06 - The Importance of Remembering

Moving on to the New Testament we read this in 1 Corinthians 11:23 - 26…’For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed too break, 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 also he too the cup, after supper saying, ‘’this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as long as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’

In this passage Paul recites some clear instruction as to the meaning of taking Holy Communion. The symbol given here is perhaps the most important symbol of remembrance left to us by God, a representation of the Cross and all it acheived. The symbolism of Holy Communion (we shall decide to refer to it as a symbol in order to avoid an unnecessary debate on the issue of transubstantiation) is immensely rich and portrays a great depth of meaning to the partaker. I believe we only understand the full meaning of communion in actually taking part, not simply reading or remembering of it; the significance is contained within the act of eating and the act or drinking. Indeed such is the case scripture warns those who take part in the act of Communion, but do not know have a right relationship with Jesus, drink judgement upon themselves (1 Corinthians 11:27 - 30). The text says some have even died from unworthily eating the bread and drinking the cup!

We learn therefore that the physical symbol of communion has serious spiritual implications and should not be treated with apathy or contempt. However communion was never intended to be a symbol of judgement and death; the very fact Paul writes this to Corinth is that communion is not be used as God intended. Let us join with the Psalmist instead who says, ‘Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is Say to God ‘’How awesome are your deeds.’’ What an awesome deed communion represents, what joy we should have that Christ has achieved the most glorious and awesome deed of all time on the Cross.

Thus communion is a symbol of God’s ultimate victory; it is the climax of all of history…past, present and future. It is a display of God’s glorious grace; it is the divine appointment, the one moment in time in which God would reconcile the world to himself. Indeed communion represents what God had wanted to achieve before the very beginning of time, Ephesians 1 reads this, ‘even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world (1:4)…he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace (1:5 -6)…in him we have redemption through his blood.’ Never forget communion causes us to remember that God, before the world, chose to send his Son to die, he did this not because things had got out of his control and he had to clean things up, but instead it was the display of his glorious grace…it was the best way in which he grace could be put on show for the rest of mankind to see.

Finally communion does not simply command to us to remember Christ’s death, but instead he commands us to physically act it out in our own lives, giving flesh and life to the significance of all the Cross achieved. There is a part of communion which is beyond theology but can only be understood through experience…the strange emotions and thoughts which overcome us and flood our as a result of simply eating bread and drinking wine. I believe communion has a meaning which is deeper than our mental capacity but is something which we feel in the depth of our very hearts, the very depth of our being.