WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT?

    Jesus introduces us to the 'New Testament' during the Last Supper the evening before his crucifixion. We read Luke's account found in the gospel of Luke 22:19-20, "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you; this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you." Then again, in the gospel of Matthew 26:26-28 we read Matthew's account of the Last Supper, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." 

    What we have revealed to us in these Scriptures is the institution of the Eucharist (Eucharistia in Greek, aka the Thanksgiving). We refer to this as Holy Communion, and it is known in the Orthodox Church as the Mystical Supper. The Apostle Paul teaches us in his first letter to the Corinthians, 10:16, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" Paul adds to this revelation of Holy Communion with Christ Jesus saying, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come" (11:23-26). 
    The point I would like to make is that when Jesus introduces the reality of the new testament he does not say, "read this" or "study this", but he says "do this"! The New Testament is the eating of Christ's body, and the drinking of his blood. The New Testament is the Eucharist. Christian worship is to be centered upon the very command of Jesus himself when he said, "This do in remembrance of me." The New Testament was a sacrament (mystery) long before it ever started to become a document, according to the document. True worship, as found in the Ancient Faith of the Orthodox Church, is the foundation of the faith of Christ, not the Bible. And it is the bible that reveals this! You may want to ask yourself, "Why is the collection of twenty seven books, that we call the New Testament, called the New Testament?" It is because of their proximity to the Eucharist, that is, the New Testament! The Scriptures are guiding us into the heart of the Church. And what we discover when we arrive is the Eucharist, which is the actual communion of human beings with the undivided Holy Trinity; the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.