You might have wondered why we take communion every week at FCC. Or maybe you’re wondering what’s up with the idea of taking communion in the first place? It may be brand new to you. Let me sum up, in a nutshell, what communion is and what it means.
As for the what, at FCC, our communion emblems consist of a small piece of unleavened bread and a little plastic cup of grape juice. We don’t believe (as some religious groups do) that they become the actual body and blood of Jesus (that’s called “transubstantiation,” and the concept is pretty freaky and weird, not to mention completely unrealistic and unnecessary…you’ll see why).
To understand why we take communion, you need to know about the passover feast that was a traditional feast celebrated by the Jews. To make an extremely long story very short, this feast was to celebrate God setting the Israelites free from captivity in Egypt. (If you want to read more about the passover feast for yourself, check out Exodus chapters 11-12. It’s one of the most action-packed stories in the Bible!) In Exodus 13:3, Moses said to the newly-freed people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.” The guidelines and a simple explanation of the feast can be found in Exodus 12:43-49.
So this Passover feast is the meal that Jesus and his apostles were gathered around in Luke 22. This is often called “The Last Supper” or “The Lord’s Supper.” You might know that in our communion service at FCC, there’s a small piece of unleavened bread and a little cup of juice that we take. The traditional passover feast actually had four cups that were passed, not just one like we have today.
The first cup was blessed by the host of the meal and then passed on to the others present. After this, they would dip some bitter herbs in fruit sauce and eat them, and a message would be given on the meaning of the passover. Then they’d sing a song.
The second cup was then passed. Then the host would break and pass around the unleavened bread, which is what the bread we take today is meant to represent. This is the bread that Jesus passed when he said, “This is my body which is given for you.” (Luke 22:19)
Then they’d eat the traditional passover meal of roasted Lamb, and after a prayer, the third cup was passed. They’d sing another song while they were passing the third cup. This cup represented the blood of the lamb (if you read Exodus 11-12, you’ll understand what this means). Now that Jesus was about to become our ultimate sacrifice, it represented the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus said “it is the new covenant in my blood.” It was this third cup that Jesus blessed, and that became the cup of communion, which is represented by the juice we take today. Matthew 26:30 tells us that the Last Supper concluded with another song.
This is where it gets especially meaningful for us as Christ-followers. Traditionally in the passover meal, a fourth cup was passed. This fourth cup was meant to be a celebration of the coming Kingdom and was shared immediately before leaving the meal. At this particular gathering of Jesus and his disciples, no fourth cup was passed. Instead, Jesus said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” He is waiting until we’re with Him, sharing the feast together.
We take communion every week at FCC for three reasons:
1. To remember the past; Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection that make it possible for us, if we accept Him, to be righteous under His blood in the sight of God.
2. To recommit ourselves to Him. Matthew 26:28 tells us that when we accept Christ, our sin is covered by the blood of the Lamb, and we enter into a relationship with God and agree to the terms of the new covenant. In this communion service, our emphasis then is not only on what Christ has done for us but also on our commitment to Him as a result of our relationship with Him.
3. To look forward to His coming. Communion is a constant, weekly reminder of the future and of the hope we have in the promise that He would return for us, because He promised to drink that fourth cup with is in Heaven. Paul wrote that when we take communion, we proclaim the Jesus’ death and resurrection until He comes.
Communion is really one of the biggest reasons we even get together on Sunday mornings. It’s a chance to celebrate our hope together.
What does communion mean to you?
