The Sacrament of the Altar: Why Do We Do This? - Part 1

In the last post, I focused mostly on the look-and-feel of communion at St. Paul, and also what we believe is going on there (as revealed by the liturgy itself).  But  you may have noticed that I never quoted a single scripture, and that is very unusual for a Lutheran Christian pastor.  Lutherans take their queues (especially when it comes to the sacraments) from what the scriptures actually say, so it is important that we recognize the Biblical foundations of the Lord's Supper.

Why do we do this?  The answer is found in several places in the scripture, but let's first consider Mark 14:22-25.  There Jesus is eating the Passover (a Jewish festival meal) with His disciples on the night before He will be crucified.  "And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body."  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it.  And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Luke included another key feature of this event that helps us understand what Jesus intended.  In Luke chapter 22, Jesus explicitly says that the disciples should "Do this in remembrance of me" (verse 19).

But if there were any lingering questions about whether Jesus intended for this Supper to be repeated by Christians of every time and place, we find the Apostle Paul saying this about the continuing practice of the Lord's Supper in the early church: "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body which is for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.'  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

So why do we celebrate the Lord's Supper in the church?  The first answer is this:  Because Jesus told us to!