The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our redemption by Christ’s death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the bread which we break is a partaking of the body of Christ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking of the blood of Christ.

Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance of bread and wine in the Supper of the Lord, cannot be proved by Holy Writ, but is repugnant to the plain words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacrament, and have given occasion to many superstitions.

The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten, in the Supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner. And the means whereby the Body of Christ is received and eaten in the Supper, is faith.

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper was not by Christ’s ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or worshipped.

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The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, or the Eucharist, is a celebration in which Christians remember the price God paid for Humanity’s redemption.  That price was the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who reconciled lost Humanity with God the Father through His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. This Sacrament is practiced in remembrance of Christ until He returns. 

While the danger of superstitious mysticism is ever present with the Sacraments, so is the danger of casual irreverence. Thus, the EMC teaches that the Lord's Supper is more than just a ritual, a memorial, or a symbol; it is all these things and yet more than just these things. While the EMC rejects transubstantiation, we do believe that Christ is present with the elements in the Sacrament. Therefore, there is a special kind of grace in the reception of them.

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Reflect on the following Biblical texts. What are your thoughts on the way they reveal this doctrine to us? Discuss your answers with your pastor/group leader.

Exodus 12:1-28 (cf. Genesis 22:1-19 / John 8:48-59) 

John 6:22-63 

Matthew 26:17-30 / Mark 14:12-26 / Luke 22:7-20 

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 / 1 Corinthians 10:1-22)

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Use the following questions to summarize what you have learned about this Article of Faith. Discuss your answers with your pastor/group leader. (*Adapted from Wesley’s Catechism questions 90-91.)

If the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is not a prerequisite for Salvation, why do we practice it? 

How does the fact that the ordaining of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper happened at the Feast of Passover help us understand what the Lord’s Supper is? 

Why is the Lord’s Supper often referred to as Communion? 

Why does the Apostle Paul connect a disciple’s relationship with the Body of Christ to a warning about taking part in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner?

How does this doctrine affect the practice of our faith? 

Notes: