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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780687498369 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Abingdon Press |
| Publication date: | 03/01/2006 |
| Series: | Just in Time! (Abingdon Press) |
| Pages: | 99 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.52(w) x 8.52(h) x 0.33(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Communion Services
Just in Time
By Robin Knowles Wallace
Abingdon Press
Copyright © 2006 Abingdon PressAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-687-49836-9
CHAPTER 1
About Communion
Whether you think of it as a sacrament or an ordinance, Communion is an essential part of the life of the worshiping community, given by Jesus to his followers at the Last Supper. Along with Baptism, Communion is one of the marks of Christianity, part of what defines us as Christian and draws us together as church. The Scriptures that record Jesus' words around the bread and cup are often called the Words of Institution, found in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, and Luke 22:14-20.
Churches that call Communion a sacrament mean that they understand it as a means or channel for God's grace to come to us, particularly as Jesus Christ is made present spiritually with us in the service. Churches that call Communion an ordinance mean that they understand it as something Jesus commanded us to do when he said "Do this in remembrance of me."
Communion has several names: Holy Communion, Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, and Breaking of the Bread. Breaking of the Bread is the term used in the Acts of the Apostles as a reminder of the early church and their incorporation of this holy meal on a weekly basis. The Lord's Supper reminds us that this is Christ's table, instituted by him for our sake, a gift through Jesus for all times. Eucharist may seem more formal, but it comes from the Greek word for giving thanks, and reminds us of all the blessings God has given us. Holy Communion reminds us that we commune both with God and with one another at the table, drawing forgiveness and strength from God, and becoming one body with other Christians to go forth in ministry.
Whatever you call it, and whether you see it as sacrament or ordinance, Communion has several essentials. In prayer, we thank God for all the good things given to us and for God's faithfulness in keeping promises. We remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is present to bring us into the presence of God and to help us remember Jesus. The congregation is invited to the table, and to fellowship with both God and each other. Bread and wine or juice are the elements that we use to remember Jesus. Communion works in us to strengthen us for Christian living. It is a reminder to us that we are baptized, forgiven, and called to live new lives in Christ. These essentials of Communion historically include four actions:
Taking the elements: also called the Offertory
Blessing the elements: called the Great Thanksgiving, Communion Prayer, or Prayer of Consecration
Breaking the bread: called the Fraction
Giving the elements: called the Distribution
The Communion Elements
Bread and drink are the traditional elements of Communion. Christians follow the Jewish tradition of understanding that God can use simple, everyday things to remind us of God's promise and presence. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) tell us that Jesus' last meal with his disciples before his death was the Passover meal, celebrating the Hebrew people's exodus from oppression and slavery into the Promised Land. Bread and wine were part of that Passover meal, but Jesus gave them new meaning when he said that the bread was his body broken for us, and that the wine was his blood given for the forgiveness of our sins. The Gospel of John suggests that Jesus was crucified on the day when the lambs were slaughtered for the Passover meal (John 19:31), so the Last Supper would have been before the traditional Passover meal (John 13:1). But John's Gospel also has an important chapter with the sayings about Jesus as the bread of life (John 6:22-59), which helps us understand more deeply what Jesus says in the other Gospels about the bread and his body.
History of Communion Elements
We know from the Acts of the Apostles that the early church celebrated Communion as part of a larger fellowship meal. Early manuscripts giving directions for Communion mention the giving of bread and drinking from the cup, sometimes three in number: water to remember our washing in Baptism, milk and honey to remember the Promised Land, and wine as a remembrance of Jesus' blood and the new covenant. These early manuscripts also contain blessings for other foods such as olives and cheese, which would be shared with the poor.
Within the first four centuries of the church, however, Communion focused on bread and drink solely. As theology began to focus on how the bread and drink became the actual body and blood of Christ, the elements themselves came to be seen as more holy. This holiness was reflected by changes from daily bread to wafers that would not leave crumbs, and to withholding the cup from the congregation, so that no parts of the body and blood of Christ would be spilled.
Bread
Both leavened and unleavened bread have been used throughout history. Unleavened bread has been used to remind us that the God of Jesus is the God of the Passover and that we are freed from our slavery to sin. Leavened bread reminds us of everyday bread and of Jesus' parable that the kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman uses to bake bread (Luke 13:20-21). The catacomb drawings of early Communion services depict very large loaves that appear to be leavened bread. In the Middle Ages, as mentioned above, wafers became popular. Wafers are still used in many churches, in part because they are easily accessible and long lasting; for some people they represent this holy meal as they experienced it growing up.
Many churches are now going back to using everyday bread—unsliced leavened loaves. These loaves may be then broken, reminding us of Christ's sacrifice for us, after the Communion prayer. Whole loaves may then be broken into as many pieces as there are servers for intinction (see below) or into as many pieces needed to provide bread within reach of persons kneeling around the altar rail. In the past, the bread was sometimes cut into cubes, but these dry out quickly.
There are books and Web sites that have recipes for Communion bread. It is particularly nice to have someone in the congregation bake the bread for Communion, connecting the congregation and the meal more closely. Having a Sunday school class or youth group bake the bread at the church that morning adds the good smell of baking bread to the church building; but it is also appropriate to use various types of purchased, leavened white and wheat bread, particularly unsliced. Loaves may be round or oblong. Pita bread is also an acceptable option, as it is the common bread of the Middle East, the land of Jesus' birth. Real bread does make crumbs, but life is messy; yet God, through Jesus, is with us in it all.
When considering bread for Communion, do avoid nuts or seeds as they can choke or contain allergens. But simple, mild flavors can be used to vary the bread—dark bread for Lent, slightly sweetened bread for Advent or Easter, mild herbs in summer.
