This Sacrament is known by several names.

  “Eucharist” derives from the Greek noun eucharistía (εὐχαριστία) derives from eú- "good, well" + cháris "favor, grace". Eucharistéō (εὐχαριστῶ) is the usual verb for "to thank" in the Septuagint and New Testament. It is found in the major texts concerning the Lord's Supper.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks (eucharistéō), He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (1 Corinthians 11:23-24, NASB)

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks (eucharistéō), He gave it to them, and they all drank from it. And He said to them, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:23-24, NASB)

"The Lord's Supper" (Κυριακὸν δεῖπνον) derives from 1 Corinthians 11:20-21.

When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.

"Communion" is a translation of the Greek koinōnía (κοινωνία), found in 1 Corinthians 10:16. The word κοινωνία is commonly translated "fellowship" in other contexts.

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (koinōnía) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (koinōnía) of the body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)

"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence.
Guard what you have received.
God the Father has marked you with his sign;
Christ the Lord has confirmed you
and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts."
(St. Ambrose)

The step of faith of taking full personal responsibility is completed with the partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

Baptism,
Confirmation
and
Holy Communion,
together constitute
the "sacraments of Christian initiation," 

  Baptism’s primary effect is the beginning of  our new life in Christ

 Here the Child is brought under discipleship of Christ.

Set Apart for Jesus

Confirmation’s primary effect is  to strengthen us to live  more fully Christ’s call to serve.

 The primary effect of the Communion is to nourish us to live as Christ’s disciples in love and fellowship with the church in Unity in our journey through this life as Christians.

Fellowship

The Communion is a multifaceted Sacrament.  The various names like Eucharist, Lord’s Supper, Communion etc derive the name because of these faces.  What we are going to do is to have a quick look at these various faces.  While it may look like distinct aspects, there is an underlying unity and connection so that we cannot clearly demarcate these faces separately.

The Eucharistic celebration always includes the proclamation of the Word of God; thanksgiving to God the Father for all his befits, above all the gift of his Son; the consecration of bread and wine; and participation in the liturgical banquet by receiving the Lord's body and blood.

Here are some of names that is used for this Sacrament

Each gives us a new aspect of the Sacrament.

 The Holy Communion is an act of joining the Community of believers in a Supper and have communion, conversation, fellowship etc with other members. 

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit" (First Corinthians 12.12, 13).

Church is a Family.  Families eat together and love one another. 

The Church age was inaugurated on the day of Pentecost  they formed a new group of people called as The Way. The peculiarity of these people was that they loved one another as no one has ever heard of before.  The central teaching of Jesus was Love.

Joh 15:12 -17  "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you. ….You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.  This I command you, to love one another.

The conviction of the believers on the verification of the resurrected Jesus and his power of resurrection found within the Apostles led them to the formation of early Christian Communes. 

Act 2:41,42  So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.  And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 2:43-47 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.—

Act 4:32-35  Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.  And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.  There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of what was sold  and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.

I am sure the idea was not just someone’s smart plan.  Jesus must have taught the Apostles this system which God tried with several nations before and also with Israel in the period of Judges.  They all failed.  This experiment was being repeated as a Church as a strongly bonded community of the People of the Way.  This probably was the central concept of the Kingdom of God.  This was the realization of the Kindom of God.  With the Power of the Holy Spirit, early church believed that they could build the Kingdom of God here on earth as they expected the soon coming of Christ.

They ate together and served each other.

In the beginning Apostles were the servers for the food.  Later we see that the Apostles wanted to concentrate on the teachings, and hence

Act 6:2 -4  And the twelve summoned the body of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this duty.

But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Thus we have the Deacons instituted who served at the table.

During this period “Breaking of Bread” was a regular feature whenever they gathered together to eat. 

1st Century AD: Early Christians,

possibly inspired by the Essenes, lived together in communes, according to Acts 2, 4-5. and is still the Christian ideal in living. 

It is from this model the principles of Communist Society evolved.  There had been a series of experiments throughout Christian history based on the Acts model.  In the early Christian settlements in America these experiments were repeated, of which many succeded for for decades before they collapsed under the sinful nature of man.

Here are a few:

Woman in the Wilderness (founded by German Pietists in 1694),

Irenia (founded by Moravians in 1695),

Bohemia Manor (founded by the Labadists in 1683),

the Ephrata Cloister (founded by Sabbatarians in 1732),

Bethlehem (founded by Anabaptists in 1740), and

Mount Lebanon (founded by the Shakers in 1787.)

Most were milleniarians or adventists who expected the Second Coming of Christ shortly after their arrival in the New World.

Whether they succeded or not the ideal model of Christianity was based on unity of the Church as a community of redeemed which was expected to expand and fill the earth bringing in the full redemption of mankind.

The early commune failed because of the selfishness of one couple. Acts 5:1-10

There are large number of intentional Christian Commnities all over the world.  In India they form the Christian Ashrams.

