right attitude. Remember that the Lord supper is a memorial. Have you ever visited a memorial such as the World War II memorial in Washington DC? How would you approach this memorial -- with what emotion? -- reverence, awe, humbleness, thankfulness, honor, and a sense of gratitude? That's the same emotion you should have as you prepare to take the Lord's Supper.
2 -- A Personal Reflection
We shouldn't just take the Lord's Supper without examining our motive and our sincerity. The Apostle Paul scolded the Corinthian church for making the Lord's Supper an irreverent feast. He said not to take the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner -- with pride, or arrogance, or without acknowledging the sacrifice of Jesus for your redemption. Consider using your personal reflection time to include personal repentance, asking the Lord for forgiveness of your shortcomings.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. (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)
3 -- A Personal Connection
I love the term "communion". It literally means the sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings, both mentally and spiritually. Communion is the participation of the Lord's memorial with fellow believers, united in hearts and minds. But ever more than that, the Lord's Supper is a personal, intimate spiritual communion or connection with Jesus as well. In this sense, the Lord's Supper is relational!
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
The next time you have the opportunity to take the Lord's Supper, try to make it a habit to practice the 3 ways to make the Lord's Supper more meaningful:
Attitude, Reflection, Connection.
One more thing.....
The Lord's Supper, Communion, is not just a silent, invisible, mental exercise. Because of the nature of taking the bread and the juice, it becomes a visible, physical demonstration of our belief in Jesus. In other words, by participating, you are personally, outwardly proclaiming and confessing Jesus as Lord!
For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 10:26)
