Covenant

Remember This, Not That: The Heart of Communion

/ Terrence Burton / Leave a comment

Every time we take communion, we are participating in one of the most intentional acts of remembrance in all of Scripture. Jesus did not leave us a vague suggestion to think of Him occasionally. He gave His disciples bread and a cup and said, do this in remembrance of me. But remembrance of what, exactly? That question changes everything about how we approach the table.

Communion Was Designed to Shape Memory

In Luke 22 and First Corinthians 11, communion is presented as far more than a ritual. It is a deliberate act meant to fix our attention on the sacrifice of Jesus, the covenant sealed in His blood, and our new identity in Him. The blood was not only about removing sin. It was also about imparting God’s own life to humanity, the same way ancient covenant partners became blood brothers, bound together in shared life. Through Jesus, we are brought into union with God Himself.

Remember What He Did, Not What You Did

Here is where so many believers get it backward. We come to the table remembering our failures instead of remembering His finished work. Hebrews 8 records God’s own promise: their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. If God is not interacting with us based on our past mistakes, why do we keep bringing them back up ourselves? The blood covenant already settled the issue. Our job is not to keep score. Our job is to remember what Jesus did.

Examine, Do Not Avoid

First Corinthians 11 also addresses eating and drinking unworthily, a phrase that has caused unnecessary fear for many believers. The answer was never to avoid communion out of guilt. It was to examine yourself honestly, repent where needed, and come back into alignment with love and covenant awareness. Communion is meant to draw you closer, not push you away.

So the next time you take the bread and the cup, let this be your golden line. Remember what Jesus did, not what you did, because God does not remember it anymore.

-Terrence Burton

You Are in Covenant With God

/ Terrence Burton / Leave a comment

There is a word that changes everything when you truly understand it: covenant. Not a contract, not a transaction, not a temporary agreement. A covenant is a bond sealed in blood, a promise so permanent that God Himself staked His name on it. And the most extraordinary truth of the Gospel is that you are in one if you are a Christian.

The Foundation of the Relationship

God did not invite you into a performance based arrangement. He drew you into family. When Jesus took the cup at the Last Supper and said, “This is the new covenant in my blood,” He was not establishing religion. He was establishing relationship. The communion table is not a ritual to complete. It is a reminder of who you are and whose you are.

Every time you receive communion, you are declaring: I am covered. I am in relationship. I belong to something ancient and unbreakable. The body broken for you addressed your wholeness. The blood poured out for you addressed your standing before God. You come to the table not to earn favor but to remember the favor that was freely given.

Identity Flows From Covenant

One of the most powerful things covenant does is settle your identity. When you know you are in covenant with God, you stop striving to become something and start walking in what you already are. You are not trying to get God to love you. He already does. You are not working to be accepted. You already are, in Christ.

This is the finished work. Jesus did not leave anything undone. The cross was complete. The resurrection was confirmation. And now, seated at the right hand of the Father, He intercedes for you as your covenant partner, your high priest, your elder brother.

Remember and Walk Forward

The purpose of remembrance is not to stay in the past. It is to build confidence for the future. When you remember what God has already done, your faith rises for what He is about to do. Covenant means He will not abandon the work He began. It means His promises over your life are yes and amen.

Live like someone who is in covenant with the Most High God. Because you are.

-Terrence Burton