The Practice of Communion

The Practice of Communion

And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

I Corinthians 11:24

Christ lays out for us the way in which He would have us practice the communion feast.  While we have several accounts of this, the account in the passage which surrounds our text serves our purpose admirably.  We find, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, ‘Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.’  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.’”  Christ took up in His hands the most common of things, bread and wine, and elevated them to become symbols of His Body and Blood.  The elements themselves had no spiritual meaning apart from what He gave them.  They had and yet have no supernatural power in and of themselves.  They remain simply bread and wine.  Having said that, what gives them meaning and value for us is the spiritual presence of Christ.  As, on the first occasion when Christ took up the bread and wine, so also even now, it is the presence of Christ that makes the feast.  He has instructed us to take the bread and wine in testimony to the fact that we rest by faith in the merits of His Sacrifice.  By this practice, we look to Him and declare that we have heard His words of instruction, and are following His commands.  Christ has instituted the feast, participated in it Himself, established it as a priority for us, and shown us how to practice it.  As we approach the communion table, let us dwell upon its’ origins and the One Who showed us how to observe it.

Our Gracious and Loving Savior,
we rejoice that You meet with us at the communion table.
We praise You that You presence Yourself with us,
in a spiritual way, that we may know You better
and follow You more closely.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning