Maundy Thursday
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” vs. 26
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, has enormous significance for the entire Christian community and is celebrated weekly in congregations all around the world. While practices differ and we have argued for centuries about the significance of the ritual, it is, for most believers, the central feature of worship. And as Paul indicates in his letter to the Corinthians, it was there at the very beginning. He tells them that as they ate of the bread and drank of the cup, they proclaimed the Lord’s death again and again. And we’re still doing it! Even though some would prefer to focus our energy on Easter, the eating and drinking that is a part of our central worship ritual regularly draws us back to the cross. As we hear the words, “the Body of Christ broken for you,” and “the Blood of Christ shed for you,” we are reminded that the deep and profound love of God for humanity was demonstrated on the cross of Calvary. And as we eat and drink, we receive the forgiveness of sins and are filled with the strengthening life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. We don’t need any loud praise bands or eloquent preachers to know God’s love in worship. All we need is to taste the bread and wine and hear those most beautiful words, “Given and shed for you!”
Thought for the Day: What is my preferred way to have Holy Communion?
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