Memorial or Something More

Last week I was talking to Mom about communion. They have been going through a series on Church History in their Sunday School class and had camped on the Reformation briefly. One of the things brought up was the different beliefs about communion. The Romans Catholic church upheld transubstantiation (that the wine and blood are actually transformed into the body and blood of Christ), while Luther held to a view that the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present in the wine and bread (so that communicants eat and drink both the elements and the true Body and Blood of Christ Himself in the Sacrament of Holy Communion). Zwingli believed that communion was only a Memorial and has no real meaning for believers, this seems to be a common belief of the evangelical church today.

Intown actually has communion every Sunday which I have grown to love and long for. It seems sad to me that so many Christians have failed to see the significance of communion and do not get to take part in this sacrament that I think makes my relationship with the Lord more real and vital. Our pastor reminds us weekly that as we partake in communion we proclaim Christ's death and resurrection to our hearts. I need a constant reminder of his death and resurrection, as I need a constant reminder that my sins are covered and atoned for, and in Christ's death I have been declared righteous and have Christ's imputed righteousness.

So, in light of this, here is a snipit of what the Heidelberg Catecisn has to say about communion (which differs from the views expressed above). You can click here to see the full Q and A.

The Lord's Day 28
Q. How does the Lord's supper signify and seal to you that you share in Christ's one sacrifice on the cross and in all His gifts?

A. In this way: Christ has commanded me and all believers to eat of this broken bread and drink of this cup in remembrance of Him. With this command He gave these promises:

First, as surely as I see with my eyes the bread of the Lord broken for me and the cup given to me, so surely was His body offered for me and His blood poured out for me on the cross.

Second, as surely as I receive from the hand of the minister and taste with my mouth the bread and the cup of the Lord as sure signs of Christ's body and blood, so surely does He Himself nourish and refresh my soul to everlasting life with His crucified body and shed blood.

Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19, 20; 1 Cor 11:23-25.