(Un?-) Holy Communion

 - (Luke 22:15-21) Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God" Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes" And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 

"This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me"

Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 

"This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you"

My first experience of Holy Communion as a born-again believer was in my home with a store bought slice of bread, and a glass of 19 Crimes. Alone in the physical, amid many in the virtual, by the glow of a laptop screen. I was on a zoom call with new friends I'd never met in person, but had connected with online many times. These people welcomed me, answered challenging questions and prayed for me throughout the pandemic and my newly found faith in God. It was a beautiful and peaceful time which left me reflecting upon Christ's words and actions, recorded in the Gospel of Luke, and the pain He endured for us to share this moment together as His followers. I deeply contemplated those words in Luke 22.

I attended an Easter service in-person with the same people at a renovated Workmans club two years later, where we took Communion. We were given bread to share and wine (or ribena) to drink. We read the words of Jesus and prayed, giving thanks to God for His sacrifice. Remembering what He did, as He asked us to at the last supper. We celebrated with contemporary worship music throughout the service and there was a sense that anyone who walked in from the street would have been welcome to join us at the table. It was a beautiful experience, the presence of God filled the room. It left me joy-filled and smiling all day.

My most recent experiences of Holy Communion, took place in a beautiful church building. I followed an orderly line up to an exquisitely decorated alter and a man in fine white robes. I knelt before the Deacon and beside others, to have him pass over me. Confused, I knelt there, waiting for bread and a sip from the silver chalice. I whispered to him "Why do I not get a piece of bread?" with a smile. He asked if he could bless me, prayed over me and ushered me back to my seat. I returned to sing traditional hymns passed down through generations, with an organ accompaniment.

On my way out of the service a Reverend stopped me and said he hoped being declined communion hadn't put me off. It didn't,  I went to that Reverends service the following Sunday in another location. I watched him perform the ritual over the bread and wine, He then asked us to approach. Kneeling before this robed man he asked me "would you like to take communion today?" I shrugged my shoulders, unsure of what to say. He blessed me and asked if I would stay to chat about it. I again, returned to my seat. A lady beside me asked if I had been confirmed, I said no and shared the story of my baptism in the sea. After the service I chatted with the reverend and told him my understanding of Communion as I had read in the Bible and that I had done it before with a Pentecostal church. I explained it was more of a 'casual' setting. The Reverend said that when he does the ritual before his congregation approaches, he is performing a sacred blessing over the bread and wine which shifts something in the spiritual and is not something that they believe should be done in a casual setting, he invited me to chat later in the week. I left these services full of gratitude, reflecting on the contrasting experiences God had showed me.

One thing I appreciated about the Catholic/Anglican services I attended was the reverence they have for Gods sovereignty. It is abundantly evident throughout the whole service; the orderliness, the beautiful decorative surroundings, the clothing and attention to detail. I later met with the Reverend who was welcoming and open minded about my experience coming to faith, my spontaneous baptism and view on communion. He explained how a person should fully understand the ritual before agreeing to take communion. They take it very seriously because they believe the ritual performed by the Reverend/Deacon, transforms something in the spiritual, ultimately transforming the the bread and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ in a process called Transubstantiation, part of the Eucharist (originates from the Greek word: "thanksgiving") tradition.

Some believe the literal flesh and blood of Jesus is being ingested through this practice. It is the core of the Catholic faith. It was profound to hear it put this way, it really stuck with me that they held such importance to His instructions, out of the Lord's Words they have created this intricate tradition. I completely understand, as someone who would recklessly enter into spiritual rituals in the past, why they would want your full understanding and consent before partaking in such a ritual. When I was first invited to the online service with Pentecostals, I refused to partake several times, prayerfully observing before I eventually chose to join in over zoom. I chose to do communion because Jesus instructed us to do so, however He didn't have an alter, just a table, bread, a cup and His disciples. I couldn't help but wonder what the Catholic/Anglican Church did during lockdown. If the Reverend/Deacon couldn't be there physically to bless the bread and wine, could they perform Transubstantiation through the internet? Do they believe it has the same effect if I pray and bless my sourdough and glass of merlot? Or do I have to be anointed and appointed by the Church leaders for it to be valid and worthy?

I get the impression the Catholics/Anglicans view the Pentecostal way of doing things to be too 'superficial' for what our Lord is asking us to do in remembrance of His sacrifice. When I ask the Charismatics, they say Jesus would break bread with sinners, and treated people as equals. He frequently challenged religious leaders for their rules and traditions. 

So.. What's a girl to do? I will keep exploring this much debated topic. But for now I will continue to have the intimate time with God in the comfort of my own home, and with friends when the opportunities to break bread arise. I don't believe my Lord would pass me by in a lineup. At the same time I respect the ritualistic efforts by the religious leaders in our country and the historic traditions upheld for all these years.

Welcome