The Sacraments: Communion
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INTRODUCTION: Welcome/Book Recommendations
We’re on part 2, of a 2-part mini-series covering the sacraments, baptism & communion.
If you have not yet listened to last week’s message I highly encourage you to do so, as it will help you understand today’s message more fully and how baptism and communion relate.
At the start of last week’s message I mentioned how the impotence of the church was related to the church’s low view of the sacraments which is rooted in a low of the church.
While this must be corrected, we must be careful not to swing the pendulum of belief & practice too far in the other direction… we must do our best to keep the pendulum in the middle as much as possible by being anchored in the Word of God...
We do this by continually evaluating why we do what we do and continually reforming our practices in accordance to Scripture.
So, this morning, let us do that… and let us not be led astray or be blinded by our own sentiment… or by our own traditions.
Let’s Pray
Communion is not what it used to be in the church...
It is normally treated as an optional component of worship, something that the church needs to find time for in order to “fit it in”...
This modern view of communion stands in stark contrast to how the church has viewed it historically...
It has been suggested on more than one occasion that perhaps it ought to be the Cup, for all that it represents, not the Cross, that acts as the symbol of our faith.
Communion and baptism, but especially communion was a key issue of the Reformation...
An issue that dealt with the unbiblical practices of the Roman Catholic Church
Many of the Reformers, for example the Scottish Reformer John Knox, viewed the Roman Catholic observance of communion as a blasphemous act of idol worship
For the bread and wine, as thought by the Catholics, would miraculously become the real body and blood of Christ… to which the Catholics would kneel in worship to receive it.
Since the bread and the wine was not actually Christ, Knox and other reformers saw it as a false god, and thus an act of idolatrous worship.
The issue of communion, especially on the issue of transubstantiation (the elements being miraculously transformed into Christ) was not agreed upon by all of the Reformers… Luther believed in transubstantiation… Knox and Zwingli and others did not.
But not only was communion a key issue for the Reformation 500 years ago…
But the Cup, not baptism, was the catalyst for the birth of the Free Church from the state churches of Europe in the 19th century.
Sure, baptism was a point of discussion, but it was over communion that started the Free Church movement that eventually led to the creation of our denomination the EFCA
It was the Cup that led families to move to new lands and form new congregations where they could freely and rightly in accordance with Scriptures partake of the bread and wine...
Imagine, leaving your homeland… picking up your roots and planting them elsewhere so you could partake of Communion in a way that honors God...
Most today won’t leave their church over communion even if they know their church neglects it.... or disgraces it
They say they love their church… and the people in it… they couldn’t leave it over something like communion… by the end of this message I pray you’ll understand more why that is a foolish and ignorant thought
Men and women have crossed the ocean in ships over the matter of communion… men and women have been burnt at the stake over the matter of communion...
And today… we shrug our shoulders to it… most won’t cross the street to attend a church that is faithful to the Table....
For often people act as if their holiness and faithfulness is rooted in how faithful they are to their church, rather than to God and to His Word
We are not saved by how loyal we are to our local church or the church we grew up in… we are saved by the work of Christ which is evident in our faith and sanctification… a clear neglect for the sacraments lacks both faith and sanctification.
And on this matter, no one can claim ignorance… for Scripture is clear on it. And there is no lack of availability for reading Scripture or to study Scripture in America.
But we must not be surprised at the amount of ignorance that exists for most… according to a few studies, Barna being one of them, shows that 90% of the people who attend church at least once a month, have yet to read the Bible in its entirety… clearly Biblical illiteracy is rampant among “professing” believers
Often times in mission work, as I have been told by several missionaries… Communion is one of the first things that new believers want to partake in… and not just once… or every 1 to 6 months...
Just as with baptism… in persecuted areas, our brothers and sisters in Christ are willing to go to great lengths and great dangers to practice the sacraments… yet, here in America we see them as bother… as a burden… as archaic… or perhaps even weird.
As I said last week, the church in America acts as if they wished Jesus had said, “Think” this… or “Say” this in remembrance of Me… instead of “Do” this...
A stark contrast to the Puritan’s view of communion… hear the words of Richard Baxter
300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans Christ Nowhere so Close as in the Lord’s Supper
Nowhere is God so near to man as in Jesus Christ, and nowhere is Christ so familiarly represented to us as in this holy sacrament. Here we are called to sit with him at his table, as his invited welcome guests; to commemorate his sacrifice, to feed upon his very flesh and blood; that is, with our mouths upon his representative flesh and blood, and with our applying faith upon his real flesh and blood, by such a feeding as belongs to faith.