Christian communism is a form of religious communism based on Christianity.  The prime example of this was the Plymouth Colony.  The Plymouth Colony was established by Separatist Pilgrims who had travelled from Europe in order to flee religious persecution and establish a religious community separate from the Church of England. They lasted over a decade and collapsed because of the reluctance of individuals to work for the community.  At the time when Marxism first emerged on the political scene, the concept of secular or atheistic communism did not yet exist. All communism was rooted in religious principles.  Marxism owed its concepts from Christianity and incorporated their materialism on it.

Over 200 hundred Intentional Christian Communities are still found in America.  It is because of this innate Christian element in the Communist Principles that Kerala Christians support Communist programs even though they disagree with the Atheistic component of it.  The concept of the ideal of the Kingdom of God that Jesus proposed is still part of the Thomas Christians.

Christavashram
 The Society of St. Thomas
   is an active Christian community for service, based on Christian principles with the motto
"Thy Kingdom come".
Founded in 1934
first Acharya was Sadhu Mathaichen

It produced a generation of Christian and Political leaders.

Its third Acharya Kaipuraidom Mathai Mammen was my first cousin and his wife  Mrs Mammen was the next Acharya.

“We will still dream our dreams.

Failures does not mean our principles are wrong.  It only means that we are still beings with a free will.”

When we talk about communion, we still have the ideal set before us as the ultimate Kingdom of God which Christ is going to bring which was the Acts Model, the Christian Communes, the Christavashrams in its wider form covering the whole mankind. 

Eventually they all fail because of man’s sinful nature.

“Eager souls, mystics and revolutionaries, may propose to refashion the world in accordance with their dreams; but evil remains, and so long as it lurks in the secret places of the heart, utopia is only the shadow of a dream”
Nathaniel Hawthorne

By the time the Early Christian Community came to be known by various names.  Some of them are:

 “People of the Way”;
“the Way of God” (Act 18:26),
“the Way.” (Act 19:9), or the
“Nazarene sect.” (Act 24:5).  T
They were disciples or Apostles of Jesus the Nazarene.

Chabura is a fraternity or "guild".  Instead of living together they met every week as
a group for Teaching, Fellowship, Eucharist and Prayer. This later came to be the Agape Feast.   The traditional meeting time for the Chabura of the Way was probably soon after the Sabath when they could travel and gather together in some house.  This would mean Saturday night which in Jewish System was the first day of the Week, Sunday.  In the 3rd century Christian work The Apostolic Constitutions, a complete halachah is set forth for the church on exactly how the Agape feast was to be conducted.  (We have a reference to it in Jude 12. where we are told that experiment failed.)

We can easily understand the nature of Chabura as it is still persisting in the modern day Bible Study and Prayer Meeting with Pot Luck supper. 

The center of the Chabura of course was the Eucharist where they broke bread together and gave thanks.

The potluck system eventually gave rise to problems as the group consisted of rich and the poor. Thus Paul points out:

Corinthians 11:20-34.   “Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk.”

Hence the full meal was replaced with token meals to avoid class distinction.  Probably the host provided the bread and the wine for the group.

Historical research shows that such Chabura meetings were standard meeting till the third century AD.  The Change over from full meal to symbolic meal probably came with the Pauline instructions.  The Chaburs went home and had their meal or came after eating.

The symbolic meal took up a fresh meaning. It thus reminds us of our present sinful nature and we look forward to the final fulfillment of the Kingdom of God in Christ when we will get back to the Christian living with all creation.

With the simplified token meal it became a symbol of membership within the Chabura or as we say today, symbol of the membership of the Church.

 It is important to realize that the particular denomination or the Church is not the full body.  We are now talking about the Catholic (Universal) and Apostolic Church which includes all the Christian Churches in the world.

All those who accept the core faith are part of the Catholic Church. 
The rule of measure is the Creed.

As long as these core faiths are upheld they form part of the body of Christ.  Cultural, Sacramental and Ethnic difference are of no consequence.  The idea of considering Church as the body of Christ with Christ as the head has serious implications.  Just as each part of the body has a specific function, each denomination, church and individuals have specific function in the building of the Christian Church.

The Universality includes all times Past, Present and Future.  So the Eastern Churches believe that in the communion, all saints of the past and present are present.  This is the depiction of the Dancing saints in the St.Gregory of Nyasa Episcopal Church.

Heb 12:1  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

We have thus

That again is dream.  But then Christian life is a life of Hope.
and the Hope does not disappoint us.

7133. qorban (kor-bawn') קרבן

Or qurban {koor-bawn'}; from qarab;

  something brought near the altar    i.e. A sacrificial present –  oblation, that is offered, offering.

A Korban was usually an animal sacrifice, such as a sheep or a bull that underwent shechita (Jewish ritual slaughter),  and was often cooked and eaten by the offerer, with parts given to the Kohanim  and parts burned on the Temple mizbe'ah (altar).

There are two traditions in the Bible.  The Priestly tradition (P)  and the Prophetic Tradition (J).  Animal sacrifices are found only in the P tradition. The details of the ceremonies are found in the Leviticus, the standard instructions for the Priests.

