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Have you ever wondered why we do what we do during worship? What’s up with the passing the peace? Why do we have a community confession? What exactly are we saying when we profess the creed? Maybe you’ve wondered if there’s more to the offering besides collecting gifts for the church. If you’ve been asking, if you’ve been curious, if you’ve been wondering, this is the blog series for you! Now here’s my super short caveat:
1. These posts are based on the book of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), on my understanding of our tradition as Lutherans, and the ways scripture has influenced our practices. 2. And worship is super contextual. That means that every context may have different practices for their worship time, different understandings of the whys behind what happens. And that’s okay! 3. Also, even if you worship in the same context I do, your understanding or feeling might be different. And that’s okay too! So here is part 5 of Ask the Pastor – Worship Stuff: Communion What is “Communion”? I’ll be getting into the very Lutheran question of “What does this mean?” down below, but if the question is literally, “what is this thing you do?” hopefully I can shed some light. During worship, in our context usually near the end of our time together, the pastor (me) says the Words of Institution. We echo Jesus’s words at the Last Supper with his disciples and Paul’s words from Corinthians. We often pray the Lord’s Prayer together. The pastor gives instructions, and the ushers help direct people towards the altar. In our context, right now with the pandemic, at the start of worship when you enter the church those gathered are able to pick up their elements (fancy word for wine/juice and wafer) to bring with them into the sanctuary. If you're worshiping with us from home we invite you to gather some bread and wine/juice for yourself before you join for worship. During the time of communion, we remain in our seats and the pastor (me) says to the entire congregation, "this is the Body of Christ, given for you" and "this is the Blood of Christ, shed for you" as we receive our wine/juice and wafer in our seats. What does this mean? This is a great question! And I’m so glad you’re asking it. Please don’t hate me for saying: There’s an app for that! I do recommend reading Luther’s Small Catechism. If you prefer not to purchase a copy or download a free app, it’s available in other forms online. I also have multiple copies in my office and I’m happy to share. I refer to Luther’s Small Catechism because I think it has the best and most easily understandable the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, and the sacraments like Baptism and Communion (also known as the Sacrament at the altar). Also I had to memorize the Small Catechism in seminary, so I’m particularly attached to it. So here is a quick summary. In our tradition, we believe that the bread and the wine at communion are the true body and blood of Jesus. Jesus himself told us to eat and drink “often” in remembrance of him. When Jesus says to us, “given for you” and “shed for you for the forgiveness of sin” he means it. When we receive communion we are also receiving forgiveness and grace. For many this is a time of renewal for their bodies, their spirits, and their hearts. It can be a time of repentance and prayer. Luther believed that receiving this sacrament gave strength and resolve for those who were struggling. It can be a source of nourishment and a time of connection with God. For me as a child it was simply a food that sated my hunger. That changed of course. But the Holy Spirit is up to a lot when we come to the altar with our hands outstretched. Who can have communion? Our congregation practices an open table. This means that you do not need to be a member of our church or our denomination to receive communion with us. There has been a lot of ongoing conversations regarding open table in our denomination. Churches practice differing levels of who can receive communion. In Luther’s Small Catechism he states that the only requirement is to “believe the words ‘given for you’ and ‘shed for you for the forgiveness of sin'”. The Holy Spirit is busy at work in communion, and none of us can know the hearts or minds of others. So, if someone opens their hand and reaches out, we freely give what has been so freely given to us. Can children commune? My answer? Yes. But I will say there are caveats. Our denomination in their resource on communion and children remind us of Luther’s words: “There is no command from our Lord regarding the age at which people should be…first communed.” And so at our church there are varying ages. We tend to let this be a decision of the children’s guardian(s). When they say they’re ready My spouse and I had discussed early on and decided, our daughter would be ready when she asked to receive. So she began receiving the sacrament once she could say “Jesus” and reached out her little hand. Each week as she receives the Body of Christ given for her, and her joy and gratitude are palpable. Because when we worshipped fully online she was my communion assistant at home giving both me and my spouse our communion each week, she now runs to the altar when she begins to hear me recite the story of the Last Supper so she can give me my bread and my wine and offer these gifts to me. When parents are ready Sometimes our kiddos might be ready before we are, they often are with so many things, and so in those cases we honor the family's wishes. If a family requests more direct training on communion and what communion means, a special First Communion celebration, or anything in particular they believe their child needs, we're happy to help and to provide these opportunities. Is it too much? In our church, we tend to have communion every week. For us, communion is an important part of our weekly worship together. Many of our members have different reasons why this time important to them. For me personally, I can’t get enough. This post has been filled with a LOT of information! I hope it’s helpful in answering some of your curiosities about communion in worship. What about communion is meaningful for you? Do you have certain traditions that are special? What are ways the Holy Spirit has worked in your heart at the altar?
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