Communion
Ideas Within Communion
Part 5 of 8
Communion is more than intellectual participation because humans understand in more ways than the cerebral. So we taste and smell and touch and observe, even as we are considering and remembering. The intent is rich understanding and unshakable memories. But the ideas within Communion are much too wonderful to be neglected. I do not doubt that valuable ideas could be added to the list below but, for now, here is a list of Communion’s essential concepts:
- Christ suffered and died (“This is my blood”). We remember his death with sorrow, understanding that those who killed him were our representatives. The Jewish religious leaders were us. The oppressive Roman civil authorities were us. The mob that shouted “Hosannah” and a few hours later assembled again to howl for Jesus’ “lynching”…that mob was us. Those who were his friends but who held back in fear were us. Christ’s death took place because of the spinelessness, the thoughtlessness, the selfishness, and the heartlessness of the human race. To face the crucifixion is to understand it with shame. We should think hard about the human capacity to badly misjudge. Communion is a time to consider the damage caused by our corrupt human tendencies. It is a time of repentance.
2. Christ was innocent. His death was different than all other deaths. It was more horrible than most deaths, surely, but there have been some as horrible. However, his sentence was the only one to fall on a completely innocent person. His spirit was pure. We condemned the perfect one. We must recall his crucifixion with deep sorrow, thinking on what we did to him. While he willfully handed over his life for our sakes, we murdered him. Communion is about recalling the depth of our debt.
3. He overcame death. Because he was perfect, because he was the Son of God, he overpowered death. Out of what seemed to be a complete disaster, what surely would have meant the end of the Jesus personality cult, emerged the triumphant Christ. The one whose body was pummeled, shredded, and hung by spikes from a wooden frame, stepped out of the grave, immortal. The one who was slandered as unable to save himself rose again, Savior of all. The one who was mocked as “King of the Jews” rose to his coronation as Lord of All.
…he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. – Philippians 2.8-10
Communion is a proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus over all creation.
4. He immediately entered into his kingly work. He remained on earth for a short time after his resurrection but he didn’t wave farewell, arrange for his pension, and take a train to Florida, intent on a poolside rocker. Instead he returned to the task he had set out to accomplish from the time of the Creation: the establishment of a people after his own heart.
a. He pardoned the sins of all who trusted and submitted to him.
b. He liberated those people from Satan and all from principalities and powers, such as nationalism, humanism, materialism, and all other false religions.
c. He delivered them from death, providing an immortal resurrection, much like his own.
d. For the same people he guaranteed sanctification, bringing them to spiritual purity.
e. And he guaranteed to deliver them into a new society of peace and good will.
Communion is a time of thanksgiving for the wondrous gifts Jesus showered on his people.
5. Communion signifies identification with this Jesus. When Jesus tells us to eat his flesh and drink his blood, what he means is that he and we are of the same stuff. When we eat and drink we say, “Yea and Amen, Brother; let it be so. We understand who you are. We understand what you have done and what you are doing. We acknowledge you as Lord of the Universe; we acknowledge you as Lord of our lives as individuals. We recognize that you alone are our sustenance. Accomplish your will; we trust you completely. We are humbled that you deal with us by your grace, and that you call us brothers. We are also your servants and, if you will grant us the strength, we will obey you in all things forever. There is no greater joy or privilege.”
6. This identification is not merely an individual act; it is a corporate act. Communion is a reminder of our unity with Christ, and it is a reminder of our unity with the Church. Christ is our mutual Lord. Christ is our mutual Brother. The Holy Spirit indwells us all. The Father is our mutual Father. The Church, consequently, is our Family. The Family is more real than family. In healthy biological families we remain committed to our relatives, warts and all. This is a proper inclination that God puts into our hearts. He expects us to carry the same perspective into the Church. One day we will fully appreciate how family is the type and Church is the prototype. In Communion we corporately identify and align ourselves with the Church of Jesus.
7. One of the most well-known and loved passages of Scripture is Psalm 23. The essence of the Psalm is the tender care of the Lord; the words found there have been a comfort to God’s people for 3000 years. But this Psalm also does not shy away from discussing the constant presence of evil. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. – Psalm 23.5.
This is a strange and disturbing image, I think. Why would God do this? Can’t we get a little privacy? Who would be comfortable in this situation? Would our enemies, looking on, but excluded, take joy? Or could we enjoy the meal while being watched by our enemies? And yet, it is not a foreign image at all; it is an apt metaphor for the Church in the world. The Church is powerless and at the mercy of the many governments that rule where the Church resides. But, by and large, God has employed governments to hold back the world’s vicious nature from being expressed against the Church. Jesus is Lord over all earthly authorities. All will serve him either willingly or unwittingly. The Church, then, lives without terror; it lives without fear. God permits the literal and figurative barbs of the world to do their damage but, in the final analysis, he brings them to nothing. Communion recognizes an antagonistic and dangerous world, and it recognizes that Jesus holds the world in his hand.
8. Finally, Communion is a celebration. The murder of Christ was overwhelmed by his resurrection and coronation. The Father granted him lordship over the earth and the authority to bring to life all those who are his. And these called ones, the Church, numbered as the sand at the seashore, will come together in the new earth, that land of peace. And this same Church will also be the Bride of Christ, joining with him in the great Feast of the Lamb, which Communion foreshadows. Communion is to be a feast foreshadowing the Great Feast.
All this is a bit much to be mindful of during Communion. It is not practical to review all of this at every Communion service, but it would be right to dedicate one or two sermons each year for full consideration of Communion. And, in the meantime, it would be good practice to emphasize one of the aspects at each Communion service, rotating them so that all in the Church would become knowledgeable and altered by the beauty and wonder implied by the ritual.
(end of part 5 of 8-part series)
Recent Comments