Eucharist, Communion, the Lord’s Supper. It has been a central feature of Christian worship—some Christians say the central feature—throughout the church’s history, yet churches differ widely in the importance they give it. Some include it in every worship service, while others observe it much less often.
Christians seem to have widely different feelings about Communion, too. For many Christians, Communion is vital. They get upset if their congregation skips one of its usual Communion times. They want Communion brought to their bedside if they’re too sick to come to church. For many other Christians, however, Communion is something to avoid. They deliberately stay away from church on Communion Sundays.
I don’t avoid Communion, but it’s nowhere near vital to me and I can’t really see why it is vital to so many other Christians. I know that to many Christians frequent Communion is important for very deep reasons, but some seem merely afraid of incurring God’s disapproval by not following a particular Communion schedule or method, and I can’t believe God cares that much about our schedules or methods.
I’ve read and thought a lot about Communion. I’ve experienced it in a variety of settings. I’ve talked with Christians who consider Communion vital. But most observances of Communion still leave me cold even though I see important meaning in what Jesus seems to have commanded.
Give yourself, give your life
The main meaning I see in Jesus’ command to observe Communion comes from the nature of the Bible’s words that describe his last meal with his disciples. In the symbolic language that we find not only in the Bible but also in dreams, the arts, and the rituals and scriptures of many religions, the body often represents the whole self. A visual or verbal picture of someone’s body represents the person’s feelings, thoughts, will, and whatever other traits make up that person. So when Jesus says he gives his body, I believe it means not only his physical body but also his whole self. Thus giving our whole selves is what his words ask us to do.
Similarly, blood often represents life, as in Genesis 9:4, “you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.” So in saying that his blood is poured out for others, I believe Jesus is saying he gives his life for others. Thus he is asking us to give our lives, too, following his example.
I, therefore, believe that the language used in the Bible to describe this incident says much more than “Drink a token sip of wine or juice and eat a token bite of bread regularly in worship services, as a reminder that I died for your salvation.” I believe that when Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he is saying, “Give your whole self as I gave mine. Give your life for others as I gave mine. Do this in remembrance of me.”
The meaning gets lost
Although I see that message as vitally important, however, I don’t find it communicated in Communion observances. I never hear it mentioned, and two distracting features of most Communion observances keep me from thinking of it.
Read the rest of the article to see the two features that most keep me from a deep observance of Communion. Click Here to read the article.
