24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
This verse encapsulates the two understandings of communion. On the one side we have those who emphasize the presence of Jesus in the elements. He said, “This is my body.” Those who hold that Jesus is present in these elements, either actually physically present or present in essence, like this part of the verse. The other camp emphasizes the words “in remembrance of me.” They like to view communion as a time to remember what Jesus accomplished for us. Notice that both are here in this verse. I don’t pretend to understand the mystery of communion. I know it is more than a simple ceremony whereby we remember abstractly what Jesus did for us. But the exact manner of His presence in those moments I don’t know. I know that anytime we desire, we can acknowledge His presence among us. We don’t need communion to do that. The life of a Jesus-follower is one of recognizing His presence, moment by moment. But when we gather as a body of believers and share communion, we are corporately stating that the Lord is present in our midst, in our lives, in our world. So next time you celebrate communion with your local church body, celebrate! He paid the price for your sins. You are accepted by the Creator of the Universe. You have new life because of what He did. Celebrate! Just that fact that such a diverse group of people can gather and do so in hopes that other people will gain eternal life is a miracle. We are not a group of savvy investors helping each other amass greater wealth. We gather to serve.
The Arnold Journey 