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Communion

Communion, also referred to as “The Lord’s Supper,” is a richly symbolic act meant to help us remember the sacrifice of Jesus and unite in hope as we focus on what this means for us personally and corporately.

On it’s most basic level, it involves consuming two pieces of everyday food: bread (or a cracker) and juice (or wine). Beyond the symbolism, we don’t believe there is anything extraordinary about these elements.

At One Hope Church, we take Communion together every Sunday.

Why is Communion important?

In the Bible, we read that when Jesus was gathered with his closest followers, he instructed them to regularly take communion as a way of remembering His love and sacrifice for them and renewing their commitment to unity.

The bread, as Jesus stated, represents His body that He willing offered as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of all mankind. We know from history that Jesus experienced the brutality of a Roman crucifixion although He had done nothing wrong. His body was offered up in our place, paying the price we each deserve to pay.

The juice represents the new covenant forged by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. In this covenant, God declared His love and faithfulness to us in spite of all that we’ve done. He made a way for us to have life and hope when all we should have known was death and pain.

Thousands of years later, we believe that communion is a powerful tool for helping us focus and come together as a church family.

Why do you take Communion every Sunday?

In the intentional planning of every moment of our church services, we believe that there is no greater tool for the purpose of examining and centering ourselves on the weight and hope of the gospel than taking Communion together. We believe that without regular reminders and intentional moments like this each week, we are prone to forgetting the true depth and price of the life we share.

Who should take Communion?

Anyone who has trusted Jesus and committed their life to follow Him should take Communion regularly per Jesus’ own instructions.

We don’t believe it’s necessary or beneficial for people who don’t follow Jesus to take Communion but it is also not dangerous. If you don’t follow Jesus and take Communion all you’re doing is eating a piece of bread and having a sip of juice.

Who shouldn’t take Communion?

There are warnings in the Bible about taking Communion that have led to some common misconceptions about who should not take it.

The context of these warnings is primarily for Christians whose lives don’t line up with what the act of Communion is meant to demonstrate: full surrender to Jesus and thankfulness for His sacrifice.

Simply, if you have unresolved sin, anger, discord, or hardness in your heart, you should think twice before taking Communion. Rather, you should be drawn into a time of confession and repentance with Jesus and the other Christians you call brother or sister.