Virtually Paul
In this Communion
March 23, 2007 on 11:12 pm | In Church, Faith, Theology |On Wednesday night I had the rare privilege of being invited to a church service. Furthermore, I had the privilege of being invited to a church service to play the guitar - but didn’t actually end up playing it.
It was the new fortnightly Wednesday night gathering at West Preston Baptist Church. Mark, the pastor, had set it up around the communion table. There were only about six of us there and the content of the service was almost entirely responsive readings and prayer. Thanks to Ridley, I’ve developed a healthy appreciation for such things.
What I liked about it was its simplicity. Mark spoke to us briefly about how the communion table can be inappropriately sidelined, particularly by western protestant churches. I see his point. So often, communion is a tack-on to a church service where the sermon is a highlight. Sometimes I think the time is used in church services to allow people to reflect on the speaker and how that person’s words have impacted their emotions - rather than being a meal that symbolically enters us into a spiritual connectedness with our God. In the process, I think communion can become ritualistic.
The contrast on Wednesday night was marvellous. There were no little pansy 15mm squares of bread to place on your tongue and swallow whole. Similarly we had glasses of grapejuice (wine) that had a bit of volume to them, instead of those little ones that you could possibly use to give a child a dose of demazin.
The effect wasn’t lost on me. John 6:53-57 …
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.
If I was reading that for the first time, without a fair idea of the whole picture in the book of John, those metaphors would be extremely confusing… so if that’s you, don’t stress. It certainly hit me in a new way. As my jaw moved, tearing away at the big chunk of bread roll and as I gulped down the large cup of grapejuice, it actually required some physical effort. I couldn’t just slide communion down my throat. And in those moments I reflected on Jesus’ actions on the cross in a new way.
I came away from the service feeling refreshed. I felt like I’d been part of something alive and real. I didn’t feel the emptiness that comes with a stage-produced church service. I felt more like we were cutting to the chase. No one cared that I didn’t have the music for the one song we could have sung. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t about that.
I long for the day when I’m part of a community that is willing to put “what we do” aside and, instead, asks “why are we here?” When worship - when church - is just another churchy song, why do I feel so disconnected from it on the inside? Where’s God?
Have you experienced anything like this?
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I also think that communion needs to be a much more central to our worship. I am often frustrated by the churchy songs people seem to so regularly choose. I much prefer a good hymn that actually says something significant about God and that I can actually worship Him by singing. For example, at Church on Sunday there was a total of 1 song I felt I could really worship to. There were two that I really hated (Come, now is the time and I could sing of your love for ever) as they basically were self-focused rather than God focused.
Anyway, it is great that Communion was being taken seriously at the church you went to, and although our church only does it once a month (which really bugs me) I hope to bring it a bit more significance in the future.
Lance
Comment by Danger — March 26, 2007 #
I wholeheartedly agree. Communion has rarely held much significance for me, and seemed to be a time to either feel blank, feel overly emotional because i was so introspective or just look around at everyone else. One thing my mum likes to comment on is that in baptist churches, or for that matter any church with a ’stage’ mentality, the focus is on the singers/musicians and not on Jesus, or a communion table or cross or the like. I tend to agree, perhaps because i have large objections to the concept of worship in evangelical churches, but i can see how it so easily leads people to forget what they’re worshipping. As much as I prefer the experience of communion as you described Paul, I still see the act of real communion as actually having a meal with others and sharing over it. Afterall this was Jesus’ way of communion.
Comment by Ruth — April 4, 2007 #
I agree with both Ruth and Lance. I was talking to someone at church on Sunday who said that he feels that for his entire life (and I’m sure for a lot longer than that), the church has been getting communion wrong. Jesus told people to “do this in rememberance of me” and what was Jesus talking about - not just what we know as “communion”, but thanksgiving to God, shared with believers over a meal. This guy from church (and I’m inclined to agree) thinks that we should have regular meals of thanksgiving together as a church and this should be the basis and format for partaking in communion - not the eating of a little biscuit and a tiny cup of grapejuice (or apple blackcurrent at our church) and focusing on a cross, a table, some people up the front, not an extreme time of focus on our sins - but an act of thanksgiving to God (which begins with ensuring that we’re right with God first).
Comment by Emily — April 4, 2007 #
Obviously we’re all assuming that it’s still OK to take communion in a church service the way it’s done now. It might not suit everyone but at least it caters for those who are still young in their faith and will be able to at least be introduced to communion in this setting.
According to the church history lectures I attended last year, in early church days, you had to go through three years of training before you were allowed to be a part of communion when the church gathered together in someone’s home. The lecturer suggested that this functioned as a way to protect the meaning behind the ritual from being dilluted by the participation of a majority who didn’t fully understand it.
I wonder how those two concepts go together?
Another theme that’s emerging is that, at least for a cynical few of us, the ‘church band’ worship music is wearing a bit thin and more often than not, gets in the way.
Taking the idea about a group having a meal one step further, I think you could even stretch Jesus’ example of communion towards communion as a small group.
There is something highly appealing about the idea of sharing a meal with a group of close brothers and sisters in the faith with whom you share a close bond, then, humbling yourselves before God as you gather together around the Lord’s table, you take communion and pray for each other.
Does it make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
Comment by Paul — April 4, 2007 #
As you painted the picture of a small group sharing a meal i remembered the Passover meal that i organised for small group 2 years ago that i recall being thoroughly enjoyed by everyone- perhaps this had something to do with the fact that it was friends partaking in a thanksgiving meal together. Also what often seemed to me to be the most livliest and meaningful part of Sundays to people at Essendon (at least the youngish crowd) was the lunch afterwards! Its because it actually gives people a chance to catch up with each other; to encourage each other and build each other up. As a general rule, most people enjoy going out for a meal with others becos we’re social beings, taking this into the Christian context and theology only seems obvious and has been done for years. However actually using it in place of what we know as communion is where it raises eyebrows. In terms of the example of the early church…i’m not sure its legitimate to keep people doing something the ‘wrong way’ purely bc they’re ‘young in their faith’- surely it just creates more confusion down the track when they’re told that they’ve been misled. The issue of church bands…as a non-musical (in terms of playing) person this has never been an exciting part of church for me, and to be honest, was one of the contributing factors to me leaving Essendon, as i felt it was so important to most ppl that ir took up everyones time and energy, leaving me out of ‘the loop’, and others with no time to do more important things ie. support and encourage each other, get involved in things outside the church. Anyway thats enough from me today. Next topic…!
Comment by Ruth — April 5, 2007 #