Korbanot could also consist of doves, grain, wine, or incense.  Leviticus 1-7 gives details regarding the sacrifices.  
 

The concept behind sacrifice is the total life submission of the person.  Since the penalty for sin is death, and since all men have sinned, all men are condemned to death.  Sacrifice should then means death to man.  Since death has a hold on man, he was replaced with something equally precious for the person.  In a nomadic community this was the herd.

 Animals are sacred in all nomadic and agricultural communities and are never slaughtered.  They are slaughtered only as offerings to the gods and ancestors in healing, initiation, and atonement ceremonies. 

Then they are consecrated offerings, made sacred for communal meals by the initiate, to share with their gods, ancestors, and the poor.  These communities eat meat only on these occasions.  Then it is a communal meal as part of prayer, praise, worship and fellowship.

Sacrifices in the Temple ended with the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70, when the entire temple was destroyed so that not one stone remained one on top and all the temple equipment and furniture of value were taken away to Rome.

The Prophetic Tradition

But there is a parallel Prophetic tradition which thrived without the temple and the sacrifices which provided the spiritual meaning of the sacrifice.

Thus says the Lord of hosts,
the God of Israel:

Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh.

For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day
that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.  

But this is what I commanded them saying,
 “Obey My voice and I will be your God and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.” .. (Jer. 7:21–25)

 What the prophets said was while the animal sacrifices provided the meals, what God required was obedience.

"O Israel, return unto the Lord your God; for you have fallen by your iniquity. 

Take with you words, and return unto the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and accept us graciously: so will we render as bullocks the offerings of our lips" (Hosea 14:1-2). 

"Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, and repenteth him of the evil" (Joel 2:13). 

What are your multiplied sacrifices to me? . . . I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. . . . I hate your new moon and your appointed feasts. . . . Cease to do evil. (Isa. 1:11, 14, 16–17)

With what shall I approach the Lord,

Do homage to God on high?

Shall I approach Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?

Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

With myriads of streams of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

The fruit of my body for my sins?

God has tole you, Oh Man what is good
and what does the Lord require of you?

Only to do justice

And to love goodness,

And to walk humbly with your God
(Micah 6:6-8).

See also

Psalms 51:16-21;
Hosea 6:6, 14:3 and Jeremiah 29:4-14

Jesus put an end to all sacrifices and replaced it with its prophetic values.

" . . . by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:14)

The concept behind sacrifice

Living Sacrifice is not living an intentional life of suffering.

It is living an abundant life for the benefit of the rest of creation.

Intentional life of suffering is based essentially on selfishness which destroys not only the person doing it, but also the rest of the creation.  An abundant selfless sacrificial life, gives life and recreates new lives and makes them whole.

A typical example of living sacrifice is found right at the beginning of creation in Genesis 2.

אף

Gen 2:22-23  And the rib,which the LORD God had taken from man,  made he a woman,(Strong #802) and brought  her unto  the man.  And Adam said, “This  is now  bone  of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman,(802) because  she  was taken out of Man.

The word used for woman here is  Ishasha which literally means  Burnt (Fire) Sacrifice

800 eshshah “esh-shaw”

801 'ishshah  the same as ''eshshah' (800), but used in a liturgical sense; a burnt-offering;

802 'ishshah  feminine of ''iysh' (376) 
The proper word expected for woman is nashiym from the word for man as 'enowsh (582).  Instead bible use ishshah here, implying life given as a living sacrifice for giving new lives.

There are five specific types of offerings by fire are described in Leviticus 1 – 7,  Out of which four involves blood.  They are 1,3,4 and 5.  All these are connected directly with propitiation for sin committed.  All sin offerings involve blood sacrifice, for the reason I have mentioned earlier.  It is a substitute of killing yourself

 The only offering that is blood free is the Meal Offering which is a thanksgiving offering.  It is this offering that is symbolized in the Eucharist because Eucharist is not a sacrifice for sin.  This sacrifice was done once and for all by Jesus on the cross.  What is offered in the Eucharist is a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

They also act as sacrifices of reconciliation.

Thanksgiving  in Hebrew  is Toda.
In Greek and Latin it is given as Eucharistia    εὐχαριστία

eu- means "good"
char- means "favor"
and ist- shows action
the Latin ending -ia stands for Latin plurals

Eukharistéō (εὐχαριστῶ) is the usual verb for  "to thank"  in the Septuagint and New Testament.

Eucharistia is a  thank offering. According to Leviticus it is  food that  is offered at the altar

anaphora, ἀναφορά,   "offering" or "carrying up" (ἀνα- + φέρω)]

And then partook first by the Priests and then by the community.

In this sense it is a sacrifice

       Anglican tradition of Eucharist includes a bringing in of the elements from outside ceremoniously anaphora, into the church and to the altar as an offering

 Here also it is a substitution

Hebrews 13:15

Therefore, through him let us always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess his name

 When we will all sit together in the Marriage banquet when we the bride will sit with him in the consummation of the present age.  Jesus will then drink the fruit of the wine with us.

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For he must reign, till he hath put ALL enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all".

- 1 Corinthians 15:24-28