So, let’s look at communion a bit closer...
Let’s talk about language for a moment...
Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, the Cup, the bread and wine, the Table… all different ways of speaking about communion.
Forgive me if I don’t stay consistent with my terminology, I may use any of those as my tongue finds easiest to roll out...
Speaking about language we need to understand that we do not simply “take” communion… we “receive” communion… it’s a gift…
Communion, like baptism, is a seal, a sign, a pledge
But for us to understand that, we must know exactly what is communion… what is happening when we receive it?
Let’s begin by talking about one of my favorite things… food, specifically in the context of meals....
Peace with God can be expressed by our meals....
Meals and peace have often been connected throughout history, not just in Scripture… for to eat a meal with a person of significance has always been viewed as a blessing or receiving some form of good favor
It would be one thing to meet the president… but it’s another thing to be invited and to have a meal with the president.
When looking at the beginning of Scripture…
The fate of mankind was determined by either eating with God or without God...
Recall at Genesis 2, and note the role that food has in the instructions God gives Adam and Eve…
In Genesis 2:16-17 (don’t read), we read that they were allowed to eat from any tree, except from one… the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
16 Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”
The plants are there for them to eat!
Being able to eat is a blessing even in Paradise.
And it is through food that the Devil tempted Adam and Eve to sin… thus rejecting the food, or the meal given by God… they fall and bring a curse upon all of humanity and creation.
Then, more significantly we have the Passover Meal of Exodus 12...
Where in Exodus 12:12-13, the shed blood of a lamb upon their doorposts will cause God’s judgement to pass over them...
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
A blood that was shed which led to their redemption… yet, also a blood shed that allowed them to enjoy a meal in peace.
And for the years that followed... God’s people remembered this act of Passover with the Passover meal annually on the day of which it happened. Exodus 12:14… shows us God commanding them to remember this night in this way.
14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.
Yet, once the people are redeemed from Egypt… they find themselves in the wilderness… and complaining… and in Exodus 16, they are complaining about food
In Exodus 16 God tells Moses that He will provide bread, manna for them to eat, and to be satisfied
Teaching them that it is God who is able to satisfy our needs...
Then at Mt. Sinai, in Exodus 19 God makes His presence known there on the mountain…
And God’s holiness prevents anyone who had not yet been sanctified to step on the mountain without God’s holiness breaking out against them
Then later in Exodus 24, at the same mountain, God makes a covenant with His people...
He establishes a covenantal relationship between a sinful nation and His holy-self...
A relationship made possible by the blood of an animal sacrifice...
But you know what happened next?
A meal… Exodus 24:9-11 (read this one)
9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.
Tim Chester calls this - “The epitome of divine grace: a meal in the presence of God.”
Sinful people, who before couldn’t set foot on the mountain, now entered into the presence of God, they saw God, they beheld God, they ate and they drank with God
In 1 Kings 4:20 (Don’t read) one of the descriptors of Solomon’s Kingdom being prosperous and blessed is that Judah and Israel were numerous, and they ate and drank and were happy.
20 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy.
We could continue with more examples in the OT of how God uses meals as signs of blessings and peace, or on the other end… how God uses the lack of meals and food in His presence as curses, especially in the books of the prophets during the time of the exile....
But we do see the prophets speaking of a time to come when the people of God will once again enjoy a meal in His presence, safe, secure, and happy.... consider Isaiah 25:6-8
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. 7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
When we get to the NT the events are more obvious...
Jesus feeds various groups miraculously and gives His “I’m the bread of life” dialogue in John 6, after feeding a group of five thousand, teaching ultimately, that it is He who satisfies our needs...
For a person to eat a meal, is to satisfy a great need… yet a basic need…
We in America, often take food for granted… so much so we eat too much of it or we eat forms of it which are toxic to our body
But to have food to eat is essential for physical life… Christ, by being the bread of life, satisfies our deepest spiritual appetites… He satisfies our deepest hungers as well as our basic needs
For Christ is the Word of God and as Deut. 8.3 says, we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh. Don’t Read
3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
But of course… the one meal that truly matters in the NT, especially in light of our topic today is our Lord’s last meal before the Cross.
