Category: communion meditation

WHAT DOES THIS CEREMONY MEAN?

WHAT DOES THIS CEREMONY MEAN?

Exodus 12:25-27 NET.

25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give to you, just as he said, you must observe this ceremony. 26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ — 27 then you will say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’s Passover, when he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck Egypt and delivered our households.'”

As we come to the Communion table this morning. I want us to focus on Moses’s instruction to the Israelites, as reflected in this text. There were reasons why Jesus chose the Passover meal when he added on the particular ceremony that we call Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

Moses knew that the children would be curious.

He said that they will ask what this ceremony means. Their asking about Passover would be the opportunity for their parents to explain it. If you have ever sat down to a Passover meal, you would be lost in understanding the meaning of all its symbols without someone explaining it. The Communion is similar to Passover in the meaning attached to the various elements. Jesus explained the elements of Communion and encouraged the disciples to perform the ceremony regularly because it would create curiosity among new believers and provide an opportunity to teach the fundamentals of the faith.

Moses knew that the parents needed to pass on their faith.

Evangelism was not invented with the Great Commission. God wanted the Israelites to pass their faith on by instructing their children and grandchildren about it. Passover was a means of doing that. Communion is an opportunity we have to do the same thing.

Moses instructed them to share about what God had done.

Every significant aspect of Judaism can be traced back to something that God had done or was doing for his people. Christianity is the same. Communion was designed to help us remember what Jesus did for us. The bread represents his body sacrificed; the cup represents his blood spilled. The basis of our faith is God and his grace. It’s not about us; it’s about Him.

Heavenly Father, here we are again at the table, reminding ourselves of your grace. We thank you again for your Son’s sacrifice. Thank you for what he did to cleanse us from sin and reconcile us to you.

Until He comes

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Until He comes — a communion meditation

  • “Then John’s disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples don’t fast?” Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:14-15 NET).
  • “For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26 NET).

Today is worldwide communion Sunday, so we are going to share the bread and the cup today. I’m also speaking in just a few minutes on Jesus’ command concerning fasting. There is a connection between these two rituals — the ritual of fasting where we go without eating, and the ritual of communion, where we eat a special meal in memory of Christ’s death on the cross.

Jesus told John’s disciples that he — the bridegroom — would be taken away from us. He was taken away when he returned to heaven. He is not here among us in physical form. He will not be among us physically until he returns. So, it is appropriate that each of us sets time aside from our normal schedule to fast, to mourn the fact that he is not here.

It is also appropriate that we gather together in his name to remember what he did when he was among us. He is more than the Bridegroom. He is the Lamb of God. His death on the cross paid the price for our sins. If he had not done that, our destiny would be universal death. He is our substitute.

The bread that we eat reminds us of his broken body. The cup that we share reminds us of his shed blood. Sharing this meal is one way that we proclaim his death, and what it means.

There is another thing that connects these two rituals. We are not commanded to fast all the time because the Bridegroom will not always be away. He is coming back. Arthur Wallis wrote in God’s Chosen Fast, “The fast of this age is not merely an act of mourning for Christ’s absence, but an act of preparation for His return. May those prophetic words “Then will they fast” be finally fulfilled in this generation. It will be a fasting and praying Church that will hear the thrilling cry, “Behold, the Bridegroom!” Tears shall then be wiped away, and the fast be followed by the feast at the marriage supper of the Lamb.”*

In the same way, the communion meal reminds us not only of what Jesus did in the past but also of what he is going to do in the future. We proclaim his death until he comes.

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*Wallis Arthur. God’s Chosen Fast How Christians Can Change World Events through the Simple Yet Powerful Tools of Prayer and Fasting. Christian Literature Crusade 1986. p. 32.