the role of the Lord's Supper

the purpose and carrying out of the Lord's Supper has been a topic of discussion, debate, and other types of arguments throughout church history. this entry is not meant to detail every aspect of that debate.

i do want to point one aspect that has challenged my notion of the Lord's Supper. i have viewed Communion throughout my life as an opportunity to remember God's work through Jesus Christ on the cross for my sins and to confess my sins. the bread and grape juice have always been a symbol to me of this work. most of my understanding has come from the 1-2 minute introduction that pastors have given for Communion (this shows just how important those 1-2 minutes are).

the idea that has challenged me is Martin Luther's notion that the purpose of communion is to motivate believers to fellowship. in his "The Blessed Sacrament of the Holy and True Body of Christ", he opened the view of the Lord’s Supper for the community not just the individual. his argument is that the body of Christ is strengthened because individuals are taking in the body of Christ and this leads to further unity. as Christians, we are bonded to Christ so that it is as if he were what we are, he makes whatever concerns us to concern him as well, and even more than it does us. in turn, we so care for Christ, as if we were what he is, which indeed we shall finally be - we shall be conformed to his likeness.

the result of this is we should have a stronger sense of being the body of Christ.

do i really believe that i am part of the body of Christ in the sense that if someone is hurting then i should be hurting? how often do i really live that out? is that something i ask God to press upon my hardened heart?

how often have i heard pastors focus on the body of Christ (community of saints) during the 1-2 minutes before communion? how has this 1-2 minutes contributed to my heavy focus on my individual, personal walk with Christ at the expense of caring for my brothers and sisters (and also my enemies whom i should love in order to help them be my brothers and sisters)?

does this shed any light on Jesus' example prayer where he calls us to forgive others for their debts? how can we expect God to forgive us our sins at the Communion table if we do not have our brothers and sisters in mind?

to be blunt, wouldn't it look silly if i took the Lord's Supper by myself? what does that reveal?

i have more to reflect on but this is a starting point. i would love for anybody who reads this to add a comment to let me know about their impressions or experiences with the Lord's Supper.