What is Communion?
Communion is a beautiful, symbolic act that Jesus started when He instructed His followers to use bread and wine to remember the sacrifice He would make when He died for our sins on the cross. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Communion uses bread as a symbol of Jesus' body and wine as a symbol of His blood. Jesus called Himself "the bread of life," meaning He nourishes us, we survive because of Him, and He satisfies us when everything else leaves us empty. John 6:48-51
Celebrating communion marks the story of Jesus, how He ultimately gave Himself to provide us with a better life, a fresh start, and a new relationship with God. 1 Peter 3:18
Why Do We Observe Communion?
The Lord told us to: When Jesus had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:24
We remember Christ and all that He has done for us in his life, death, and resurrection. 1 Corinthians 11:24
It is a statement of faith. 1 Corinthians 11:26
We take time to examine ourselves. 1 Corinthians 11:28
We show our participation in the body of Christ. His life becomes our life, and we become members of each other. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Communion is not a mindless ritual with bread and wine; it's an intentional time to remember what Jesus has done and that He is the One who provides all we need.
Scriptures Associated With Communion:
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 covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:26-28
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." Mark 14:22-24
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:19-20
Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17