We are excited this week to serve communion at our Bible Study. Starting this week, every second Sunday of the month, we will be joined by some of the elders from Westtown and enjoy the Lord’s Supper together. We are grateful to Zen Glass studios for accepting a commission to create our first set of tableware. As we grow, local artisans will add their own flavor to our chalices and plates.
As we move towards the table this week I wanted to mention just a few things about communion. The first thing is about our beliefs about this sacrament. The Lord’s Supper, which is also called Communion or the Lord’s Table is a sacrament (along with baptism). When we say that it is a sacrament, we mean that it is a unique part of church that is instituted by Jesus and joins the physical and the spiritual in a special way. When we take communion, those of us who are believers a spiritually nourished by the grace of Jesus. The bread is just bread. The cup is just grape juice (more on that later). But when joined by faith, these common elements become holy and a means of the Holy Spirit changing us. Communion looks back at what Jesus did for us on the cross as we remember His body and blood being torn and shed for us. But communion also looks forward to the marriage feast of the Lamb, where we will join Jesus at the beginning of the New Heavens and the New Earth. Lastly, communion binds us together with one another. When we eat the Lord’s supper, we confess that we are equally in need of the grace of Jesus. No one stands apart from this need and so we are bound by sharring the bread and juice together. This holy moment is for those who are placing their trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins; and St. Paul even warns us not to participate if we do not have faith in Christ.
The second set of things I wanted to mention are a bit more practical. For now, we will be using bread and non-alcoholic grape juice. As we grow, we will be adding gluten free and wine options. When we celebrate communion at city church we will celebrate by coming forward, tearing a piece of bread off of the loaf and dipping it in the cup. As we do this we see a vivid picture of the blood soaked body of Jesus that gained for us forgiveness and acceptance with God. Last, I would like to add a word to our parents. Since communion is for those who have placed their faith in Christ, we will not be serving it to young children. This does not mean that they have no place at the table though! As you come up to receive communion, bring your children with you. As you come up, I will take just a moment to pray with each of our children as we look forward to the day where they grow up into the faith that we anticipate from their baptism. The kids will be brought back in from the children’s lesson, just after the lesson and before communion.
