“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’”
Luke 22:19–20
Jesus Christ is present in Holy Communion.
The divine service is an encounter between God and believers. The Trinitarian opening formula attests to God’s presence among us. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is present among those who gather in His name (Mt 18:20). It is during the celebration of Holy Communion that our fellowship with Him becomes most evident.
Jesus Christ invites us
Jesus used the image of a communal meal to describe God’s fellowship with humankind. In the parable of the great feast (Lk 14:16–24), He explains that God chooses the guests. It is not we who have chosen Christ, but Christ who has called us to fellowship with Him (Jn 15:16). Jesus ate with the disciples, but also with sinners (Mk 2:15). God calls us by grace, not by merit. It is not up to us to decide who qualifies. The parable of the wedding feast (Mt 22:1–14) reminds us that it is God who sets the conditions for fellowship with Him. You have to be baptized to partake of Holy Communion. You must believe, be repentant and yearn for salvation to receive it worthily.
Jesus Christ is truly present
When the Apostle or the minister commissioned by them consecrates the wafers, the Holy Spirit brings about the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The body of Jesus refers to His life on earth, the blood to His sacrifice. After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to the disciples to eat with them and show them His wounds (Lk 24:36–43). He wanted to prove to them that they were not in the presence of a spirit, but of the man they had known, who had died on the cross. We celebrate Holy Communion “in remembrance of Christ”, remembering His life and death. We remember that He is the Son of God who became man for us. He lived a perfect life and gave His life for us. He is the Risen One who has received all authority in heaven and on earth. This is who stands before us!
Jesus Christ gives us bread
The people of Israel were able to live in the desert thanks to the manna the Lord gave them. Jesus Christ gives us the bread of eternal life (Jn 6:53–56). When He instituted Holy Communion, Jesus took the bread and gave it to the disciples Himself. Christ, and He alone, can give eternal life. No one can obtain it by themselves. Eternal life is given to us by grace.
We give thanks to Jesus Christ
In celebrating Holy Communion, we come to Christ to give thanks. We thank Him for our election, His teaching, His care, His grace, His sacrifice and His promise to take us to Himself.
We eat the body and drink the blood of Christ
The food we eat is transformed to serve the development and maintenance of our bodies. The worthy partaking of Holy Communion nourishes godly life and allows the new creature to grow within us. It also strengthens fellowship between us (1 Cor 10:17).
We partake of the body and blood of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ consecrated His life for our salvation and was willing to die for us. When we celebrate Holy Communion, we partake of His body and blood (1 Cor 10:16), in other words, His life and death. We commit ourselves to live for the Lord and to make everything that separates us from Him die within us.
Jesus Christ gives us a foretaste of eternal joy and a mission
When they celebrate Holy Communion, believers, purified by the absolution, are in close fellowship with Christ and one another. Jesus Christ confirms that He will soon take them to Himself and gives them a foretaste of the wedding feast in heaven. As long as we are on earth, our fellowship with God and each other will be imperfect. But Holy Communion shows us the Church as Jesus wants it to be; an assembly of believers who have overcome all differences to be truly united in Christ. Present among us, Jesus Christ urges us to contribute to the unity of the Church and provides us with the strength to do so.
Let us look at 1 Corinthians 11:20–22. Paul reproaches the rich for coming early to the meeting place to eat and drink what they bring, without having to share with the poor who arrive later. The Apostle believes that such a state of mind is incompatible with a worthy celebration of Holy Communion.
Christ chose us to be in fellowship with Him. He is present in Holy Communion. He gives us eternal life. We give thanks and give ourselves to Him. He testifies that He will return soon and urges us to contribute to the unity of the Church.