Rediscovering Communion: Reviving the Sacred Essence of Fellowship and Remembrance

Have you ever wondered if traditions might lose their essence when practiced without reflection? Join me as we explore the deeply spiritual practice of communion, or the Eucharist, in the Christian faith. In our season two opener, we pull back the curtain on what has become a mere ritual for many and rediscover the profound fellowship and remembrance that communion offers. By revisiting the Last Supper and the significance of the Passover meal, we’ll reveal how these rich traditions can overflow with meaning when approached with the right mindset.

Together, we'll embark on a visual journey into the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples, a moment rooted in history and divine promise. Allow yourself to pause and rethink how communion is more than a symbolic activity—it's an invitation to share in the good news of Jesus, transcending the constraints of routine. Let's challenge ourselves to breathe life back into this sacred tradition, ensuring it serves as a reminder of God’s saving power and the joyous celebration that awaits all of God's children. So, settle in and prepare to see communion in a whole new light.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

Blessings and greetings to you. I know it's been a while since I published an episode here. I needed to take a little break, prep for the elections and all that has come with that, since we also had a pretty busy holiday season and we just needed a break. But all that aside, I want to start this second podcast season on a tradition that we have in the Christian church, communion, and on a tradition that we have in the Christian church, communion. I want to talk about what communion is, or, as some in the religious circles call it, the Eucharist.

Speaker 1: 0:41

As we frequently, and sometimes mistakenly, do in the church, we have reduced something full of life, robust in every way and vibrant down to an institutionalized tradition and ritualistic practice. As a result, we have squeezed the life out of it. Don't get me wrong traditions in and of themselves are not bad on the surface. We love our Christmas tradition of allowing our kids to open one gift the night before Christmas, watching them tear through the presents that Santa left the morning of, and enjoying the company food and games that are part of many family traditions. So traditions are not bad until they are, but in these cases, it's not the tradition that is at the heart of my message. It's the fellowship. But let me not get too far ahead of myself. In the case of communion, we have inadvertently emptied something full of life and bursting at the seams. We have made the joining together face to face at a table to share a meal and fellowship, while remembering Jesus and his good news, and made it of little value. Remember that symbolic traditions like taking communion are not bad in and of themselves. Still, I fear we are missing something so precious and valuable by only practicing the symbolic activity. Mark, chapter 7, 13, says that we make the word of God of no effect because of our traditions. We put tradition above the word and end up missing the whole point. Let's take ourselves on a little visual adventure to set the stage. If you're in a safe place and can do this, please close your eyes. Please don't close your eyes if you're driving or operating heavy equipment or in an unsafe location, all right. Let's enter into the story of the Last Supper.

Speaker 1: 2:53

Jesus and his disciples are making their way to Jerusalem. He is preparing himself for the Passover festival and the cross. The Passover meal is traditionally meant to represent or symbolize the Jews' thankfulness for being passed over when the Jews were Egypt's captives and God was warning the Egyptians to let his people go. Each Jew was to put blood on their doorframe, using hyssop, to show their faith in God's saving ability. Yes, that's traditionally what the Passover meal is. Still Even Passover is a symbol of God's saving power. It foreshadows the celebration meal when all of God's children are finally seated at the table together at the final wedding celebration.

Speaker 1: 3:46

The disciples ask where to go to prepare the Passover meal and Jesus instructs them to enter the city that's Jerusalem. That's a little prophetic visual of how Jesus started and will finish his ministry. They are instructed to follow that man to the house he enters and then inquire about the guest room where Jesus and his disciples could share in the Passover meal. This meal was prepared and celebrated for centuries until Jesus reclined at the table for the last needed earthly celebration. The disciples do as they are told and they enter the house. And they enter the house and they find the guest room and they prepare the Passover meal. Jesus later catches up and he and the disciples gather around the table. We'll pause our visual there so that you can understand the meaning of some of the things represented by the Passover meal.