Communion with Christ

Over this last year it has become more and more important to me to celebrate the Eucharist (thanksgiving) and my Communion (being in union) with Christ. I have found it to be a profound experience which has brought joy and a sustaining power into my life.

The rich symbolism enables me to engage with Jesus more incarnationally, with all my senses.

I can see the bread and wine lifted high, as Jesus was lifted high on the cross, and remember his words “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” referencing the kind of death he was going to die (John 12:32-33)

I can hear the bread being broken and remember that Jesus offered himself up and allowed his own body to be broken for me. (1 Corinthians 11:24)

I can taste the bread and the wine and remember to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” (Psalm 34:8)

I can feel these elements as I eat and drink and experience them nourishing me and filling me with presence of Christ: with his strength, his hope, his salvation, his fulness of life, his compassion, his grace – all that is his is given to me; all that he is is shared with me.

In times of turbulence, when the foundations of our lives feel disturbingly unstable and we don’t know where to turn or what to do, coming into communion with Christ enables us to run into our place of safety and surety - our ever-present help in times of trouble. The physicality of being able to “feed on him in your hearts” (Book of Common Prayer) is something incredibly sustaining and, as part of our somatic experience, is able to remain with us as we remember the all-sufficient gift of the Lord himself to us.

In times of joy, when all is well, this imparted gift increases our celebration as we recognise that his gifts of joy and hope are constant and not dependant on our experiences. Jesus is one who rejoices with those who rejoice as well as mourning with those who mourn.

Of course, we have communion with Christ in other ways – through our times of prayer, reading the Word, being with other Christians, worshipping together. All of these are important and Jesus tells us to do these things. But we also need to remember Jesus, his sacrifice, and the fulness of life won for us through the cross, through our celebration of Eucharist together.

Perhaps when you next share in Communion you might like to think about the different senses you are engaging and what each of those means to you. Thank you, Lord, for blessing us in our sharing of communion with you.