Faith is...

It occurred to me when I was thinking about what I wrote last night concerning communion, that I needed to provide some sort of explanation of faith, because faith is what connects us to God. It's difficult, because faith is so individual, but here's an attempt:
1. Faith starts with God. If you look at Genesis 12:1 and following, what you see is God speaking to Abram. ("Now the LORD said to Abram...") We don't know how God spoke to him, but we do know the result.  Abram became Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, and he also became the father of those who believe.
2. Faith moves to a point of decision (So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him...). Abram picked up his family, and left, because God had told him to do so.
So we have these two things.  God speaks to me, and I act on that.  So faith begins with God, and then I say "YES."
The same thing is true when I believe in God, in His Son, in His life, death, and resurrection.  I believe because in my being there is a "knowing" that this is true--and here's where it gets sketchy, because I can't tell you how that "knowing" occurs.  I do understand that it occurs at a deeper level than the merely conscious mind, or even of the unconscious mind.  It's a knowing that descends into your inner mind and spirit, so that all of you knows.
Hebrews 11:1 calls it the "assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." In other words, our entire being is aware that what we are hearing is true, and says YES! to the message, and to God.
Faith is not just the knowing part.  That is God, talking to us.  Faith is both the knowing, AND the YES! that we say to God when we hear Him.
This relates to communion in the sense that God makes us aware of what Jesus did for us when He died and rose, and we say YES! I want that! when we receive communion. Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me..." and so each time we receive communion, we reaffirm our "YES!" and say to Him, "I still want You, Lord."

The Body and Blood of the Lord...

From 1 Corinthians 11:
23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

The Lord Jesus left us with this to remind us of why He came, and to put us in touch with Him in a very special way.  When we eat the bread and drink the cup, which represents Him, His body, His blood, His death, we connect with Him IF we eat in faith and drink in faith in Him. 

Jesus said: "He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." This is what communion means.  Sharing in His life, His death, His resurrection, His Spirit.  This we seek when we do communion--sharing with Him, and the communion service is our act of faith that we remember what He did for us, and open our hearts to it, and receive Him as we receive the bread and the cup. You can do this every time you receive communion.  Many people actually become Christians during the communion service, because they sense the powerful connection that He creates during the communion service, and sensing that, they open their hearts to Him.