Encountering God Through Sacraments

"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body
given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'" - Luke 22:19

In an upper room in Jerusalem, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His
disciples for a final meal. The atmosphere was charged with tension and unspoken
questions. The disciples sensed something momentous was about to happen, though they
couldn't fully grasp what lay ahead.

In this charged setting, Jesus took ordinary elements of the Passover meal—bread and
wine—and infused them with extraordinary meaning. "This is my body," He said of the
bread. "This is my blood," He said of the wine. With these words, Jesus established what
would become one of the most sacred practices of Christian worship: the sacrament of
communion.

The word "sacrament" comes from the Latin sacramentum, meaning "sacred" or
"mystery." It refers to those sacred acts that serve as visible signs of invisible grace—
tangible channels through which we encounter the divine. In communion, ordinary bread
and wine become vehicles of God's presence, inviting us into intimate fellowship with
Christ Himself.

What makes communion such a powerful means of encountering God is that it engages
our entire being. We don't merely think about Christ's sacrifice; we taste it. We don't simply
recall His love; we physically participate in it. Our senses become pathways for spiritual
experience as we touch, see, smell, and taste these elements that represent Christ's body
and blood.

Jesus commanded, "Do this in remembrance of me." But this remembrance is far more
than mental recollection. The Greek word anamnesis suggests a making-present of past
events in such a way that we participate in their reality and power. When we take
communion, we don't merely look back at a historical event; we enter into its ongoing
significance. The sacrifice of Christ becomes present to us in a mysterious but real way.

Throughout church history, believers have testified to profound encounters with God
through this sacrament. Some have experienced overwhelming awareness of God's
forgiveness as they received the elements. Others have felt Christ's healing presence
flowing through their bodies. Still others have found deep communion with the global and
historical body of Christ as they partook alongside fellow believers.

The beauty of communion is that it meets us where we are—in physical bodies, in time and
space—while connecting us to eternal realities beyond our comprehension. It reminds us
that God doesn't just care about our "spiritual" lives but about our whole being. In the
incarnation, God took on flesh, and in communion, He continues to meet us in tangible,
physical ways.

How the Last Supper Shows We Encounter God Through Communion:

1. Communion is a remembrance. Jesus calls us to reflect on His sacrifice and the
depth of His love.

2. Communion is a connection. As we take the bread and cup, we experience God’s
presence in a personal way.

3. Communion is a covenant. The Last Supper marked the new covenant—our
salvation through Christ’s blood.

4. Communion is a renewal. Every time we partake, we are reminded of God’s grace
and our unity with Him.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us the sacrament of communion as a means of
encountering You. When I take the bread and cup, open my heart to recognize Your real
presence. Help me to move beyond routine to revelation, beyond ritual to relationship. As I
physically receive these elements, may I spiritually receive all that Your sacrifice offers—
forgiveness, healing, reconciliation, and intimate fellowship with You. Thank You that in
communion, You meet me in my physical reality while connecting me to eternal truths.
May each celebration of this sacrament deepen my experience of Your love and grace. In
Your name, Amen.