What do you think Communion is? – Question asked on a social media account by an Anabaptist who will “likely be preaching on Worldwide Communion Day in October.”
One person responded that Communion is a Christian ritual based on the Passover, gathered together, in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice and the new covenant of which we are a part, and a sense of being part of the body of Christ, not only with those gathered, but with those gathered in other places and stretching back to the Last Supper and, ultimately, the Exodus.
I responded that it not only stretches back, but it also stretches forward. It's a foretaste of the heavenly banquet where we join with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven, and it's a moment in time when all that was and all that will be now is.
Holy Communion is a sacramental and sacrificial act that connects us with the body of Christ throughout time, binding us together with saints before and saints after, with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven in a moment when God, the Great I AM is present in a moment in which we ARE. Additionally, Holy Communion is not something which we take, for that implies force, but is a gift of God which we receive.
Holy Communion is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. When consecrated, the bread and wine become body and blood, not through a change in substance, but through a substantial change in which Christ becomes present in the elements. As we reflect on that, we believe that we, also, are substantially changed to reflect the presence of Christ in our lives.
Holy Communion is THE central act of our Sunday worship. It unites us with Christians past, present, and future. It unites us with Christians who are participating in this holy meal at that time all over the world. It brings us to the table with all the heavenly host.
As you approach Sunday and prepare yourself to worship God in the beauty of holiness, spend some time reflecting on this question: What do you think Communion is?
Blessings,
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