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Many social issues divide our culture and churches today, my intent here is not to address each one. Suffice it to say that our Bible deals in a straight-forward manner with most of them and must be adhered to. Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, wouldn’t at first glance seem to be a divisive issue – but it is – it’s importance, meaning and place in worship routinely questioned and debated. At its inception, it was closely associated with the Passover Feast of Judaism, which memorialized Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and the Death Angel’s “passing over” the Israelis’ households while visiting the Egyptians’ with death. This celebration was observed yearly with the sharing of a specific meal, accompanied by prayer, hymns and instruction designed to remind them of the events that were instrumental to their survival as a people. Jesus using this Old Testament Passover celebration to institute a new observance, one intended to help his followers remember his actions of the next few days, instituting a new covenant between God and his people – Jew and Gentile alike. In participating in this new covenant of communion we express our desire to share in Christ wholly; his teaching, his mission, his suffering – identifying with the cross of Christ – being reminded of the sacrifice of his broken body and shed blood for our sin.

But why all this talk about blood? The first covenant was sealed in blood with Moses acting as an intermediary between God and the Israeli people. (Exodus 24:3-8) This concession on God’s part finding common ground among His people and the pagans of that day, guilt requiring a compensatory payment up to and including death. Blood thus became the atoning agent for the Israeli people. God himself explaining, “For the life of a creature is in the blood; and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Leviticus 17:11 The slaughtered animal becoming a substitutionary sacrifice, meant not to make it easy to attain forgiveness but to make it possible to pay for sin while maintaining a meaningful life. (See Hebrews 9:1-7,11-14 & 19-28, especially 14,19, and 28)

This appears reasonable to us only when we understand that, “There is no one righteous, not even one;…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:10 & 23 Compared to the righteousness of God, even our good deeds – usually motivated out of a fear of punishment or a desire for recognition and gain, “…are like filthy rags.” Is. 64:6 And even as we divide our response to the lawful expectations of God and society into good, better and best – or the breaking of them into bad, worse and worse, God views sin as sin; equally punishable and requiring payment in recognition, acceptance of responsibility and repentance. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all.” James 2:10 For the expressed will of God is a continuous thread of expectation, broken at any one point – the whole is broken; and God’s Law demands, “…that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22

God knows we are incapable of perfection but wants us to understand our lack and our need to have the difference made up for in him. The system of substitution was meant to do just that but became an easy out for many who were unwilling to accept responsibility for their actions or express genuine repentance for misdeeds. Salvation is still substitutionary, but offered “once for all” (Hebrews 7:27) by God’s son, Jesus; where hopefully the expressed love of God through the grace and mercy found in Christ will help us recognize that, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 Creating the appropriate response of love and obedience.

If Jesus’ example and wishes are worth anything; then considering what he did and said in instituting the practice of communion or the Lord’s Supper is vital. Scripture explaining that, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:26-28 Luke adding that Jesus’ desire was for this to be done, “…in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 A visual aid, mimicking the Egyptian “pass over” – an atoning of lamb’s blood, in a new passing over – the atonement of The lamb’s blood.

The early church realized the importance of this time of shared remembrance in their worship services, devoting themselves to fellowshipping together, learning under the eyewitness accounts of the Apostles, the “breaking of bread” and prayer. (Acts 2:42 See also 1 Corinthians 16:12 & Acts 20:7) Paul, realizing the importance of Christ’s directive to remember him through this solemn observance, sought to keep its practice pure. In reaffirming its place in worship to the Corinthian Church he wrote, “For I have received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26

Check back next week for more on the practice and importance of “communing” with God.

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