“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:26
Some of my earliest church memories involve the communion service. In my church, the “Lord’s Supper” was observed every Sunday and as a young child, I had no idea how sacred the observance was. In my childish mind, I thought the adults needed a snack to get them through the long service! Since this is the week when we observe Good Friday and Easter, my thoughts turned to that Passover meal when the Lord Jesus explained to his disciples about the bread and the cup thereby instituting the New Covenant. How could I teach my children’s class on Wednesday night about the beauty of remembering our Lord in His death?
I thought of my own experience, I began taking communion when I was seven years old. My parents taught me it wasn’t about having a snack, it was a sacrament the Lord introduced to his disciples on the night before he was betrayed, the Last Supper he shared with his friends. Our hearts should be prepared in advance because it wasn’t to be taken lightly. How shall I convey to my class the importance of the verse, “This DO in remembrance of Me?” I thought of their little faces and wanted them to understand the beauty of Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. I thought of five things I want them to know.
- Communion is reserved for believers in Christ. I will have a child read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, where the Apostle Paul describes what the Lord passed on to him. It was something every born again believer should do, and together as a church family.
- The purpose of communion – Jesus wants Christians to remember Him in His death and they should do this until He returns. I will have the children read short passages from Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-26, and Luke 22 19-20.
- The symbolism of body and blood – The bread is a symbol of Christ’s body and the juice symbolizes the blood that was shed. I want the children to honor the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins. We will read 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 together.
- Why keep doing communion? – We continue to remember Jesus Christ in His death because He asked us to! “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19.
- Before communion – We should examine ourselves before participating in communion. A simple way to explain this is if we know we have done something wrong and need to apologize, we should do this before taking the bread and juice. We should be “right” with God. 1 Corinthians 11:28.
The Communion service is a precious reminder that our life was bought with a price by a Savior who loves us enough to die in our place. He extends an invitation to come into our hearts and change us for His glory. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10. Have a blessed Easter!
Your friend, Jean