Does Our Communion Table Need Work?
Today’s post is written by Elizabeth Sands Wise:
Jon Stock, author of Inhabiting the Church, writes: “If we are going to resist the popularized version of Eucharist as some sort of ‘magic’ transaction between the individual and God, then we are going to have to allow our imaginations to be inspired by the ways that stability and hospitality must be tied to our Eucharistic practices” (109). This thought raises two questions: Can we work through what takes place at communion together? What is stability and hospitality going to look like for our community?
Maybe other Christians (in particular “low-church” Protestants, since that’s my background) are content with the way communion is practiced in the life of their congregations. Maybe they have great community. But my church moved communion from Easter Sunday (the 1st Sunday of the month this year, which is when we always do communion) to the following week because there was just too much going on during the Easter service. Too much going on to squeeze in a little bit of Eucharist. Let me say clearly that none of the intentions here are bad ones, and I respect staff who had to make tough calls on this matter, but what this does to community has me a bit concerned. (Then again, at this church, for the last six months, we’ve practiced “flumunion” because of flu season, which meant our Communion elements came to us in shrink-wrapped, foil-capped containers, similar to taking DayQuil caplets and just as hard to open. Again, good intentions—nobody wants the flu—but disconcerting nonetheless.)
So my church’s communion table, needless to say, could use a little bit of work. How about yours?
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Elizabeth just recently started a blog called Texas Schmexas. Elizabeth previously wrote a poem for The Everyday Journal 2.1, “A Simple Prayer.”
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I’m a United Methodist pastor, and I’m a little bit horrified that there are no regulations in my church to say how often we should hold communion. I can literally have it as often or as little as I want; currently we do once a month because that is all I feel I can get away with.
If we believed what John Wesley did about the Eucharist, we would have it every Sunday (and then some!).
To me, one of the horrors of “contemporary” worship in many places is that there is no sacramental practice at all. Anything remotely “traditional” is to be left in the ditch, so to speak. Church simply is not present without the Word and the Sacraments, though. It makes me wonder how many of us are simply playing at Church…including myself.
Pastor Mack, I appreciate your thoughts. I can tell you that it is a joy to attend and serve at a church that practices both contemporary worship and weekly Eucharist as the heartbeat of our worship. A tension still exists for some with liturgy and sacraments, but once it becomes the center of your worship the tensions fade. I pray you are given the grace to know how to lead your congregation into the desire for more communion amongst your flock.