November 10, 2015

“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” 1 Corinthians 11:23 – 26

“…The day of the Lord’s Supper is an occasion of joy for the Christian community. Reconciled in their hearts with G*d and the brothers and sisters, the congregation receives the gift of the Body and Blood of Christ, and receiving that, it receives forgiveness, new life, and salvation. As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity. The life of Christians together under the Word has reached its perfection in the sacrament.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906 – 1945) Life Together, “For All The Saints” volume II (p. 1002)

Many churches struggle to move toward every-Sunday Holy Communion – a practice lost to the ravages of war, time, and expediency. The struggle to reclaim this practice usually came down to an argument like “If I take communion every Sunday, it will lose its specialness”. My response is this: I understand the concerns about the specialness of Holy Communion, but this is exactly why the disciples and over time, the Catholic Church celebrated it every Sunday – because it is special, and because the Mass calls for it. The worship service has four parts: Gathering, Word, Meal/Bath, and Sending. If we remove one of the parts, then the service is not whole. When I participate in a service that does not have communion, it seems empty.

It is during Holy Communion where we expect to feel the presence of Jesus – tangibly – externally and internally. Jesus promises to be there every time we “do this in remembrance” of him. It is, as Bonhoeffer claims, that when the Word comes together with the sacraments, then the life of the Christian is complete. Without one of them, it is lacking.

Pastor Dave