For just as in Exodus, when God’s people are commanded to observe Passover for the years to come…
Jesus, the Son of God, 2nd person of the Trinity, commands His disciples to do likewise...
The last supper of Christ becomes for us the Lord’s Supper… Communion as we know it.
Lk 22:14-20 (READ THIS ONE)
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Then n 1 Cor 11:26, we begin seeing the implications of communion.... for here Paul says when we partake of Communion we proclaim the Lord’s death (READ THIS ONE)
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Not simply His death… for when we proclaim the death of Christ, we proclaim the effects of it… the implications… the results… the forgiveness of sins…
Just as the blood of the lamb in Exodus 12 caused the Lord’s judgment of death to passover His people...
Now the blood of the Holy One of Israel, the spotless lamb of Judah, causes the wrath of God to be averted from us to His Son...
Communion not only reminds us of what has happened, but what will happen… the return of Jesus… when He will once again drink of the fruit of the vine, that is wine, which we will drink with Him in His Kingdom when it comes in its fullness.
So, when we speak of Communion as a sign, a seal, and pledge, a promise from God given to us…
When we receive this meal, hosted by Jesus… we are reminded of the New Covenant...
We are reminded of the life and death of Christ that made this fellowship with a holy God possible, in spite of our sins...
And we are reminded of what is to come… a banquet, a feast, to be had when the king returns… Communion is a foretaste of that experience. We look back to look ahead.
The physicality of the bread and wine remind us of the physicality of our salvation and our resurrection.
As quoted last week… Tim Chester states it well by saying, “Baptism involves getting wet with water, and Communion involves ingesting bread and wine because we are people with bodies.”
If we do not desire to be at the Lord’s Table regularly now… what makes us think we will when He returns?
Yet thankfully, it’s not about our feelings… not that our feelings don’t matter… they do… it is in part why we have the sacraments… to help shape our affections.
But how we feel about the bread and wine does not determine their effectiveness or significance… just like with baptism
Communion is a divine act… it is a divine invitation to enjoy fellowship with God… in the context of the church, of the body of Christ.
As we are reminded of who we are b/c of what He has done and promised.... those truths should form our emotions and our outlook… and ultimately our worship
So, if we are unable to look back at our baptism, or if we have stumbled since our baptism, we don’t get re-baptized… we, in faith, come to His Table and receive the fellowship there with Him once again… and as we eat and drink with Him we remind ourselves of the Gospel...
For what does the Gospel taste like? Bread and Red Wine...
The elements of Communion, are just like the water of baptism. Simply, bread and wine… they don’t become the actual flesh and blood of Christ… they don’t carry any divine value within themselves...
As it has been said once before - “If the bread became Jesus Christ’s actual body, it would stop being a sign or sacrament, for it would be reality itself.”
But… within the right context they do carry value… value that is imparted upon them based on context...
This is Paul’s argument in 1 Cor 8-11 when he speaks about food offered to idols… it’s just meat… but the context of which a person finds themselves in matters...
With bread and wine, it’s just that...
When the body of Christ comes together...
When we gather to remind ourselves of the ratification of the New Covenant made possible by God Himself…
The bread and the wine are special… for what they represent, for what they point to, for what they remind us of...
So, when we struggle through the week dealing with temptations, rejections, loneliness, and we consider the promises of God…
Not only do we recall the promises we have read or heard… but we recall the Gospel we have tasted… and it tastes like wine. A gift from above to nourish the body of Christ as we eagerly anticipate His return.
Now, I hope you see more clearly the theology behind communion as presented in Scripture and how and why it’s a gift to us....
Let's now deal with some practical implications of all of this…
Let me deal with the frequency issue… how often then should a church do communion?
Viewing communion as a gift and a reminder of the Gospel, why wouldn’t we want to do it at least as often as we gathered as a church body?
We ought to look more like the people of God and not people of the world as we mature and grow in holiness...
And by ordering our worship services where His Table is a priority is good way of doing that.... and by prioritizing the Table we do not diminish the pulpit… both are necessary and one exalts the other.
