Article 28

“The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the mutual love that Christians ought to have among themselves. Rather, it is a sacrament of our redemption through Christ’s death. To those who rightly, worthily, and with faith receive it, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ, and similarly the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

“Transubstantiation (the change of the substance of the bread and wine) in the Supper of the Lord cannot be proved from holy Scripture, but is repugnant to the plain teaching of Scripture. It overthrows the nature of a sacrament and has given rise to many superstitions.

“The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper only in a heavenly and spiritual manner. The means by which the body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper is faith.

“The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not instituted by Christ to be reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshiped.”

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Most of us need help in remembering: things we thought we would never forget can easily be forgotten! Jesus knew his disciples would be prone to forgetfulness, so he gave them a vivid illustration of his impending death: “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ “

The church continues to obey Jesus’ command today, but what are Christians doing when they meet for the Lord’s Supper? A common misconception is that Holy Communion is celebrated at an altar. In Old Testament times, an altar was the place where sacrifices were continually made to appease God’s anger against sin. But the Bible tells us that Jesus “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” There is no need for us to make further sacrifices because “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Christians meet as a family around a table to share bread and wine, as Jesus did with his disciples on the night before he died. Jesus explained to them that the bread broken and the wine poured out represented his body and blood – that he would be punished in the place of sinful people – and he instructed them to continue this practice in remembrance of him. As the 39 Articles say, Holy Communion is “a sacrament of our redemption through Christ’s death.”

At Holy Communion, Christians remember:
€ the past – Christ died in our place on the cross, so we thank God for his sacrifice for us.
€ the present – we need to feed on him and his word continually in order to grow as Christians.
€ the future – heaven is pictured in the Bible as a great feast, a glorious celebration, a place where we will be with the Lord for ever!