Most Christians are intimately familiar with Jesus' words as He observed the Passover with His disciples, just hours before He was arrested, tried, and crucified. During two significant segments of the Passover celebration, Jesus took what had been in place for centuries and added new meaning to it. Taking the bread, Jesus broke it, and as He gave it to the disciples, He proclaimed, "This is my body, given for you." And then later, taking one of the four cups (very likely the cup of redemption), He gave it to them, telling them to, "Drink of this, all of you, for this is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."
Now, I understand that there are Christians who take Jesus' words as symbolic more than literal. The next few blog posts won't actually be addressing anything related to that issue. Suffice it to say that, for our reflection over the next few days, we will be taking Jesus at His word, that He can indeed cause His body and His blood to be present in the Supper, even if we cannot reasonably fathom how such a thing can be so.
The first thing I want to point out from the mouth of our Lord is that He says this is done "for you". Jesus gives His body into death "for you". Jesus shed His blood "for you". And so, as you take the breach which contains His body, He gives it "for you". As you receive His blood in, with, and under the wine, He gives it "for you".
These two words carry a great deal of importance for us as Christians. We have a connection with Jesus that is renewed every time we receive this holy Supper from the hands of our Lord. Jesus pours His forgiveness into us as we receive His body, broken for us, and His blood, shed for us. And the thing for you and I to reflect upon is that we need this forgiveness so often. Not only do we daily sin in what we do and in what we fail to do, but our inherited state from our first father and mother is that we are sinful. This means that we desperately need that forgiveness and our connection to Jesus. We daily sin much, and stand in need of God's forgiveness in Jesus just as much. We also live in a state of separation from God, and need that forgiven every moment of every day.
The connection we have with this holy Supper of our Lord Jesus is such that we need it "often". Truly, we could spend every moment of every day receiving it, as that is just how deep our sinfulness runs, and how deep the forgiveness of Jesus runs. But since a constant side of bread, blessed with the body of Jesus, and an IV of wine, blessed with Jesus' blood, isn't that practical, we desire to have this great gift as frequently as can be available.
Now, I understand that there are Christians who take Jesus' words as symbolic more than literal. The next few blog posts won't actually be addressing anything related to that issue. Suffice it to say that, for our reflection over the next few days, we will be taking Jesus at His word, that He can indeed cause His body and His blood to be present in the Supper, even if we cannot reasonably fathom how such a thing can be so.
The first thing I want to point out from the mouth of our Lord is that He says this is done "for you". Jesus gives His body into death "for you". Jesus shed His blood "for you". And so, as you take the breach which contains His body, He gives it "for you". As you receive His blood in, with, and under the wine, He gives it "for you".
These two words carry a great deal of importance for us as Christians. We have a connection with Jesus that is renewed every time we receive this holy Supper from the hands of our Lord. Jesus pours His forgiveness into us as we receive His body, broken for us, and His blood, shed for us. And the thing for you and I to reflect upon is that we need this forgiveness so often. Not only do we daily sin in what we do and in what we fail to do, but our inherited state from our first father and mother is that we are sinful. This means that we desperately need that forgiveness and our connection to Jesus. We daily sin much, and stand in need of God's forgiveness in Jesus just as much. We also live in a state of separation from God, and need that forgiven every moment of every day.
The connection we have with this holy Supper of our Lord Jesus is such that we need it "often". Truly, we could spend every moment of every day receiving it, as that is just how deep our sinfulness runs, and how deep the forgiveness of Jesus runs. But since a constant side of bread, blessed with the body of Jesus, and an IV of wine, blessed with Jesus' blood, isn't that practical, we desire to have this great gift as frequently as can be available.
I look forward to learning more, since communion was a very secondary part of my church background and definitely seen only as a symbol, even though I've been curious about the mystery of it
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