Reimagining Communion

1. Communion happened often.

• Church in Troas took it weekly. (Acts 20:7)
• Churches in Jerusalem and Corinth took it regularly. (Acts 2:42, I Cor. 11:20-21, 33)
• Jesus himself made a strong point about not neglecting it. (Luke 22:19-20)
• The reason that it was taken so regularly is because it embodied and represented the features of Christian life.

2. The bread represents the humanity and accessibility of Jesus.

• Almighty took on the form of a servant. (Phil. 2)
• The bread being the most basic and lowly of foods points to the humility and availability of our Lord.

3. The BROKEN bread represented the BROKEN Jesus!

• Jesus BROKEN body on the cross.
• Bread made from CRUSHED wheat.
• Wine made from PRESSED grapes.
• Both represent death.
• John 6:53- Eat the flesh and drink the blood of the son of man and have LIFE!

4. Communion was a meal, not a snack!

• When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper it was taken as a part of the Passover Feast. (Luke 22:15-20)
• I Cor. 11 makes it clear that early Christians considered this a meal.
• The NT Word for “Supper” literally means “dinner. And the NT word for table literally refers to a table in which a full meal is spread.

5. Shared meals help us celebrate what matters, appreciate memories and make new ones!

• Just think about our cultural holiday dinners.
• Reflect on old memories and make new ones…cement relationship and life together.

6. Shared meals can seal the covenant deal.

• Moses Example in Exodus 24.
• Jesus example in Luke 22.

7. This meal points to the greatest meal of all….the Wedding feast!

• The Lord’s Supper points to His coming future glory.
• The Lord’s Supper carries eschatological overtones that point to the Messianic banquet that is addressed in Matthew 22 & 26, Luke 12 & 15 and Rev. 19:9.

8. The supper transcends time.

• The Lord’s supper possesses past, present and future implications.
• The Lord’s supper is a living testimony to the three chief virtues: faith, hope and love.
• By proclaiming the Lord’s Supper we “proclaim [present] the Lord’s death [past] until he comes [future]” I Cor. 11:26

9. Themes of eating and drinking shadow the nature of a triune God.