A new insight into the Lord's Supper

The passage in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is a very familiar one:
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

It is one of the 2 or 3 passages commonly read before the Holy Communion, to remind us of the true meaning of the Holy Sacrament. The congregation is often told to pray and examine ourselves for any unconfessed sins. "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves." (verses 28-29) What I learned today was that when I examine myself, it isn't so much about my personal unconfessed sins, but it is about how I behave in the body of Christ, i.e. the other believers in the church! I am to "discern" the body of Christ.

Looking at the context of this passage, the church in Corinth had a problem which manifested itself during the Lord's Supper:
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter! (verses 17-22)

The problem seemed to be that there were divisions among the believers. When they came together for this special remembrance meal, they didn't come with the unity of their hearts to remember what Christ did on the Cross. Some came to eat their "private" meals (i.e. they were not sharing their bread and their wine). As a result, some were hungry (not getting any of the bread) and some had excess - to the point of getting drunk from the wine.

So next time before the communion, I should examine myself in perhaps a slightly different way. I should look around my brothers and sisters in Christ. Is anyone in need? How can I share with them the richness that I have in Christ? Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper not only to remind us of his supreme sacrifice, but also to demonstrate to us that we should give to our brothers and sisters sacrificially. It's not going to be easy. That's why we celebrate the Lord's supper regularly (some churches more frequently than others - see this commentary on how frequent we should celebrate the Lord's Supper).