For what is set upon His Table is His Word… for the substance of the elements is the proclaimed Word of Christ… without His Word all we eat is bread and juice…
Now, before we went weekly here at Hope many shared the fear that communion would become mundane… a common objection by those who practice it less frequently…
Well, that fear is the same if you do it once a week, once a month, or once a year. I struggle with it more when it’s less often b/c by doing it less often it seems less important… and more like an “add-on”
We still preach weekly, sing weekly, and we receive offerings weekly. Shouldn’t we ought to receive physical reminders of His grace as well weekly?
And it’s on me and the elders to ensure that our practice doesn’t become hollow. Just like I do my best to not let my preaching become hollow. Or whoever is leading worship not to let the singing become mindless echos.
Who may partake of the Supper?
We practice open communion here at Hope.
Meaning any self-professed believer not walking in unrepentant sin towards God or others may partake.
I would never want to restrict the table of fellowship from a brother or sister in Christ, unless it is an act of discipline for correction and training in righteousness, while protecting the witness of Christ.
In regard to baptism, some churches require those who partake of communion to baptized. Others could care less, which I think is careless.
For as the message highlighted last week, the command to be baptized is clear and a willful desire to not be baptized is an act of willful unrepentant sin.
Here at Hope, if a person desires to be baptized, but opportunity to be baptized is not available, then the person in accordance to their conscience may partake.
I do think though, when it comes to children… the best practice is to have them abstain from communion until they are baptized… regardless of the desire.
The waiting is good for them… it teaches them sacredness… it teaches them the Table is not just something to do… not simply juice and crackers... but it is precious… and sometimes we must wait for precious things…
My two sons who are baptized, Isaac and Evan both waited… though both desperately desired to partake… yet, in the midst of their waiting, communion became a carrot so to speak… if their behavior was unbecoming of a believer… I would remind them of who they claim to be and how they ought to act… therefore, if they begin to blaspheme the witness of Christ in their lives, I would warn them they would not be able to partake of communion...
For partaking of communion publicly, while willfully engaging in unrepentant sin, slanders the faith of Christ… which you do when you willfully and unremorsefully serve sin...
This is why in church discipline restricting the Table can be of value… it is and ought to motivate us to holy living… for it represents fellowship, communion with Christ. And those who willfully engage in idolatrous and sinful behavior will not enter into His fellowship when He returns… so why allow them into it now?
Just as baptism is the church’s act of affirming one’s faith and entrance into the New Covenant… the Lord’s Supper is the church re-affirming that truth… both, baptism and communion serve as one of the ways of which the church both rejoices and affirms one another’s salvation.
As such Paul tells us in 1 Cor 11:27 that we are to examine ourselves first before we eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (READ THIS ONE)
27 For this reason, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
One’s soul must be right… not just with God… but in the context of 1 Cor 11, with the body of Christ… animosity and favoritism disqualifies a person from partaking… the Lord’s Supper is an act of unity among the believers… it is not some individualistic practice… but a communal act… a communal proclamation of Christ’s death
How can we faithfully proclaim His death if we still live as those enslaved to sin?
Or as those who are not one in Christ?
Therefore, we are to examine ourselves beforehand…
Parents this is a good litmus test for your children… if your child is unable to understand that question and answer it… he/she should definitely abstain...
Anyone who cannot understand that command ought to abstain… we must not enter into an act of worship that has been commanded and instructed on from God recklessly.
Who may administer Communion?
Some believe communion may only happen in the presence of an ordained priest… especially if they hold to the belief that the elements literally transform into the flesh and blood of Christ, as in the case of Roman Catholics
I think any believer, with right wisdom and understanding of the sacrament, can do so… recognizing the responsibility of the task, and the judgment that awaits for abusing or misusing it.
But it ought to be done in community, not at home alone. For there is no proclamation of the Lord’s death if no one is there to hear or see the proclamation. Part of the value of communion is the witness and affirmation of the church.
Just as baptism serves to assure us of our salvation so does the partaking of communion.
Life Groups could do it. The leaders are approved by Elders and we do not take that role lightly.
Communion can be done at weddings of the faithful… and I encourage it. What a better time than for a believing couple who have just become one flesh, to partake of the Lord’s Supper, as the body of Christ not only witnesses to their union to one another… but their union as one with Christ.
How must it be administer?
Can you mix the elements (Intinction)?
I used to be open to this… but now I see the mixing of the elements as a way of devaluing each of the elements…
It is important to keep the elements separate for they represent two different things… and ought not to be mixed… nor does Scripture give us an example of them ever being mixed.
