The Ministry of Communion

By Jon Walker 

It is the command of Jesus that none should come to the altar with a heart that is unreconciled to his brother. If this command of Jesus applies to every service of worship, indeed, to every prayer we utter, then it most certainly applies to reception of the Lord’s Supper. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Perfect Love desires communion, the sharing of life together, so it cannot be expressed from a distance. God came in human form to make His love visible. God so loved the world that He came up-close in Christ. 1 John 1:1-3 (MSG)

The Big Idea: Communion is about the sharing of life. It is about knowing others and being known by others, about caring and being cared for on a deep and personal level. And, when we take Communion (the Lord’s Supper) together, we should reflect the life we share with one another because the Life of Christ is active in our hearts.

— — — —

We cannot love like Jesus loves us unless we enter each other’s lives in an intimate and personal way. And so Jesus expects us to come up-close to each other. At the Last Supper, he spoke of the deep communion we should have with him and with one another. This is when he tells us, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me” (John 15:6 TEV).

Some Call it Communion, Some Lord’s Supper, Some Eucharist

By Fred Liggin

Luke 22:14-23 “When the hour came, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you. But look, the hand of the one betraying Me is at the table with Me!

In Jesus’ last meal He instituted what some call “Communion,” some “Eucharist” and some “Lord’s Supper.” Whatever one calls it, its important to remember not only why He did this, but also with whom He shared this table meal. But first, a very brief background sketch is probably necessary (if you know it already, skip to next paragraph):

This New Covenant meal was instituted during an Old Covenant meal called Passover. Passover was a meal practiced by the Jews that reminded them of their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. This was a meal designed by the LORD to engage all five senses as well as heart, mind and soul. In their deliverance the LORD saved them by requiring each Hebrew family to cover the doorposts and lintels of their houses with the blood of a pure, innocent, sacrificial lamb, which they are to eat as a special dinner before the Lord. In a terrible moment of judgement under the cover of darkness, the LORD would send a deadly plague throughout the land of Egypt in judgment of their oppression, idolatry and disobedience. This plague would kill the firstborn male of every Egyptian family, as well as the firstborn of all livestock. The only way for a Hebrew to escape the judgment aimed at Egypt was to do as the LORD commanded through Moses: cover the doorpost and lintels with the blood of the lamb. The LORD would see the blood and “pass-over” them, resulting in their salvation. It was this terrible yet redemptive act of God that convinced the Egyptian Pharaoh to set His people free to live and worship Him.