Remembrance
What does communion mean to you? When you hold the bread and the cup in your hands, do you feel the weight of that moment? Communion is more than a ritual—it’s an invitation, a proclamation, a covenant reminder, and a glimpse of the eternal feast to come. It’s both a celebration of grace and a sobering reflection on the cost of our salvation.
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 CSB). Imagine sitting at that table, hearing those words for the first time. The disciples didn’t fully grasp what was about to happen, but Jesus was showing them—and us—that His body and blood would soon be the foundation of a new covenant. Have you ever stopped to consider that you, too, have been invited to sit at that table by His grace?
When Jesus held up the cup, He called it “the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28 CSB). In the ancient world, covenants were sealed in blood, but this was no ordinary covenant. This was a covenant sealed with the blood of the Son of God. Each time we drink from the cup, we remember that forgiveness is not theoretical—it has been signed and sealed by His sacrifice. Do you drink the cup with gratitude, realizing the assurance it carries?
Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that every time we eat the bread and drink the cup, “you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Communion is not silent—it’s proclamation. It declares to our own hearts and to the world around us that Jesus died, Jesus rose, and Jesus is coming again. When you take communion, do you see it as a private act only, or as a public declaration that you belong to Christ?
But Paul also issues a sober warning: “Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28 CSB). Communion calls us to hold up a mirror to our souls. Do you take time before the table to examine your heart? To confess sin, to seek reconciliation, to acknowledge your need for grace? The Lord’s Supper is not meant to push us away because of our unworthiness, but to draw us closer in humility, knowing that His worthiness covers us.
At the same time, the meal is not only about the past or the present—it points to the future. Jesus promised, “I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom”(Matthew 26:29 CSB). Every time we take communion, we taste just a small glimpse of that coming day when Christ will gather His people at the great wedding feast of the Lamb. Does that hope stir your heart with anticipation?
Communion is a strange blend of emotions. On one hand, we celebrate. We celebrate forgiveness, grace, covenant, and the victory of Christ over death. On the other hand, we are sobered. We remember the cross, the suffering, and the weight of our sin that nailed Him there. Have you allowed yourself to feel both—the joy of salvation and the sorrow of the price paid?
So as we gather this Sunday, don’t let the bread and the cup pass by as mere symbols. See them for what they are: an invitation from Jesus Himself, a proclamation of His death, a reminder of His covenant, a call to examine your heart, and a foretaste of the feast that awaits us. What will you remember when you eat the bread? What will you proclaim when you drink the cup? How will this table shape your walk with Christ in the days ahead?
This Sunday, let’s come to the table together—not casually, but reverently; not joylessly, but with deep gratitude. For the table of the Lord is both a place of remembrance and of anticipation, both a memorial and a promise. The bread and the cup preach the gospel to us again: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.