PAINTING BY JACK GARNIER

The Sacraments: Communion

By Scott Roberson

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is the most frequently repeated of the eight sacraments in the church. It is an opportunity for a sacred moment in time, a time of giving and receiving, of remembering and forgetting, a time of intense personal and community worship.

To understand Communion we need to consider its history. Jesus was a first-century Jew who met to celebrate the Passover meal with his disciples. Jews celebrate the Passover in the spring, commemorating deliverance from the tenth plague sent by God to obtain freedom from Egyptian captivity for the Hebrews. The “passing over” of the angel of death occurred if a given household of Hebrews chose to follow God’s directive and place the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their houses (Exodus 12:3–7).

Why did God require the Jews to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and smear its blood on the doorposts? God did not need this sign to identify the Hebrew homes. God, through his gift of agency, chooses to not make us believe or force us to follow and worship him. Yet we must make some sign or overture, some sacrifice. The Hebrews were asked to identify themselves as wanting redemption and freedom and believing that it could happen. God was saying that nothing could stand in the way of his love for them, except themselves. This Passover experience was a pivotal event in Judeo-Christian history, and Jesus celebrated this covenant with his disciples and then instituted the Lord’s Supper as a new covenant. Jesus, this new deliverer, had come to free people from sin and offer himself as the lamb sacrificed for all. Neither personal transformation nor the Zionic goal will be accomplished without sacrifice and suffering.

A prominent Old Testament theme of distinction and separation, especially the Jewish distinction between life and death, is particularly prominent in the Passover story. The story ends with the separation of the Jews from Egypt. The Hebrew word for holy is kudosh, which means “separate” or “distinct.” This sign of the blood of the lamb was holy and separated the Hebrews from death and eventually from bondage in Egypt. The signs of believers in Christ separate the death of the old person from new life and include repentance from past attitudes and deeds, and baptism by water and the Holy Spirit.

Like the symbols of the Passover meal, Jesus gave a new meaning to freedom over death—a new moment in time that separates us from our past and brings us new life each Communion and starts us on a road of transformation as his follower. The ancient Israelites were told, “I set before you this day life and death—you shall choose life.” We have set before us, in effect, the same, in the form of Jesus, the Lamb of God. Whom will we choose?

The Old Testament emphasis on personal behavior and human choice (agency) is also a significant point of the Passover story. Unique to our church and our celebration of the Lords’ Supper is the inclusion of the commandment to remember Jesus. When priesthood petition God “to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of those who partake of it,” they do so in order “that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son,” and also that they may “keep his commandments which he has given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.” By our own agency we examine ourselves, consider the past, change behaviors in the present, and look forward to the future kingdom of God or Zion.

The physical and spiritual are connected and affect each other. What we choose to do at Communion is a physical act, but it changes our spiritual nature. It is a natural consequence for those who have made a covenant with Jesus through baptism of body and spirit to remember and renew that promise. Communion becomes a time to examine ourselves, to take stock of our behavior, our choices, and our relationships. We lay our sins and shortcomings on the altar and give up our animal-like behavior as sacrifices. We remember our covenant to follow and be like God through the example of Jesus. We come as guests at the Lord’s table and Jesus Christ is the host; the priesthood are simply the physical representatives. The Lord, symbolized in the bread and wine, is still presiding. In respect for his presence, we are asked to kneel. This is the only prescribed ritual in the church. We are dining at the table of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Hebrew word for sacrifice, korban, literally means “an object that brings something close.” Jesus Christ was that sacrifice, which takes from us all our sins and shortcomings and, through grace, forgives us for sins against God and humankind.

Communion is a time to remember God in the flesh—his life, death, and resurrection—and the covenant we have made to follow him. It is also an expression of unity and love among all those who are called by his name in the fellowship of the body of Christ—a foretaste of the kingdom.

The intense personal experience of the Lord’s Supper changes us and realigns our lives with those of godly priorities, transforming us anew into workers for the kingdom of God. Remembering Jesus is central to this new covenant celebrated by this sacrament. His life, ministry, death, and resurrection are remembered and celebrated along with our promise to always remember him and keep his commandments. Then, the Holy Spirit is promised to always be with us.

One of my favorite hymns speaks to the personal effect of Communion:

Through this special sacrament, there is a suspension of judgment (consequences) made possible through sacrifice, forgiveness, and love by Jesus Christ. But our forgiveness is only possible if it is initiated, through our agency, by repentance of our sins and we renew our promise to always follow him.

As creatures of desire, we all have a deep desire to be one with God again. Yes, we all have innate desires to receive or acquire things for ourselves, but we all have a divine nature to give and share. Jesus has called us to transformation, but the requirements are different than one might think. We need a broken heart and contrite spirit. God loves justice but loves creation more. And so by grace, we ask for and obtain forgiveness and release from sin.

Transformation occurs—from the desire to receive for self alone, to the desire to receive for the sake of sharing. This unity of purpose in the body of Christ brings us close in love, sharing, and forgiveness for the cause of the kingdom.