Do this in remembrance of me
Luke 22:19
Q. What’s the purpose of Communion?
A. Each Sunday we take what we call "Communion" (Others call it "The Eucharist" or "The Lord’s Supper"). Communion is rich in symbolism and meaning. It is so much more than just "snack time" (as the children see it) in the middle of a worship service consisting of grape juice and a cracker. The cracker (unleavened bread) represents Jesus’ body which was given to us to be our sacrificial Lamb. The grape juice represents Jesus blood which was poured out on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
To really appreciate the rich symbolism of Communion, one should take time and study the parallels between Jesus dying on a cross setting us free from the bondage of sin (during Passover), with the story of the Exodus (Exodus 12) as God set the Israelites free from their bondage to slavery in Egypt (the first Passover). There was a lamb. There was blood. There was obedience. There was death. There is deliverance.
Q. How often should we take Communion?
A. We observe communion every Sunday, as did the church of the New Testament (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:18-20 & 16:1-2) setting a biblical precedent. Some object, saying that a weekly observance would reduce Communion to a meaningless ritual. I have found just the opposite to be true. Communion can be - and should be - the highlight of our weekly worship.
Jesus’ commanded us to, "Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) I strongly encourage all Christians to get in the habit of specifically remembering Christ’s sacrifice on the cross - at least weekly.
Q. What’s the purpose of the Communion Meditation?
A. One important tool we use to keep Communion from becoming a ritual is the Communion Meditation (or devotional). We schedule a different individual each week whose task is to help us focus on the significance of the Lord’s sacrifice. It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t even have to be profound. It just needs to be someone saying, "Let’s focus. Let’s think about the freedom we now have as a result of what Christ did on the cross."
Q. Should a person who has not confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior take Communion?
A. Paul said, "...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." (It seems to me that someone who is not a believer is already sinning against the body and the blood of Jesus.) Paul went on to say, "A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:27-29) As a result, some churches, in an attempt to keep Communion pure, or to protect people from bringing judgement upon themselves, have forbidden nonbelievers or believers from other denominations to participate in their Communion. This is what is referred to as "Closed Communion" (I have been asked by two different churches not to participate when the bread and cup were being offered because our beliefs differ.)
But being denied Communion hurts! It’s hard not to feel like you are being judged. And nobody likes being judged. Besides, I don’t believe these churches were concerned with protecting me from bringing judgement upon myself. They were simply making a statement that I was not one of them. Instead of uniting us - Communion was used to drive us further away from one another. How can that be pleasing to God?
Jesus said, "When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) Who’s to say, that when a nonbeliever is welcomed to join with believers in a time of Communion with Christ, when they are explained the purpose and meaning of the moment, when they are encouraged to examine themselves before God - that may very well be the moment they are changed forever.
At New Life, we offer what is called "Open Communion" with Scriptures in mind like Revelation 22:17, which says, ""Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life."
I am very mindful that it is not my place to judge whether someone is worthy to take Communion with Christ. It is my place to encourage all to remember Christ and examine themselves. Then, it is between them and God.
Q. When should someone NOT take Communion?
A. We see the warning that Paul gives in 1 Corinthians and we become terrified of taking Communion. We don’t want to take it in an unworthy manner. We don’t want to bring judgement on ourselves - so we don’t take it. It makes no sense to me that we can scare ourselves from taking Communion - but we can’t scare ourselves enough to change our behavior so that we can take Communion.
Although confessing our sins to God during Communion will certainly be beneficial, we need to understand that sin does not disqualify us from taking Communion. In fact, it is a prerequisite! The only people who should take Communion are those who willingly admit that they are sinners in need of a Savior!
Consider the unrepentant sinner. If you are living in unrepentant sin, you need not worry about bringing judgement upon yourself for taking Communion. You have already brought judgement on yourself for simply not repenting. "If we claim to have fellowship with God yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth." (1 John 1:6)
Consider the sinless person. If you think you are not a sinner - then why would you need Jesus? Why even care about Communion? "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8)
Communion is not about being terrible sinners or being perfect (sinless) - it is about being real with God. Jesus said, "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him." (John 6:56)
Communion is about remaining dependent on God, believing His grace is sufficient, acknowledging how unholy we are and how much we need Him. Anything less - then we should not be taking Communion.
Q. What should I be thinking about during communion? (Should I be praying for others? Myself? Confessing my sins to God? Thanking God for what He’s done for me?)
A. When Jesus says, "Do this in remembrance of me" I remember what He did - leaving all the glories of heaven behind to live on this earth as a man, knowing that He would eventually be brutally murdered in order to redeem us from the penalty of our sins. I remember why He did it - so that I could be forgiven and spend eternity with Him. And I also think about how unworthy I am of all that God has done for me. It’s very humbling.
But I would caution against praying for others during this time (even though this sounds noble). I can’t help but think that God wants our total attention during this time. It’s as if He is cupping our face in His hand, looking us straight in the eye, and saying, "Look at me! I love you! Do you understand how much I love you? Do you understand I would go through another 30 years of misery on the earth, and allow myself to be beaten and crucified again because I love you that much? Do you understand?"
Q. Who can serve Communion?
A. When our church first began, this was a big question. "So and so was not baptized". Or "so and so was too young." I remember one man who was insistent that anyone serving Communion must where a tie. (Where’s that in the Bible?) Some have pushed for women to serve. (However, most women like the thought of the men doing the serving for a change)
I struggle to see what all the hubbub is about. Serving Communion is not a leadership position. It is simply an act of service. I find it interesting to hear people argue over who can serve Communion - but we’ve never had people argue about who can come in early and prepare the Communion.
Q. Who can give Communion Meditation?
A. The one giving the Communion devotional really needs to have a strong understanding of what Communion is about. And then, they need to be able to help the congregation get the right mind set.
As a policy, we ask men to give the Communion Meditation. It is our goal to turn men into the spiritual leaders that God wants them to be - and we find asking them to prepare a small devotional about Communion to be a great first step in the process. I have seen men, who say they could never give a Communion devotional, eventually do so - and do it well. Then they become teachers! And leaders! One man, who told me he could never give a Communion Meditation, has preached for me!
Q. How do I explain the purpose of Communion to my child?
A. As a child, I was guilty of thinking of Communion as snack time (And thinking the snacks were a lot better in children’s church than in big people’s church).
But there is something about the words, "Do this in remembrance of me" that has a way of drawing us closer and closer to the presence of God.
As soon as our children are old enough to understand, we should encourage them (weekly) to remember all that Jesus has done, all that He said, all that he has told us to do. We should invite our children to examine the words of Jesus. We should invite them to examine their relationships with others. We should invite them to examine themselves and ask themselves if they are living for God. (This works really well if we are asking ourselves these same questions and not just going through the motions in front of our children.)
I find that taking communion with my children is a great teaching opportunity - to teach them the gravity of sin and the amazing grace of God - that He would die on a cross for me... and them!
Hopefully, in time, my children will understand and believe verses like 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which says, "You are not your own; you were bought at a price." Or Leviticus 17:11 which says, "...it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." Or Romans 3:25, "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood." But for now, it is enough for my children to understand that sin is awful, and God’s love is awesome!
- 1 Corinthians 11:29 (The Message)
"The world drinks to forget. We drink to remember." Steve Brown
This article was based on questions asked of Pete concerning the sacrament of Communion
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