2017/10/1 World Communion Sunday
October 1, 2017
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:19-22
We will not be talking about The Story today because it is World Communion Sunday, celebrated by many denominations worldwide. This special Sunday originated in a Presbyterian church in 1934, and the idea was adopted by the National Council of Churches in 1940. It is now celebrated all over the world.
We take communion monthly here, and most of us have been taking communion our whole lives, but I think it is a good time to take a closer look at this rite of the church. Our familiarity with it might cause us to miss the importance and depth of the practice.
I have even heard people groan when they enter the sanctuary on a Sunday and see the communion bread and juice on the table. They moan because they know it will be a longer service. Most of us do not feel that way, but I wonder if we sometimes do not give communion much thought at all.
Let us take a closer look at that supper.
What the Last Supper Really Looked Like
First, they were not seated along a table as we often visualize from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting. Meals like this were eaten seated on the floor, with participants leaning against each other in the Roman style. The food was placed in dishes in the center, and everyone ate from the same plates, dipping or scooping with bread or spearing pieces with a knife.
The menu was probably a stew, lamb, dates, herbs, olives, fruit, bread, and wine. Normal daily meals were much simpler. Breakfast was usually a piece of bread and maybe fruit. Lunch was bread with olives or fruit. Supper was usually a vegetable stew eaten with bread. Meat was eaten sparingly, usually dried fish, and lamb or other meats were reserved for formal occasions or the wealthy.
This meal would have had a warm, intimate feel. Friends together, sharing a common dish. It was common for the teacher or host to speak and teach during the meal.
It was in this intimate setting that Jesus picked up the bread and pulled it apart to give to His closest friends. Bread was the staple food of daily life. For the very poor, a single piece of bread might be all they ate in a day. Bread was life.
Much earlier, as Jesus taught throughout the land, He described Himself as the bread of life, the bread that came down from heaven. In John 6 He said He was the bread that would not perish but would give life.
Bread was used physically to give life and symbolically, through Jesus, to give eternal life.
I am not a theologian, but I think Jesus chose bread because it was a way for Him to be with them daily. Every time they broke bread, every meal, they were to think of Him. Every time they broke bread together, they were to do it in remembrance of Him and with gratitude.
Why Wine Matters
Wine was as important as bread. In an arid region where water was drawn from wells and carried long distances, and was sometimes not sanitary, wine was easier to transport and safer to drink. Juice spoils quickly, but wine stays good for a long time.
In Hebrew teaching, life was considered to be in the blood. Blood was forbidden to them, and animals had to be ritually killed and drained before the meat could be eaten. For Jesus to say the wine was His blood was to say it represented His life. Blood was used to cleanse and purify in sacrifices, and Jesus, knowing His own blood was about to be used in the same way, was telling them that His blood would cleanse them and bring eternal life.
By identifying wine with His blood, Jesus gave them something they would encounter daily, something that would remind them of Him every time they drank it.
How Communion Took Shape
As the apostles began to teach about the risen Jesus, believers gathered to worship. Many opinions exist about what early worship looked like, but scripture gives us clues.
Acts 2:42 and 2:46 describe believers meeting at the temple for prayer. They prayed three times a day, referred to as the third hour, the fifth hour, and the ninth hour.
They also met together for meals. Acts 20:7 says, “On the first day of the week we assembled to break bread.” This passage also tells of the young man who fell asleep on a window ledge and fell three stories while Paul was speaking. Paul healed him, then “after going upstairs, breaking bread and eating, Paul talked a long time, till dawn.” And I thought a 30 minute sermon was too long.
Eating together was part of worship.
But problems arose quickly.
The First Communion Problems
In 1 Corinthians 11:17 to 34, Paul addresses a serious issue. When believers gathered for worship, or the “love feast,” some came early and ate most of the food and drank the wine until they were drunk. Those who came later, often the poor or slaves who could not leave work early, had nothing left.
This was discrimination. The wealthy were behaving selfishly, and Paul was angry. The meals were called love feasts, and the behavior of the wealthier Corinthians was anything but loving. Paul needed to correct this.
Over time, as the apostles died, the love feast began to disappear. The sharing of bread and wine became more formal and ritualized. Between 110 and 150 AD, worship became more like temple worship and more like our modern services, held in designated places with music, liturgy, and teaching. Communion became a formal rite.
Communion in the UMC
The United Methodist Church takes communion very seriously. It is one of the formal rites of the church, along with baptism and marriage. Communion elements can only be consecrated by clergy. To enable us to take communion today, Pastor Ron has already prepared and consecrated the bread and juice on the altar. Because he did, we can join together this morning in remembrance of Jesus.
Remembering the Last Supper
Let us take a moment and picture Jesus and His dear friends gathered together for the last time before His death and resurrection. Put yourself in that picture. A time of togetherness and sharing.
Let us remember every detail of that day.
Jesus loved them, and He loves each of us.
This ritual reminds us that He willingly sacrificed Himself, His body, for us.
This ritual reminds us that He is the bread of life.
This ritual reminds us that the sacrificial spilling of His blood cleanses us from our sins.
Each time a piece of bread passes our lips, or a sip of wine or juice goes down our throat, let it remind us of that supper long ago in Jerusalem.
Each time we walk into the sanctuary and see the communion elements on the altar, let us close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks that we are able to partake of communion. For more than 2,000 years, a simple piece of bread and a sip of juice from the vine have joined us with Christ and with believers all around the world. Let it continue to be a bond that holds us together in Christ and in love.
Communion also reminds us that one day we will sit at a table with Him in heaven, where we will eat and drink and fellowship with Him and with each other.
Communion should be thought of as a sacred and treasured part of our church life, never anything less.
We need to go back in our minds and hear again the words, “And He took the bread…”
If you want, I can also format this into a blog layout with headings and spacing like the previous one.
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