Untitled design

What is Communion?

At Crossroads, we take communion each week to remember and thank Jesus for His sacrifice.  We do this, not out of tradition, but as an act of worship. We believe that for a Christ-follower it is a sacred and meaningful discipline that allows us the opportunity to realign our heart and mind with Him.

The physical elements we use are symbols.  A cracker (referred to in Scripture as bread) to represent Christ's body.  And a small cup of grape juice (referred to as wine) to represent His blood. During communion, our ushers pass trays filled with these elements* down each row for those who wish to participate to select and pass down.  We encourage believers to spend time in prayer while holding the elements. Then to eat and then drink, as each feels led. On occasion we will take communion corporately, meaning all together as a church family.

*We have prepackaged and gluten-free communion options as well.

How Did Communion Begin?

Jesus shared a meal with his disciples prior to his death on the cross.  It was at the The Last Supper that He instructed them to eat the bread and drink the wine to remember the sacrifice He was going to make on the cross.



And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Luke 22:19-20

 

Jesus is the Bread of Life, meaning that we as believers are nourished because of Him.  He alone satisfies when the things of this world inevitably leave us empty.

 

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 6:35

 

The early Church celebrated Jesus by taking communion regularly to recognize Jesus and thank God for all He's done.

 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42

Should I Take Communion?

Eating the bread and drinking the wine will not give you salvation and does not make you a Christian.  In fact, God warns us about taking communion without considering what it means and why we do it. 

 

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
1 Corinthians 11:26-29


The discipline of communion is for the person that believes:

1) Jesus is God in the flesh and lived a sinless life on earth
2) and He willingly died on a cross for our sins,
3) and was raised three days later, conquering sin and death once and for all.

Communion is important because it is a command from Jesus. He wants us to remember each time we taste the bread and the wine that He is the one who provides all we need. And that through His death, He gave us a way to have a new relationship with God.  That is something to be celebrated!  Communion is not about a ritual to revere, but a God to worship.

 

Do you have a question about Communion?  Send an email to hello@thecrossroads.church and we'd be happy to get back to you.