Matthew 5:23-24, 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Tim Lucas reflects on what communion is and Jesus' focus on reconciliation

Tim Lucas

Communion is something many churches across Britain do regularly. For some it is a weekly occurrence, for others it happens every month or six weeks, and for others it can even happen more than once a week. It wouldn't take much observation to realise that this practice has become a foundational principle in the life of the Church; yet often we fail to recognise the full meaning of what we are doing when we eat the bread and drink the wine.

Quite often there are two conflicting things happening at once in harmony. Two opposites attract as we observe communion, and quite often it is these antonyms that hold so much of the full meaning of communion for us.

• The sweetness of the bread and the bitterness of the wine tell us of the terrible death Christ suffered, and simultaneously the reason for the whole thing - love.


• The body of Jesus was broken for our wrongdoings, and the blood of Jesus gives us healing. The two together speak of violence and acceptance, death and life, hurt and healing, brokenness and completion happening all at once.


• Communion is a time to remember the death of our Saviour; a death that happened to one who did not deserve to die; a suffering that was inflicted upon one who did not deserve it; a punishment that was given to one who did no wrong. Yet it is also a time of celebration, because we know that the trial and the conviction and the beating and the punishment and the pain and the suffering and the death of Jesus was not the end of the story. We also know that this death ended in a resurrection, and that resurrection gave us new life.


• When we eat the bread and drink the wine we remember. It happened then, it is in the past, it is a memory. And yet, it is also here and now, it is also an immediate, imminent, personal, on-going, 'happening' thing that we can experience in this time, in our lives, as we eat and drink.


• It usually consists of small amounts of bread and wine - a simple something to bring us to worship and remembrance; and yet this is considered a meal. These small amounts, in many ways more than in the stomach, fill us. They satisfy us.

Much could be said about communion. There are many views on it, many discussions and opinions; but perhaps this is the most overlooked and undervalued part of communion. Perhaps this is the wonderful area we so often forget about when we consider what Christ did and what we are remembering and proclaiming when we eat and drink together.

He is bringing two sides of something together and making them one. He is holding both opposites and making them work together in perfect harmony. He is reconciling them.

And this reconciliation is vital to our Christian faith. It is crucial to who we are. Communion reflects what Jesus did in His death (reconciling us to God) and so we must reflect that in our lives (be reconciled to God and to each other).

And that isn't always easy. Scrap that, it's never easy. But I repeat: it's vital!

That situation you cannot see a working out to; that person you could never see yourself getting along with; that issue you are really struggling to forgive; that wrongdoing you are really unsure you could ever forgive; that pain you are still feeling even though you should be feeling love towards the person - give it to Jesus.

Give it to Jesus.

Because, as communion show us, He's got a pretty good knack for reconciling things.