What Should Happen When We Take Communion?

It was Thursday evening when Jesus sat down with the disciples for their last supper together. Toward the end of the meal, Jesus ordained a very sacred and unique way for us to remember His death. Today, we call it Communion or the Lord’s Supper. 

 23 the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Corinthians 11:23-29 ESV) 

We are not told how often we should take Communion, but based on this passage, we can be certain what we must do when we do celebrate it.

 1. Look Back and Remember the Cross.

“Do this in remembrance of me.” 

We are told to remember Jesus and His work on the cross when we take Communion. We are told to remember His broken body and His blood that was sacrificed to provide our salvation.

When we remember Jesus’ sacrifice, we are reminded how devastating sin is. We remember how costly sin is. We remember that sin required the death of the perfect son of God to provide forgiveness for you and me. 

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24) 

When we remember the broken body and blood spilled, we are reminded to be grateful for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we can be healed of our sins and brokenness. Every time we take Communion, we should be thankful for our salvation. We should remember that we were once lost but are now found. We were blind, but now we see. Expressing gratitude is an act of worship while we take Communion.

2. Look Inside and Examine Yourself.

“…unworthy manner… examine himself”

In this sacred moment, we must examine our hearts. We ask God to reveal sin in our life. As we are made aware of sin, we ask for God’s forgiveness. We seek to forgive anyone who we might be holding a grudge against. The point is to confess sin to God and release anyone who has offended you.

 3. Look Ahead to Our Future. 

“As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

Every time we take Communion, we preach the gospel to those in the room. Every time I lead Communion and explain why we are taking Communion, I proclaim the gospel and celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Already But Not Yet: You and I are living in the “already but not yet” timeframe today. In a real way, we are “already” enjoying our salvation by experiencing the forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven. But we are also “not yet” experiencing the fullness of what Jesus has promised us. One day in the future, we will receive a glorified body, eternal life, perfect peace, a new creation, a new heaven, and a new earth.

In this waiting period, yes, Jesus is resurrected. Yes, we have freedom from sin. Yes, we have the promise of heaven, so in one sense, we are experiencing our salvation. Still, in another sense, since there is more to come, it’s already but not yet fully fulfilled. We are waiting for Jesus to return. We are waiting for Jesus to make all things new. We are waiting for heaven.

While waiting for that day, we will go through good times and bad times. We will watch the world undergo various wars, famines, and pandemics. We’re going to watch politicians do terrible things. We’re going to see evil people continue to wreak havoc in this world, and at times, we’re going to be afraid, upset, and potentially depressed. In those moments, we get to return to Communion and remember the promises Jesus gave us.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

When we take Communion, we should look back and remember the cross, look inside and examine our spiritual life, and look ahead to our future with Jesus. While we wait, we remember the sacrifice, the body, the blood, the cross. We are grateful for the gift of salvation and look forward to our future in heaven. 

There was a grandmother who died and was buried under an oak tree in a church cemetery in Louisiana. The grandmother only wanted one word carved on her tombstone, and that word was “waiting.”  Communion reminds us of what we have in Christ and points us to our future hope in heaven.