The practice wreaks of paganism and novelty
Can it be done virtually?
Depends… can everyone see everyone? Just as if they were gathered together in person? If so, sure. If not, no.
Communion, just like baptism, being a sign, a seal, a pledge, of the redemptive work of Christ in our lives, as affirmed by the gathered assembly of the local church, requires witnesses and church authority (elder authority)
If it is done virtually, in a manner in keeping with this practice… the elements must not be whatever… I have seen some churches suggest Skittles and Orange Juice works… or a bread and whatever “hard stuff” you have in the cabinet.
Do we Approach the table or pass the elements?
Either way… logistics may play into this...
I prefer coming to the Table or Tables (if there is more than one)…
But we must be sure not to treat communion like a drive-thru… as if everyone is doing this on their own… independent from each other… be mindful of those in front of you… behind you… so forth...
Must the same Scripture passage be read?
No. That’s not commanded.
As long as the Gospel is proclaimed and then connected with the elements.
Now, for the hot button question… wine or juice?
A question I wrestle with regularly...
To be clear, using juice is not a sin, nor is using wine. Using juice is okay.
I understand the sensitivities surrounding the use of alcohol. But let us look at how the church has handled this historically then we will look at Scripture.
For the first 1800 years it has always been wine. Watered down wine at times and certain places. But always wine.
Not until the 19th century, when Dr. Thomas Welch a Methodist minister who saw the practice of communion as hypocritical of Methodists. For at the time, Methodists strongly opposed alcohol consumption in any form.
Therefore, out of a need to continue to abstain from alcohol and yet partake of communion, Dr. Welch invented the process that allows grapes to become juice… for left in their natural state they produce wine, not juice.
This switch is rooted in the idea that consuming alcohol is sinful, which is far from the truth of Scripture on the matter. Consuming alcohol is no more sinful than consuming food or consummating a marriage.
But willful excessive consumption of alcohol that leads to drunkeness is… just as willfully consuming excessive food is gluttonous… or willfully engaging in sexual acts outside the marriage covenant is immoral.
The common practice in regard to communion outside of America among faithful churches is wine, not juice. Now, we could argue context matters… and I agree in part. Wisdom and discernment must be used, but it must be measured, and we ought not to be so quick to give up what is meant to be a blessing.
The argument for juice is often rooted in love for neighbor.
Here are some thoughts against that...
To say that juice is better… that is more “loving”...
Is to tell an all-knowing, all-loving, all-perfect and wise God… who knows our depravity better than we do… that we know a better way of doing it…
God has given us wine for a reason… not juice.
If alcohol was to be a concern… God could have ordained any other beverage… why not water? We’re baptized in water, why not drink it as well?
It doesn’t matter why not… God has ordained the fruit of the vine as the drink.
Also, when we say we choose juice over wine out of love for neighbor… where was the love for the alcoholics in the 1st century? 10th? And so on?
Granted, alcoholism is pretty bad in our society, but just b/c a society perverts something good of God does not mean we do a way with it entirely.
Think of our brothers or sisters who struggle with their diets and health? Do we restrict our potlucks or refreshments from all things sweet and tasty? Where’s the balance?
Or most significantly, and more seriously in our day.
Think about the brother or sister who struggles or struggled with sex addiction or pornography and then gets married.
Do we expect that marriage to be permanently sexless?
Or do we encourage a healthy appetite and healthy practice of sex within that context? Which at times may require abstaining from sexual gratification.
So, why not help our brother or sister practice a healthy engagement with wine in the right context? Which at times may require abstaining from the Table.
Besides, the amount of alcohol in one of these small cups is less than the amount of alcohol in a serving of cough syrup… wine today is already watered down wine compared to the wine of the Israelites of the 1st century.
But in case there is any confusion on how Scripture does handle wine... let’s look at Scripture’s view of it...
Brad Whittington in his book, What Would Jesus Drink, identified 247 references to alcohol. 40 of those are negative and speak to the dangers of drunkeness. 145 are positive… in fact, in these references wine is used as a blessing, a gift from God, and an element to be used in worship. 62 of them are neutral and are in reference to vows, accusations, and the such. For an example, the accusation made by the Pharisees that Jesus Himself drank too much of it..
You can find various other lists with slightly different numbers.... but the result is always the same.
