Big Bible Word of the Week: Communion

What is Communion? and Why do we do it?

Game: Important Feasts, Festivals and Parties

In very simple terms, Communion is a time when we come together as a church family to share in bread in wine together, remembering the life, suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus who gave himself so that we can once again be close with God. Communion is an act that helps us draw close to God but also to one another as a church family as well as Christians across the whole world.

Where in the Bible? Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:7-38, John 13:1-17 & 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Where does it come from? Matthew references the Passover meal. The Lords’ Supper, the meal that we remember when we share communion together was held on the same night as the passover meal. The passover is a festival that Jews and some Christians today celebrate to remember the freedom of God’s people from the land of Egypt, where God’s spirit passed over Egypt and His people were freed from their slavery and escaped walking through the Dead Sea and to a land of freedom. Jesus and friends shared the last supper the very night they would share the passover meal? Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so.

The last supper is a meal that reflects not only final meal Jesus shared with his disciples but the beginning of the whole of mankind’s freedom from sin. That night Jesus shared the last supper with his friends and from that moment the gears were in motion for Jesus to be crucified, die and three days later rise again. This meal does not only symbolise the last meal Jesus had but the marking of humankind’s freedom from the powers of sin and death through the love of Jesus Christ.

As NT Write says about communion - Jesus did not give his followers a theory to remember or special words to recite, He gave them a meal.

Something special yet something normal that they can do to remember Jesus in whatever context they are in.

What happens at communion? So, you may be wondering what happens during communion? Well it’s quite similar to what happened in the stories we have heard. Jesus shared bread and wine with the people around Him. Just like then we share communion or blessings with the people around us. Later in our service we will say come together, say some liturgy in unity as a church, pray and reflect on our lives and share in the bread and the wine or receive a blessing. The priest will come and pray over the bread and the wine and although the bread and the wine will not change the act of consuming the bread and the wine or receiving a blessing is incredibly special and important on many levels.

Communion, The Eucharist, The Lord’s supper… is such an important part of our worship together at church. It is something that brings us together as a congregation but it is something we share with the whole host of believers throughout history all the way back to Jesus. When Jesus says the word ‘remember’ to his followers and to us through the Bible, He isn’t just saying here’s something to remember me by. Jesus was saying when you do this, do this as though you are one with the disciples with Jesus around the table that fateful night. It is a cosmic and incredibly important event that we should always take seriously and remember how important that meal would have been to His disciples on that night and remember how important it still is to us today.

As we take communion later in the service let’s remember that beautiful invitation gives us to remember Him.

As we continue on our journey of Practicing the Way this is one way we can ‘Be With Jesus’ by taking a moment to share that meal as one with our church today but with Jesus in our hearts and minds.