“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you:
that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed
took bread… In the same manner He also took the cup…
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes”
– 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 –

It was January 1077, Henry IV, with his wife and son, who was still young, set out to go across the Alps through the Mount Cenis Pass, where there was no established route. The descent was under a blizzard and through snowdrifts. The Holy Roman Emperor had to transport the empress and their son in a sled made of cowhide by the strength of his arms and ropes.

Henry IV spent three days with both his head and feet bare in the snow, fasting and imploring mercy and forgiveness from Pope Grgory VII, until his excommunication was lifted. Suffering and sacrifices. Could this be the means to attain grace and salvation?

Paul says that he received from the Lord what he taught. What did he receive? He was not present when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples in the first Communion service. Still, he received it by direct instruction from Christ. Both the Corinthians and the Galatians are told that he received revelations from the Lord.

The apostle mentions that the sacrament was instituded by Jesus Himself, to remind us of His incarnation and sacrifice:

“This is My body” (1 Cor. 11:24): His crucifixtion.
“It is the new covenant of My blood” (v. 25): His death.
“This do, as often as you drink it” (v. 25).
“In memory of Me” (v. 25): His mission and His dedication deserve it.

So then, the three great purposes of the Lord’s Supper are: 1. to remember Christ’s sacrifice, 2. proclaim His death, and 3. prepare for His return.

Just as Passover was celebrated to remember Israel’s liberation from the bondage of Egypt, the Lord’s Supper is a reminder of the deliverance of sin. “The ordinance of the Lord’s Supper was given to commemorate the great deliverance wrought out as the result of the death of Christ. Till He shall come the second time in power and glory, this ordinance is to be celebrated. It is the means by which His great work for us is to be kept fresh in our minds” (Counsels for the Church, p. 298).

It is not about merrits, or our sacrifices, or efforts.
We do not have to walk on our knees, kneeling in the snow,
to touch tha Father’s heart. On the contrary,
it is our hearts that must be moved, grateful, and committed,
recognizing the cost of our salvation.
It is for me that He died; it is because of Him that I can live.

God bless you…