In England, from 1555-1558 288 Protestant Reformers were burned at the stake. 1 was an archbishop, 4 were bishops, 21 were pastors, 55 were women, and 4 were children.* The reason: the meaning of Communion. These 288 men, women, and children believed the meaning and the practice of communion, or The Lord’s Supper, was worth dying for.

What exactly is this ancient practice of the Church, and how can we participate in it today?

Jesus began the practice

On the night in which Jesus was betrayed by Judas, he celebrated the Passover with his disciples (Matthew 26.26-29). He transformed this Old Testament ritual into what has been called, The Lord’s Supper, or Communion. It became the practice of the early church, simply because Jesus commanded it to be: “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22.19).

The Apostle Paul also emphasized the observance of this practice (1 Cor. 11.23-26):
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took 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 often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
The Lord’s Supper was something Christ intended to be practiced regularly in his church until he returns again.

What we do when we eat this meal
There are two parts to this meal. First, Jesus told us to take bread and to eat it. After that, we are told to take wine and to drink it. It has all the basic features of a meal. Jesus selected these two elements because they represented nourishment to our bodies. When we take these two elements our bodies are supposed to be refreshed.

But this meal is more than just physical nourishment. The bread and wine are not the end in themselves. The famous English preacher, Charles Spurgeon, put it this way: “Never mind that bread and wine, unless you can use them as folks use their glasses. What do they use them for? To look at? No, to look through them. So, use the bread and wine as a pair of glasses. Look through them, and do not be satisfied until you can say, ‘Yes, yes, I can see the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.’”**

The bread and wine are often called signs. That is, they point away from themselves to something else more significant. What are they pointing to? They point to Jesus himself, his body that was broken in punishment for sins, and his blood, his life, which was poured out to provide forgiveness for us. The bread and wine are meant to vividly picture the work that Jesus Christ did, and the blessings and benefits he accomplished for those for whom he died. Since Jesus never intended the eating of this meal to actually save or forgive a person, it follows that this practice is for those who are already Christians.

What is the benefit of eating this meal?
The bread and wine are signs because they point away to something else, namely Christ’s body and blood that provided forgiveness of sins and a relationship with God. But they are also called seals. A seal presses something to another thing. It attaches. Christ intended that eating this meal would seal, or press down upon our hearts those very blessings and benefits of his work. The spiritual nourishment comes when the benefits of Christ become ours, attached, worked down into our souls.
It is amazing and mysterious, but we believe that when the words Jesus Christ spoke at the last supper are read, God creates a spiritual relationship between the bread and wine, and the very things they picture. The result is that as the bread and wine provide us nourishment in our bodies, so the body and blood of Jesus provide us spiritual nourishment in our souls.

One old pastor and writer put it this way: “Bread in the mouth; Christ in the heart.” The two elements become visible pledges to our hearts of what they represent, much like a wedding ring is a pledge of love and faithfulness. As Christ is “fed upon” through the bread and wine, he gives us spiritual strength, courage, forgiveness, power, cleansing, joy, and hope. These are all benefits that we need regularly, thus Christ’s command to do this “often.”

Are the benefits automatic?
We assume that when we eat regular food our bodies get nourishment from it. Spiritual nourishment from eating the bread and wine of Communion are not automatic, though. Jesus told his disciples to eat the meal, “in remembrance of Me,” that is, by faith in him. As that quote earlier said, we must see through the elements to the fact that Jesus was the Lamb of God who died for our sin.
Simply put, in order to honor God, and to gain the spiritual benefit from this practice, we must a) be Christians; b) eat this meal with faith. As we are taking the food in our mouths, we must be feeding on Christ by recalling him to our minds, resting on him and his work, and putting ourselves again in his service.

John Piper summarizes this well: “[When you eat this meal] Feed your soul on all that I [Christ] am for you. Nourish your heart on all the blessings that I bought for you with my body and blood. That is what faith is: faith is being satisfied in all that God is for us in Christ. Christ has given us the Lord’s Supper to feed us spiritually with himself.”***

Communion joins us together
Something else that happens when we take the Lord’s Supper with faith is that we are joined closer to other Christians around us. There is something unifying about each individual person taking part in ONE body of Jesus Christ. We are all showing our part and interest in him. Communion shows believers just how much we have in common with each other, and how much we should love each other.

Some Practical ideas
What do you do as you are holding the bread and the wine? Spiritual nourishment and grace come as Christ is fed upon in our hearts. So, call to mind different verses or thoughts that focus on who he is and what he did. I suggest having a few verses to think on. Verses such as:

• Matthew 26.28
• Romans 8.1
• Galatians 2.20
• Hebrews 12.2-6
• 1 John 4.9-12

Meditate on these as you wait for the pastor to invite you to eat the elements. Many Christians have found it helpful to think on verses, and to confess sins that are brought to mind. “While eating and drinking, apply Christ to yourself, join yourself to him in truth, with steadfastness, and in love.”****

Get Prepared
To get the maximum benefit from this practice, you should come prepared. How can you prepare for it? Let me recommend three things that will prepare you for taking the Lord’s Supper:

--Cultivate the week before a strong desire to take this meal. You might write out some verses that focus on Jesus Christ, and keep those with you that week, as you memorize them, and think through what they are saying.

--Spend time that week in self-examination. It is always good to talk to yourself from God’s Word, to see what kind of character you are becoming, what sins may be setting up in you, what changes you can make.

--Cultivate a spiritual beauty. In the power of God give yourself again to him to be beautiful and holy for him. Use his Word as that which will show what that beauty looks like.

These things done in faith will help prepare you for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Remember that the point of it all—preparation and celebration—is that Christ becomes more dear to us, and we become nearer to him.

A final thought
Should children take of the Lord’s Supper? This is a very important question. Let me include here the counsel of another pastor, and endorse it as our position at Hope Church. “When people inquire about taking the Lord’s Supper, I have two perspectives to share with them. The first is that our communion services are open to all present, including children, who are:

--trusting in Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of their sins and the fulfillment of all his promises to us (including eternal life), and
--who intend to follow him as Lord and obey his commands

Therefore, children are welcome to participate in the Lord’s Supper:

--when they can understand its significance;
--when they are able to give a credible profession of faith in Christ;
--and when they consciously intend to follow the Lord in obedience.

There is no test they take or class they attend to help establish their readiness. We simply leave it up to parents to decide when their young disciples are ready.”*****

Notes
* J.C. Ryle, Light from Old Times, p. 36.
**Taken from Wayne Mack & David Swavely, Life in the Father’s House, p. 108.
***A Sermon by John Piper, August 3rd, 3003, p. 7.
****W. A’Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, v.2, 592.
*****Taken from a sermon by John Piper, August 24th, 2003.