When I lift up the loaf and break it, this fraction of the bread is a key element of our observance of the Supper here. It is not just important because Jesus broke the loaf He had, and we are to mimic everything without understanding. No, there is a world of glory in everything here.
Just as Adam was broken in two so that God could fashion Eve out of the rib, so also the Lord’s body is broken so that God may present Him with a bride. God made Adam into two, so that He could take those two and make them one.
The Lord’s body was broken so that we might be made whole, and we cannot be made whole unless we are made one with Him. But when we are made one with Him, we are enabled to imitate Him. We are equipped to die for one another. We are blessed with brokenness, and when we are blessed with brokenness, we are blessed with unity.
If we are stiff and unyielding, we don’t usually break in this way—we shatter. But when the Lord holds the one loaf up and breaks it, He does it with this higher unity in mind.
So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.