Make-Up:
We ask you to read the material below. The material will include "deep thought", our key words (definition), scripture (link - please read) and some general thoughts. We ask you to read all material and then comment in the comments section. Share one key thought or concept that came to you and how it will make a difference.
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Sacrament of Communion
Bible Text:
Exodus 12:1–36; Matthew 26:17–29; Luke 22:19–20
Lesson Focus:
Word, wine, and bread together give us salvation, forgiveness, and new life.
Big Question:
What really happens during communion?
Key Words:
PASSOVER, LAST SUPPER, EUCHARIST, COMMUNION
Key Word Definitions
PASSOVER: the Jewish celebration of the night God passed over Egypt, killing the firstborn in every Egyptian household. God spared the Hebrews, who were protected by the blood of the lamb.
LAST SUPPER: the Passover celebration Jesus shared with his best friends on the night he was betrayed.
EUCHARIST: the communion meal Christians share that remembers Jesus' Last Supper, bestowing on them Jesus' forgiveness and grace.
COMMUNION: the Lord's Supper. Also refers to what happens when followers of Jesus Christ come together to worship, learn, or pray.
Going Deep
In the story of the ancient Israelites' liberation from slavery, God told the people to put the blood of an unblemished lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their houses. When God executed judgment against the Egyptians, killing the firstborn humans and animals, the blood was a sign for the Lord to pass over those houses. The annual Passover celebration is a remembrance of and participation in the liberation. The confession in Deuteronomy 26:5–11 is recited as part of this remembrance and participation.
Jesus' family went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover festival. Jesus instituted Holy Communion at a Passover supper. Jesus said that the bread is his body and the wine his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. At his last supper, Jesus "took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to [the Twelve], saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'" (Luke 22:19–20). His blood, he said, "is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). As in baptism, here is a sacrament—ordinary bread and wine together with the word, a command ("Do this") and a promise ("for the forgiveness of sins"). God's forgiveness of sins in Holy Communion reconciles believers to God and to one another so that we are one body.
Early Christians did not practice communion as an annual Passover meal but as a weekly celebration of the resurrection. From the beginning, Christians gathered on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection and to share a meal. Holy Communion or Eucharist, the meal of thanksgiving, was celebrated in the context of the meal. Over time communion was celebrated as a separate meal. Weekly communion worship included scripture readings and commentary and then the meal. The annual celebration of the resurrection—Easter or Pascha, as it is called in Orthodox Christianity—was generally at Passover (Pesach in Hebrew). Passover might or might not fall on a Sunday or Resurrection Day. The Council of Nicea (325 C.E.) set the date for Easter as the first Sunday after Passover. Later, for Western Christianity, the date was defined as the first Sunday after the first full or Paschal moon on or after the spring equinox. Orthodox Christianity defines the date in the same way but by a different calendar.
Throughout the history of Christianity and across different segments of the church, weekly communion has not always been the practice. For Lutherans, according to the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, communion every Sunday and on festivals is the norm. Congregations are encouraged to celebrate communion weekly, though not every service need be a Eucharist. All Christians need Holy Communion frequently. The Lord's Supper establishes and sustains the fellowship and mission of the church. Yet, while we should commune frequently, participation is by Christ's invitation and not by human requirement. Participation in the Eucharist, a gift from God, is a response to Jesus Christ.
Small Group Time
Art Option: Eucharistic Artwork
As a small group, make a piece of artwork that can be displayed on Holy Communion Sundays in the narthex of your church building. Get permission from the right people in your church, like the pastor, before displaying your art! Students can use symbols of Holy Communion such as a chalice, bread, grapes, and wheat. They can also try to invent some of their own symbols. Be creative! Project ideas include a fabric banner with felt shapes, a collage of images on poster board or foam core, or a mosaic made of tiles or paper squares. If you don't have time to prep, visit your Sunday school supply closet to find construction paper, glue sticks, and other basics.
Debrief the activity with these questions:
- What symbols of communion are most meaningful to you? Why are they important?
- What artwork in our church do you notice? Do you think it's important to have art in a church building? Why or why not?
- What are some of your ideas for how our church could display and use more artwork during worship?
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