Communion: We Are What We Eat

An early painting of Jesus shows him as a shepherd

When we share in communion, we share in the Body and Blood of Christ.  We consume the Sacrifice reflects who we are as a community even as our sharing of it shapes the community. 

When we commune together in this way, we are making a declaration to each other.  "We are the Body of Christ."  This is something Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:12-14.  All of us together, sharing communion are united in this Body.

This symbolism is powerful.  We consume the sacrifice.  At the same time, we are the Sacrifice resurrected. This imagery is pointed to throughout the New Testament, but is often lost on us. When we share the Sacrifice together we are declaring that together we are the Resurrected Body of Christ. Paul sees us as Christ's hands, feet and so on.  We're like Voltron or the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. We're a more powerful force for good when we're united. But the importance of the symbolism goes beyond unity to communal behavior.

In this act we are claiming to be Christ's Body. We must therefore ask whether or not our Body is doing the thing that Christ's Body did? This question leads us back to the original post in this series in which I suggested that Communion is time to reflect on more than just the death and resurrection of Jesus - we should also focus on the his life.

What did Jesus do with his body? He used it to feed the sick. He used it to heal people both physically and emotionally. He loved. He forgave. And he knew how to have a good time! Is that what our Body does? Are these the things that define our Body? And if not, what should be done to correct this? Communion is a good time to ask that question too.