Week 46 1 Corinthians 11
The sacrament of communion was a bit different in the church in Corinth than in the church that I go to. From the look of it a Corinthian Lord’s Supper was a full church-community meal.
It’s hard to know for sure if the community meal was the actual sacramental celebration or if the meal was a pre-event – a preliminary – that was followed by a more religiously-focused gathering that emphasized the Lord’s death.
Either way one of the problems in Corinth was that what was supposed to be a share-and-share-alike meal had turned into a bit of an every-man-for-himself type of gathering where some go hungry while others get drunk.
So Paul spelled out a couple of the primary things that were part of the communion meal.
First there was a remembering function in communion: do this in remembrance of me (a kind of Remembrance Day for the Lord).
Second there was also an announcing function: for every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes. Other versions say proclaiming or showing. So maybe a demonstration symbolizing a) the Lord’s death and b) his return to life and c) his coming back again.
And one other feature of communion was honoring the body of Christ.
So it looks like these basic parts of communion – remembering & proclaiming & honouring the Lord – were featured elements in Corinth’s eating & drinking free-for-all.
Note: quotes from 1 Corinthians 11:21b 24-25 26 & 29 (NLT)