Some of the Bible’s Most Significant Words Don’t Appear in the Old Testament I use the Bible to study the Bible. That is, I tap one passage to help breathe understanding into another. Sometimes when investigating a specific term, I do a word search to find out where else and how else Scripture uses it. […]
We Should Celebrate the Lord’s Supper to Remember What Jesus Did for Us Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is a time of celebration. In this we remember what Jesus did for us when he died in our place for the things we did wrong. In doing so, he reconciled […]
Though We Cite Scripture When We Take Communion, We Don’t Do it in a Biblical Way Most Christian churches celebrate communion in some form in their worship practices. Though they do this in different ways and with varied frequencies, the central process is similar. As a basis for their practice of communion—also called The Lord’s […]
Jesus Turns the Celebration of Passover into the Celebration of Communion As the Israelites prepare to leave Egypt, Moses instructs them to have a special meal with their families and neighbors. They celebrate the first Passover. From then on Passover becomes an annual celebration. Fast forward a couple millennia. Jesus gives his disciples instructions to […]
Comparing Communion to a Meal I’m always perplexed when the Bible talks about breaking bread. What does this mean? In some contexts it seems to be a euphemism for eating, for sharing a common meal. In other cases, it seems to be a colorful reference to the Lord’s Supper, to Communion, aka The Eucharist. Which […]
Acknowledge What Jesus Did A phrase I’ve heard often in church over the years is “celebrate communion.” Yet what I witness seems nothing like a celebration. Instead, it is the most somber, solemn of affairs. It feels even more crushing than a funeral. Wait, communion is a funeral of sorts: Jesus’ funeral. Yes, communion commemorates […]
Depending on your perspective, you may call the sacrament that Jesus started as Communion, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or Holy Eucharist. Other labels include the Blessed Sacrament and the Sacrament of the Altar. In my experiences, the first three names are the most common. And the most common verb associated with them […]