Meant by Christ for unity, the Lord's Supper has been turned into a cause for division

There is an irony in the way church men have handled the Lord's Supper since Jesus instituted it with his disciples by saying, "Do this in remembrance of me." The details are certainly important. By the 1500's parishioners were running from church to church to admire the bread being lifted by the priest and see his "magic" pronouncement Hoc est corpus meum, "This is my body," which they thought turned bread into the actual body of Christ. The elements of communion had become idols and Christ was being sacrificed again. The Eucharist was a good work Christians did to earn God's favor.

The Reformers in turn argued about how much or how spiritual vs. physical Christ's presence was in the ceremony. At Marburg, Zwingli and Luther could agree on 14 of 15 articles of faith, but could not unite on the Lord's Supper. For this, Luther proclaimed that Zwingli did not have the same spirit as Luther and his contingent. He did not mourn Zwingli's death and saw it as God's justice for Zwingli's heretical views. It may be hard for 21st century onlookers to identify with just how crucial and "all or nothing" doctrine was to a believer in the 16th century. Today there is a "It doesn't really matter what you believe," attitude that is pervasive. We, in our age have lost the fire and courage of our convictions.

On the other hand, there is an original and New Testament purpose to the Lord's Supper that transcends the detail. Christ meant it as a time to come together and remember Him and His death until He returns for us. It is this bringing Christ's death and its implications which brings Christ closer to our own hearts and to our church community. Just as the disciples shared an intimate meal with Jesus in that upper room, so we are to use this ritual to bring us closer to Christ. Jesus talked to the multitudes and to his disciples in John 6 about being the true bread from heaven. It was easy for many to misunderstand. The multitudes wanted a free lunch, but Jesus wanted to show them true bread that would satisfy them forever, just as he told the woman at the well to obtain the water which, once imbibed, would leave her never thirsting again.

Jesus never meant us to think that the bread and the wine were His actual flesh and blood. This is a simplistic understanding of truly meaty and spiritual event. Some Muslims, similarly base in their thinking have accused Christians of being cannibals for this reason. Jesus meant both his pronouncement and the act of communion to be profoundly spiritual and symbolic. We are to remember and worship Him during communion and not get distracted by the elements themselves. Jesus is the object of our worship and our thoughts during this ritual. It is not some good work we get credit for, nor is it some credit voucher to add up points toward salvation. It is a time where God gives to us and strengthens us as we remember His ultimate act of love and unity for us on the cross.