Scripture is clear. Wine is a blessing. It’s a gift. It’s what the Gospel tastes like.
When we drink juice, it is not what we will drink when He returns.
It’s not like Jesus will set the table, raise the cup, and thank Dr. Welch for improving on His sovereign plan.
We will drink wine.
So, if you want to be reminded of what awaits us… it ought to be wine, for it won’t be juice we drink with Him, it will be wine.
Of course, it won’t be the same wine… nor will it be the same bread… but we get as close as we are able.
All this being said, I would not want to force anyone from not partaking of the Lord’s Supper b/c of it… I think offering mostly wine with some juice options is a fine compromise for our age.
Nor do I think offering only juice is a sin… it’s a fine option.
But I wonder and wrestle… is that the best option? Is there a discipleship opportunity, an opportunity to restore one’s walk with God in the truths of the Gospel to enjoy the blessings of the Gospel… which include consuming the elements of bread and wine?
Don’t worry… today, it’s still juice…
I hope calling it juice does not offend… on one Sunday awhile ago it did… the person, who was against using wine, said calling it “juice” made it sound childish…
But if we stick with juice let’s know why, let’s own it, call it what it is and not be ashamed of it with a clear conscience before God… so that we may honor Him with it… otherwise, we ought to switch to wine.
In regard to the bread… why not the same attention to what kind of bread as to the wine?
Well, in part b/c the early church had variety in their bread… but not in their drink. The Cup has always been the common denominator. Certainly, the kind of wine probably varied… but it was still wine, of varying intensity.
However, admittedly, this week, I have been struck with how feeble the cracker is… or the wafer… yes, Communion points us to what has been and what is to come… but if Communion is what shapes our worship why do we not give it more substance, more weight?
Crackers are cost effective… but this is communion… wouldn’t it be better to spend money on communion, than on musical instruments, lighting, computer software and so forth?
Going forward, I think I will look into other options to help up our bread game… the bread will remain gluten free… but I think it would be nice if we could offer something more than a cracker… I mean, is cracker even really bread?
Another thought, and this hasn’t been discussed with anyone else… so this is just an idea in my head and it may never see the light of day in actually being practiced...
But some, not all, but some in the early church as they gathered on the Lord’s Day… the Communion was taken as part of their fellowship meal… maybe on the weeks we have our fellowship meals we do communion… so if you want to partake in communion… you must also partake in fellowship with the body… which is very much a key point of communion.... highlighting the unity we have in Christ… this is the very context of 1 Cor 11…
Just a thought… something for the elder board to wrestle with at the next elder meeting…
In Summary
In Summary
We say we are a church rooted in the Word… and the Gospel at our center...
Then a regular and rightful practice and observance of the sacraments ought to be a natural expression of that reality
We must understand that as much as the significance of the elements lies outside of us and rests in God… so to does the Gospel
The Gospel is not something that is dependent on how we feel or how we are “moved”…
The Gospel and its significance and work is found solely in God… not in ourselves… not beyond the indwelling of the Holy Spirit… that is the only part of the Gospel that exists within… and we can expect certain things to occur b/c of that reality...
But we must understand that as we are sanctified… as we struggle against the powers and principalities of this world…
We will doubt… we will fail, we will experience sadness, remorse, depression perhaps, anxiety...
Thus our need to regularly practice and rightfully understand the promises that are found in the sacraments of baptism and communion… and the need to be reminded of these promises… and to taste them… to taste the bread… and the wine… and by doing so a 3-way conversation happens...
God says, “I have saved you by uniting you with Christ and His people”
Thus reminding us of the glorious future that lies ahead and the imperishable inheritance that awaits those who live in holiness in accordance to His will
The Church corporately says, “We are united in Christ and committed to one another as one body”
Thus reminding us to care for one another as we care for own physical bodies, for each of us belongs to the other as we all belong to Christ.
The individual says, “I am committed to Christ and His people.”
A personal reminder for us as we are served communion, that we are to serve the church… and we are to live a life of obedience, in line with our baptismal confession… reminding ourselves we no longer live, but Christ who lives in us… thus we are to be men and women with godly character...
Godly character responds to life in godly ways.
And godly character is formed by repeated acts of sanctification rooted in…
Holy thinking
Righteous choices
Godly actions
Observing baptism, and communion regularly, helps us in this endeavor
Let’s Pray