The Cup of Wine or Juice
Wine was the drink of festive and holy meals in Jesus' time and thus the natural drink of the Lord's Supper. Some wines of that time needed to have water added to be drinkable; this was later interpreted by Christians as the water and blood that flowed from Jesus' side when the soldier pierced it during the crucifixion (John 19:34). Because of its association with the blood of Christ, wine served during Communion has traditionally been red.
Like bread, wine was given in smaller and smaller amounts as history progressed; until in the Middle Ages congregations received just the bread, with only the priest also taking wine. The church of that time developed a theological understanding that both Jesus' body and blood were present in each element alone, so taking only the bread was considered sufficient. One of the important tenets of the Reformation was the restoration of the cup to the laity during Communion.
In the 1800s here in the United States, the Temperance movement led to concern for alcoholics, and the new process of pasteurization was applied to wine beginning in 1869, so that grape juice might be an alternative for Communion. For denominations that were very involved in the Temperance movement, grape juice became the standard at Communion.
Today many churches still use grape juice so there is no hesitation about recovering alcoholics and children participating in Communion. Some churches use only wine. Others provide both wine and grape juice, sometimes in different chalices, telling the congregation which is which. Churches that use both wine and grape juice in individual glasses may use red grape juice and white wine so that persons may distinguish between the two. With the development of sparkling juices, many churches find this a good compromise: it is still juice so all can partake; yet the sparkling bubbles give it a sense of celebration.
Allergies and Sensitive Immune Systems
Be aware that persons in your congregation may have allergies to wheat, eggs, or grape juice. It is not difficult to avoid foods to which persons are allergic or to substitute something similar. Be open and observant when persons consistently do not take one of the elements, and pay attention to discussion of children's allergies. Then, with pastoral care, quietly work to meet the need so that all persons feel welcome to the table to eat and drink.
What to Do with Leftover Elements
There are several possible ways to handle elements that are left over after all have received. The first is to use what was already blessed in the service as the elements to be used to "extend the table" to shut-ins, those hospitalized, and those who had to miss worship due to work schedules, sick children, or other reasons. This is an important ministry of the church and may be carried out by the pastor, deacon, or trained lay members.
Second is to offer the leftover bread to be reverently consumed by members of the congregation in the narthex after worship. Children can be taught what "reverently consumed" looks and acts like, and this can be a special time.
Third is to return the elements to the earth, following the Scripture in 2 Samuel 23:16, where water is poured on the ground as an act of worship. This is usually done by "watering" a plant or bush outside the church with any leftover juice or wine, and by breaking up the bread to feed the birds.
The Communion Vessels
As told in the Acts of the Apostles, Communion was part of a larger fellowship meal in the early church, just as it was at the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. The vessels used would have been those used by a normal family for special meals, or as we might say today, the "good china." This meant in early times, cups made of glass and woven baskets. After Constantine became Christian in the fourth century, vessels for Communion gradually became more ornate—gold and silver, with precious stones sometimes imbedded in them. When the Reformation took hold in the 1500s, some groups returned to everyday household items, including wooden plates and cups, in an attempt to be more like the early church.
Today, all types of materials are used for Communion vessels. The use of special metals, such as gold and silver, remind us that this is a holy feast where we want to use our best to honor God. The use of ceramics, especially earthenware, reminds us that God is the creator of heaven and earth, and that the elements of bread and wine grow out of the earth. The use of glass enables the congregation to see the wine and gives a celebrative sparkle to the table.
The Paten
The plate that holds the bread for Communion is called the paten. It may be large enough to hold a single loaf of bread that will feed all present or smaller to hold wafers. When Communion is served around an altar rail, there may be a number of smaller patens to hold bits of bread or wafers within reach of several persons. It is also appropriate to have the bread in a basket, as may be seen in the many catacomb drawings of Communion in the early church.
Communion Linens
When the bread is put on the altar table before the service, a white linen cloth, about the size of a large dinner napkin, may cover it. This cloth is removed before beginning the Great Thanksgiving or Communion prayer. When serving by intinction (see below) there should be as many linen cloths available as there are servers, so that they may each hold the bread with a cloth.
In churches where Communion is celebrated infrequently, it is traditional to change the altar cloths to white. Now that many Protestant churches are celebrating Communion more frequently, it is common to keep the color of the season on the altar table and add a smaller white linen cloth over that color.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Communion Services by Robin Knowles Wallace. Copyright © 2006 Abingdon Press. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
How to Use This Book,Chapter One: About Communion,
The Communion Elements,
The Communion Vessels,
Methods of Offering Communion,
Chapter Two: Communion Services for Holy Days and Seasons in the Liturgical/Church Year,
Advent,
Christmas,
New Year's,
Epiphany,
Baptism of the Lord,
Transfiguration,
Ash Wednesday and Lent,
Palm/Passion Sunday,
Holy (or Maundy) Thursday,
Easter,
Pentecost,
Trinity Sunday,
World Communion Sunday,
All Saints Day,
Thanksgiving or General Use,
General or Ordinary Time,
Chapter Three: Communion Prayers for Specific Events in the Life of Churches and Individuals,
Confirmation,
Commitment or Commissioning,
Resources for Retreat or Camp Setting,
In Hospitals, Hospice, with Shut-ins, at Times of Crisis,
Earth Day,
Children and Youth,
Weddings,
Death and Resurrection,
Chapter Four: Additional Resources,
General Information on Communion,
Bread,
Juice,
Leftover Elements,
Communion Vessels,
Additional Worship Resources,