A communion meditation is a message preached to a congregation of the Christian faith before they take communion. In some churches, this message might be preached each Sunday because the congregation takes communion every week. Other church congregations may only hear a communion meditation service about once a month because their church doesn’t take communion as frequently. Usually, communion meditation messages include the story of the Last Supper, why Christians take communion, and what they should think about as they partake in it. The message is usually relatively short, but often quite powerful.
Communion is a representation of the Last Supper, Jesus' last meal with his disciples prior to his crucifixion. He took bread and wine and compared them to his spilled blood and broken body. Jesus told his disciples to think of him, his teachings, and his sacrifice every time they partook of bread and wine. These two food items were included in almost every meal during the time in which Jesus lived. The story goes that he was basically instructing the men at the table with him to always remember his sacrifice and everything he had taught them.
When congregants take communion, they usually are given a very small cup of wine and a small piece of unleavened bread. The congregants consume these things while considering Jesus’ sacrifice, just as he instructed his disciples to do so long ago. The communion meditation usually comes before the congregants actually take communion. This message is supposed to help the church-goers calm their minds and focus on what communion represents. People are also supposed to confess during this time. Catholics may confess to a priest, while Protestants quietly pray and confess directly to God.
The communion meditation message usually centers on Jesus and his sacrifice. Priests and pastors may talk about Jesus’ last days on Earth, or what happened during the crucifixion. Most meditations end with the priest or pastor reminding the congregants that Jesus died for their sins, because his sacrifice covered the sins of everyone who would accept such forgiveness and strive to live a moral and godly life.
After the communion meditation is finished, most spiritual leaders encourage their congregation to reflect on the meditation before they take communion. The idea is that each person who then takes communion understands what it means and can accept it with humility and gratefulness. A successful communion meditation generally has a simple message that congregants remember easily.