Why do we observe communion? We do it because Jesus gave the ordinance to His disciples and commanded them to keep it until He returns. We eat the bread and drink the cup because He gave His Word.

Without His Word the Lord’s Supper would be a superstitious snack, a ritual resulting from man’s imagination and upheld by man’s tradition. It might make a man feel good or even think about good things but it would have no authority. Being man-made would also make it open to constant challenge. Who’s to say what the bread or wine might represent? Who’s to say that either represents anything at all?

Jesus said. He chose a body and blood and He chose symbols for both. He wanted us to think, but He also wanted us to do more than think. He wanted us to remember in our minds as we chew and drink with our mouths. His Word tells us to eat and drink, what to eat and drink, why to eat and drink, and what happens to us when we eat and drink. By faith we are fed, we are united together, and we proclaim the Lord’s death.

So think about the glory of the cross whenever you want, but think and eat baked grain and drink pressed grapes according to His Word. The cup of wine blesses us as we participate in the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). The bread is one, and we who are many are one body partake of the one bread as we participate in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:17). We are not following cleverly devised myths, but we are following a fully confirmed word.