Spanish 
From the Spring 2015 VISION Newsletter
Chief Apostle Schneider, in his video message to all in the beginning of the year, mentioned that fellowship in the Christian community is an experience that can give us Joy in Christ. A part of this fellowship takes place during Holy Communion. As we go into the season of Passiontide, the establishment of Holy Communion is very relevant to us as Jesus instituted it at the Last Supper.
How do we experience fellowship during Holy Communion?
The Catechism explains Holy Communion as a meal of fellowship and provides three different types of fellowship that we are able to experience if we truly believe in the strength and transformational power of Holy Communion. Let’s take a deeper look at them.
1. The first experience of fellowship in Holy Communion is between Jesus Christ and His Apostles. Through the partaking and celebration of Holy Communion, Christ enters into fellowship with His Apostles. This experience is directly related to the original fellowship between Christ and the disciples at The Last Supper.
2. As believers who celebrate Holy Communion, we also enter into fellowship with Jesus. Our partaking and belief in this fellowship of Holy Communion is necessary for salvation. As Jesus says in John 6:54, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
3. Because we go up and receive Holy Communion individually, it might not cross our mind that it is actually an experience of fellowship with one another. By assembling as a congregation, we worship together and share each one’s proclamation of faith and belief in salvation in the celebration of Holy Communion.
After examining these three avenues of fellowship during Holy Communion, we find that we have much cause for joy in Christ each time we come into His House.
Holy Communion also has what the Catechism calls an “eschatological character,” which refers to the endtime when Jesus will come again. As a congregation joined together in Holy Communion, we are awaiting the fulfillment of the promise that Jesus made at the Last Supper: “I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” (Luke 22: 18) It is with this promise that we experience an intimate fellowship with the Lord and each other through Holy Communion.
-VAB