Communion: What's the point? - update

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Cor 11:26)

Note: I ran across a comment from D.A, Carson that fit great with the theme of this post. I've appended it to the end, for those who may have read this post already. SDG)

I know broaching the topic of Communion is a risky proposition. However, my goal is not to address the various perspectives on its grace imparting aspects or even seriously engage in the sacrament vs. ordinance differential. My question is this: whatever your viewpoint on Communion, why do it at all?

I having presented the question, I realize some of the varied opinions on Communion could tend to color our answers. With that being said, I think Scripture, as always, is the best place to seek the answer. I will grant that traditions can have an important role in affirming our faith (see Heb 11), but even traditions must submit to the Word of God. So the question remains, why do we have Communion at all?

I would submit that there are two Scriptural answers to this question. The first and probably most obvious is that it is a command.  Jesus, during the Last Supper and Paul later to the Corinthian church state emphatically that we are to continue to break bread and share wine together. Jesus says do this. Paul says do this. So we must do it. Paul even provides the end date when we will no longer need to celebrate Communion. It is when Christ returns.

The second reason we continue to share in Communion is because it proclaims Jesus' death. Yes Jesus (and Paul via quotation) say to do it in remembrance of Christ, which of course would include all of who He is. But consider what Communion symbolizes. Jesus' body broken for us. Jesus blood shed for us. Consider when Communion was instituted. It was during the Passover celebration. And Passover is a remembrance of the death of a lamb for the salvation of the first born son.

The bottom-line, at least for me, is that if our Communion time doesn't bring us back to the Cross, it is a wasted time. We are going through symbolic motions, but we've lost the track of what the symbols mean. What is wrong with taking a few minutes (or several minutes) and explicitly stating what we are actually celebrating? Isn't worth our time and effort to "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes"?

Subsequent to the original posting of this entry, I ran across the following thoughts from D.A. Carson:

"No less than the ancient Israelites, Christians are called to covenant renewal. That is one of the large purposes of the Lord’s Supper. It is a time for self-examination, confession of sin, remembering what the Lord Jesus endured to secure our redemption, and, together with the people of God in local assembly, a time to remember and proclaim his death until he comes. Thereby we renew our pledge of allegiance. If we permit the Lord’s Supper to descend to the level of meaningless rite, all the while hardening our hearts against the living God, we face grave danger. It will do us good, in solemn assembly, to review our sins and confess them, to grasp anew the Lord’s faithfulness, and to pledge fresh loyalty to the new covenant."

I now send forth this post with a deep sense of its many defects; but with an earnest prayer that it may do some good. (JC Ryle)

To God Alone be the Glory