“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:26
Why do Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper? First and foremost, because Jesus said to. He ordained this celebration as an ongoing reminder and proclamation of His sacrifice until the day He returns. It’s a visible, tangible reminder of His death on the cross that established the new covenant of grace under which we live. It engages all our senses – eyes, ears, smell, touch, and taste – to remember the body of our Savior broken and hanging on a cross with His innocent blood running down it to establish that new covenant.
The Lord’s Supper reminds us of the terrible cost of our glorious freedom in Christ, the infinite price paid so that God’s wrath would pass over us. However, it does more than that. The local church is the body of Christ on earth until He returns. The Lord’s Supper is an expression of our unity as that body. It is a public affirmation that in Christ, we are made one. The church has many members but is one body, united in one Spirit. The Lord’s Supper proclaims that and affirms our bonds of love and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It reminds our hearts, which can be prone to selfish wandering, that we are part of one greater body.
The Lord’s Supper also reminds us that we’re in ongoing union with Christ. We are “in Christ” and the Lord’s Supper is a visible reminder that He is with us at all times and all situations. That didn’t just happen randomly…. Jesus suffered and died to make that happen! We celebrate that whenever we take that bit of bread and drink with all that they represent. It reminds us, encourages us, and strengthens us as we #FollowJesus every day.