Communion and the New Creation: A New Beginning
Communion and the new creation come together in this New Year reflection on Christ’s sacrifice, resurrection, and the believer’s new life. The Lord’s Supper points back to forgiveness through Christ, forward to his return, and toward faithful remembrance throughout the year.
- Communion reminds believers of the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood.
- The Lord’s Supper proclaims Christ’s death while pointing to his resurrection and return.
- The New Year offers an opportunity to renew our faithfulness in remembering Christ at the Lord’s Table.
By Victor Knowles
Today is New Year’s Day, the first day of the year and the first Sunday of the year. What a good way to start the New Year! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Communion and the New Creation
Communion is a weekly reminder that in Christ we are a new creation. The old is gone. I remember singing a chorus in youth camp many years ago. “Gone, gone, gone, gone, yes my sins are gone!” The crimson cup reminds us that the old has gone. Jesus told his disciples, “This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
The Lord’s Supper also reminds us that the new has come. The apostle Paul declared, “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Communion commemorates the death of Christ. But we know the story does not end at the tomb. To quote the old hymn, “He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose!”
Living a New Life in Christ
Our own baptism reminds us of the truth that “the new has come.” “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4).
What a privilege to partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine on this Sunday, the first day of the New Year! Let us resolve to be faithful to “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19) each Lord’s Day in the New Year. Let us never forget that in Christ “the old has gone, the new has come!”
Lest I forget Gethsemane;
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
Victor Knowles is founder and president of POEM (Peace on Earth Ministries), Joplin, Missouri; www.poeministries.org.
Author: Victor Knowles
Victor Knowles is president of Peace On Earth Ministries, Joplin, Mo. This article is adapted from an address given to the Advanced Preaching class of St. Louis Christian College, Florissant, Mo., on Sept. 13, 2019, and to the Wabash Valley Christian Institute at New Hope Christian Church, Bridgeport, Ill., on Nov. 7, 2020.
