Rooted – Communion (26th April 2020) – All Saints Church Totley

The story so far...

Big Words Series

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Sin
Incarnation
Resurrection
Salvation and Justification
Sanctification
Grace
Communion and Eucharist
Covenant and Gentiles

There are some events that make up part of the life of the Church. They often happen on a regular basis and are part of services and meetings. Have you heard of the Lord’s supper, Communion, Breaking of Bread, Eucharist? They are all names for the same thing we do at church.

But does it just happen because we’ve always done things that way? Is there a reason, or a point? Do we still need to be doing it, or is it an outdated ritual? We’re going to have a look today at the basis for Communion..

What does the Bible say?

Let’s have a look at the Bible again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is a description of Jesus setting out the instructions for Communion. It was Passover when Jesus did this, a festival that remembered and celebrated the Lord God saving His people from slavery in Egypt.

When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take and eat. This is My body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same manner He took the cup after He had supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me

1 Corinthians

11:24-25

What is this event intended to be, at the very least?

As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

1 Corinthians

11:26

What do you think this means?

It is important that this took place at the Passover meal. The Jewish people would repeat this every year, and put themselves mentally in the position that they, personally, had been rescued from Egypt. Jesus asking His disciples to remember Him in this way, at this time, was significant to them. It meant that they were sharing in the blessing that would be the result of the death of Christ.

If we put ourselves in the place of the disciples, does this “remembrance service” that we have in the Lord’s Supper seem more/less important?

So the Lord’s Supper is not just a ritual to remember Christ’s death, but something that is much deeper. It reminds us of what has been done for us, and is something we are currently receiving blessing from. It also has another element.

As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take and eat. This is My body.”
Then He took the cup, and after He gave thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Matthew

26:26-29

What does the final verse tell us?

And so...

What do you think is the importance of Communion?

The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, can be described as one of the “sacraments”. Baptism is another one of these. What this means is they are ‘outward and visible signs of an inward and invisible grace’. Communion was started by Jesus for His followers.

Communion is something that a Christian will take part in more than once in their lifetime, unlike Baptism. Churches sometimes have a service for this every week, but this is not always the case. Jesus set out the instructions for His disciples in a specific way and at a specific time to make sure they grasped the importance of this. We are to put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples, the bread is broken and the cup poured as a remembrance of what Jesus has done, but we also share in the resultant blessing of that event we are remembering. We are saved through what Jesus has done for us, and can celebrate that fact. Not only that, but we will look forward to seeing Jesus again, in His Father’s kingdom.

But why is it important? It is a reminder of what God has done for us, a place to meet with Him, to contemplate, give thanks with joy and to look forward to what He has said He will do in the future.

These sacraments we observe, in obedience to Christ who set them out for us, in order to cement our relationship with Him, and to keep us close to Him. These bring us back again and again to see what He has done, and is still doing for us.