City Life Starter

1. The Word: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (The Passion Translation)

23 I have handed down to you what came to me by direct revelation from the Lord himself. The same night in which he was handed over, he took bread 24 and gave thanks. Then he distributed it to the disciples and said, “Take it and eat your fill. It is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” 25 He did the same with the cup of wine after supper and said, “This cup seals the new covenant with my blood. Drink it—and whenever you drink this, do it to remember me.”

26 Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are retelling the story, proclaiming our Lord’s death until he comes.

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31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’” –Exodus 16:31-32 (NIV)

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28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. –Luke 24:28-35 (ESV)

2. Reflection Questions

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Do you have any favorite family traditions?

What do you think is the purpose of celebrating holidays or keeping traditions?

By Aisha Darwesh

Today, I have the privilege and honor of presenting the beauty and richness of the sacred and vital act of communion as described in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Verse 23 begins with Paul telling the Corinthians that he passed down to them what he received directly from the Lord concerning his revelation about the Lord’s Supper, or the holy communion. That first line alone is so rich with meaning.

I find it so encouraging that Paul said he received this revelation directly. How could Paul have received that revelation directly? Paul was not in attendance when Jesus shared the revelation about the bread and wine at the Passover meal before His arrest and crucifixion. Yet Paul declares in verse 23 that he shared with the Corinthians what he received from the Lord.  Clearly, the Holy Spirit revealed the meaning of the holy communion through the scriptures and through Paul’s personal relationship with Christ.

This gives us one of the first attributes about communion: it is personal. The original Greek word for communion is koinónia. Some definitions for koinónia are contact, fellowship, and intimacy. The word even has a social dimension to it and in sense, it means “community.”

When we take communion, we are actively participating with and sharing in Christ’s blood and body, and we receive all the blessings that He’s won for us. It’s not enough to just attend Christian events and gatherings and be around God; we must partake of Him and receive Him personally for ourselves. One of the ways we can actively fellowship with the Lord is through the Lord’s Supper.

Eating the bread, which represents the body of Christ, and drinking the wine, which represents the blood of Christ, is a symbol of our covenant relationship with God. It makes sense God would choose to eat as a way to remember our covenant with Him. Eating and fellowship go hand in hand. If you answered the reflection questions above, what were some of your favorite holidays? I’m almost positive they included holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. And why? Because they involve getting together with family and loved ones and sharing a bountiful meal together.

This gives us a second attribute about communion: it is relational. I don’t think it is any coincidence that Jesus was revealed to the disciples on the road to Emmaus at the exact moment He broke bread with them. God is not just something to cross off our to-do list on Sunday mornings. He’s a Person. And He’s the most intriguing Person at that! Luke 24:32 states: They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Please allow me to make something perfectly clear, God is anything but boring! He ignites a fiery passion in us so bright, we can hardly contain it! You will have the sweetest revelations of Jesus as you break bread with Him and fellowship with Him through communion.

The third attribute of communion I would like to discuss is: communion is traditional. The demonstration of communion is one of the last things Jesus shared with the disciples on the night He was betrayed and handed over for crucifixion. That definitely weighs into its significance. I think what He meant in sharing the revelation of communion right before He would enter into His Passion and die on the cross is to communicate to the disciples that it didn’t mean goodbye. It meant that He would remain in their fellowship forever.

Jesus is not dead. However, His body was broken for us, and His blood was shed for us. This is not something to be forgotten. Keeping communion as a regular tradition in our day-to-day lives will keep the memory of what Christ did for us alive. Engaging in the practice of communion brings to remembrance everything Christ did to redeem us from sin and death. We take communion to remember Christ and to be unified with Him.

Application

If you don’t take communion on a regular basis, consider making it a common practice in your devotional time with God. Take a cracker or a piece of bread and break it. As you break it, consider Christ’s body which was broken for your healing and wholeness. As you eat, receive that wholeness and thank the Lord for His sacrifice. Once you’ve finished, take some juice or wine if you have it and pour a small amount into a cup. As you drink from the cup, imagine Jesus’ blood washing over all your sin and making you perfectly clean. Receive His grace for today.

The sanctuary at City Life Church has tables stationed towards the back and at the front. The tables have baskets on them with the small communion cups containing the wafer and juice. Consider making communion part of your Sunday morning worship. This Sunday at church, take a communion cup from one of the baskets and pray to the Lord as you take communion.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your body which was broken for me. Thank You for dying to make me whole. Lord, You complete me. I also thank You for Your precious blood, which was shed for the remission of my sin. I receive complete cleansing from all my sin. You paid the ultimate price, Lord so I could be set free. I worship and honor You for what You’ve done, Lord. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus Name, Amen.