In Remembrance of Me

Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses (2LBC 30.7 - Of the Lord’s Supper).

Introduction

It's Lord's Day, and you're attentively following along with today's message. After faithfully proclaiming the Word of God, the preacher ends his sermon with a heart-felt prayer and a hardy, "Amen." Now, you and the rest of the congregation transition from a time of receiving the gospel verbally (through preaching) to receiving the gospel visibly (through the elements of the Lord's Supper). Through the public reading of scripture, you recall our Lord's solemn words in Luke 22:19, which states, "This is my body, which is given you. Do this in remembrance of me." This week, you have come before the Lord in prayer and repentance in anticipation of today's communion. Your heart is ready, and your self-examination is complete (1 Corinthians 11:28). You now hold a piece of bread in your palm. It is finally time to partake in this common union with your Savior. When this morsel of bread transfers from your extended fingertips across the threshold of your teeth into your palate, what are you thinking about?

The Blood

I tend to be more concretely focused when I partake in the blood of Christ than when I partake in the body of Christ. For example, when I partake in the wine representing the blood of Jesus, I think about passages like Hebrews 9:22, which states, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." I also think about the sacrifices under the Levitical priesthood and the teaching that "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). I will also admit that sometimes during communion, the old hymn "Are You Washed in the Blood" repeats itself in my mind's soundtrack from all those childhood days of bellowing it out from that nostalgic maroon hardcover "Church Hymnal" (page 177 if you were wondering). In my lifetime, I have heard significantly more teaching on the blood of Christ than on the body of Christ. Consequently, I typically have more scripture in my mind about Christ's blood on the cross than I do about Christ's body on the cross at communion.

The Body

If you're anything like me, you may need a push in the right direction when it comes to ruminating on God-honoring thoughts when taking the bread in communion. If so, here is a brotherly nudge: First, remember that your sin deserves God's wrath, but Christ satisfied that wrath through the wounds in his body (bread), which led to the shedding of his blood (wine). So, while we receive two elements, the bread, and the wine, they both equally cause us to remember Christ's suffering and our hope because of his suffering (Romans 3:24-25; 1 John 2:2, 4:10; 1 Corinthians 11:26). Secondly, try memorizing a passage or two below and meditate on them the next time you partake in the bread during the Lord's Supper:

His Body was Bound

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound him.

John 18:12

His Body was Struck

When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?"

‭‭John‬ ‭18:22‬ 

His Body was Spit On and Slapped

Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, saying, "Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?"

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26:67-68‬‭

His Body was Marred Beyond Recognition

 —his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

    and his form beyond that of the children of mankind

Isaiah 52:14

His Body was Crowned with Thorns

Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him. And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.

‭‭John‬ ‭19:1-2‬

And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27:28-31‬ 

His Body was Pierced, Crushed, and Wounded

But he was pierced for our transgressions;

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

    and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:6

Then they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.

John 19:18

His Body Points Us to the Hope of a Bodily Resurrection

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:20-21

His Body Points Us to the Hope of His Return

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26

Conclusion

Hopefully these passages of Scripture will help you faithfully remember the body, the blood, and the benefits of Christ’s death for the believer the next time you partake in the sacred ordinance of the Lord’s Supper.

God is faithful.