Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, and we do it well!  But did you know that Jesus didn’t ask His disciples to celebrate this miraculous event of His life?  Instead he placed such value in His death and Resurrection that He instructed those events to be remembered.  

As Christ followers, one way we celebrate them is with Communion, also known as the Lord’s Supper.

For Jesus, Communion was not about a strict set of rules, but about a simple and powerful way to daily remember what He did for us and to remember how much God loves us.

Communion is taking a personal reflective moment to remember Jesus’ death and Resurrection.  It is an object lesson that represents a great spiritual truth for believers.

• It is a simple act.
  “The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread…” (vs. 23)
• It is a reminder.
  “…and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; eat it in remembrance of me.'” (vs. 24)
• It is a symbol.
  “In the same way, He took the”…and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; eat it in remembrance cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; drink it to remember me.'” (vs. 25)
• It is a statement of faith.
  “For whenever you eat the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes back.” (vs. 26)
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Those who are believers in Jesus Christ. (Mark 14:22-26)

“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.  A person ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”
1 Corinthians 11:27-28

• Self-Examination – 1 Corinthians 11:27
• Confessing My Sins – 1 John 1:9
• Recommitment – Romans 12:1
• Restoring Relationships – Matthew 5:23 – 24

Jesus never said when or how often believers should observe Communion.  The first Lord’s Supper happened on a Thursday night.  We also read in the Bible where Christians observed communion in small groups in homes.

Because we can find no biblical designated schedule for celebrating Communion, at THE GATHERING we observe Communion collectively several times each year.  In addition to collectively, we encourage celebrating as families and in Community Groups.  Communion supplies and instructions are available for members upon request through the church office.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions!