1 Corinthians 11:17-23
...I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread...
We find traditions wherever we find people. The purpose of traditions is to keep the essence of the culture from earlier generations, but it's also undeniable that traditions can easily become a routine, and their essence slowly fade away or become distorted. In the same way, some religious traditions also become distorted with time. Traditions are important, but it's more important to understand the true significant behind the traditions.
The church has various traditions, one of which is particularly special and important to our faith, which is the Holy Communion. The tradition of Holy Spirit was not established by people, as Paul said in verse 23, "for I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you..." In other word, Holy Communion was personally established by the Lord, and He commanded us to observe it.
Today, many traditions at the church are dispensable. Many churches have different formats in preaching by the pastor, praise and worship, or even the way they observe Holy Communion. These traditions were mostly established by people, and it doesn't hurt if we eliminate some of them; the Holy Communion, however, was established by the Lord before He departed from the world and He taught us to observe it. Therefore, Holy Communion is not dispensable; when we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are eating and drinking the body of the Lord in remembrance of Him.
The night Jesus was betrayed was the evening of the day of Passover. Passover is the day when God saved the Israelites. On that day, when God judged the entire land of Egypt, the firstborn of all the animals must die. There was only one way to escape the judgment of God and death, and it was to paint the blood of lamb without blemish on the door frame. The lamb of Passover represents the precious blood of Christ. When we receive the precious blood of the Lord, we may escape the judgment on sin by God. Therefore, when we receive the Holy Communion, we do it in remembrance of the Lord's death, and we also reunite with the Lord.
Lord, we thank you because through the Holy Communion we may understand your love and redemption. Let us come before you and be united with you, so that we may live out the form of Jesus Christ each and every day. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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