Communion is a time when all Christians partake in the act of eating bread and wine together to remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The very first communion was with Christ and his disciples. Matthew 26:26-28 says,” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Over the years the observance of this first act of communion became a tradition in most churches where the entire church body takes part in some kind of structured communion including bread and wine(or grape juice). When we go up to receive communion are we doing it just because everyone in the church is doing it? Are we doing it to remember what Christ did for us? Are we doing it just because it is the right thing to do? What is the true purpose behind communion?

Paul talks about the true purpose of communion in 1 Corinthians 11:26-29,  “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.” According to Paul communion is our chance to proclaim the sacrifice of Jesus Christ until his second coming. It is also a time for us to examine ourselves in front of the Lord and ask for forgiveness of sins. In fact, we might be bringing judgment upon ourselves if we come for communion without an attitude of self-examination and seeking forgiveness for our sins.

Communion is not only a time to remember Christ and his sacrifice but also to come closer to God as a body of Christ and ask for forgiveness for our sins. It is also the time to ask the holy spirit to examine us and show us if anything needs to be corrected in our lives. In Psalm 26:2 David says “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind”. This is the same thing we need to do when we come for communion.  We need to ask the Lord to examine our hearts and our mind and see if anything needs to be changed.

When we come together for communion, it is our time to ask God to examine us and restore the relationship that we have with him. When we as a church go to receive communion, remember we are all doing it together in the body of Christ just like the disciples did during the first communion. We are all sinners and we need Christ to restore us every day. Every time we take communion together let us keep in mind the true purpose of communion, which is to examine ourselves in front of Jesus Christ and to ask for forgiveness of sins. After all forgiveness of our sins was only possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ’s body on the cross and by the shedding of his blood. This is what the bread and the wine represent during Holy communion.