Gathered around the table on the Lord’s Day morning, there is a platter of unleavened bread and a pitcher of wine. Both are passed out, and we eat the bread and drink the wine, representing the Lord’s body broken for us and His blood shed for us. We eat of the same bread and typically drink from one cup. This is communion, or bread breaking, practiced among believers.
Whether we are a believer familiar with the Lord’s table or someone who has never experienced it, we should ask ourselves: Do we know what we are doing, what we are touching? On the one hand, it’s a common practice. On the other hand, is there any other “religion” on the earth that calls us into a service where we all eat the same loaf and drink from one cup (1 Cor. 11:26)? Why do we as believers do this?
The word “communion” in its original Latin means to “share in common” — to be “with” or “together” and “to be joined.” So communion simply means sharing a common ground together, or sharing a oneness together. It doesn’t matter if you are a believer, an unbeliever, or an atheist — we all share in common our humanity. Unfortunately, religion, especially Christianity, has become very divisive — there are so many denominations, so many divisions, so many opinions. And it seems as though the more knowledge we have, the more education we receive, and the higher our social status, the more divisive and independent we become. How then can we drink of the same cup?
No matter your education level, no matter your age, no matter your race, no matter your religion — we were made to share in common. We need each other — something we learned deeply during the recent pandemic, when even breathing the same air in the same room was hazardous. But think about this: made from the dust of the earth, we were all given this breath of God, and that very breath made us living souls (Gen. 2:7). We all share that same breath; today we all breathe the same air. Take a big deep breath in and out — you are breathing yourself out and breathing in the atmosphere we share. No matter how many outward differences we have, human beings all share this inner life. And so we are able to echo each other. When someone sheds tears, others will find themselves crying, too. If someone laughs, others will spontaneously join in. Whether someone is rich or poor, comes from this culture or that one, we all belong to and share this basic humanity.
We all need to be recovered, brought back to this original human condition. And it is in this communion, this service unto oneness, that we can be recovered. The Lord’s table reminds us that as humans, we can love. We can care. We can rejoice. Regardless of what kind of believer or non-believer you are, you are of the same humanity as all other humans! We don’t need to be evil or divisive to one another. We don’t need to live a degraded life. We can live as we were made to live — as a very pure and simple being, sharing humanity in common. It’s not a moral value or a religious duty; it’s a living born out of this living One in us — out of this knowledge-surpassing love of Christ (Eph. 3:17).
(Above are notes of fellowship taken from a gathering on 01/12/2025, not reviewed by the speaker.)