When I started studying Christian doctrine as a sixth-former (and having moved to another Baptist church) I studied Sacraments, which included communion. [In fact it's worth pointing out that there are multiple names for this particular element of church life. For some it is Communion, for others the Eucharist, for others Mass, and some simply call it the Lord's Supper. Whichever name you use says something about your particular tradition].
As I studied, I had a creeping realisation that my particular tradition had (whisper it) got it wrong. There was simply too much emphasis on the memorialism of the rite - too much remembrance and not enough active present faith.
And so, on this particular day, I want to ask...
What does Communion mean to you? Why do you take it? What does it do?
The reason for asking this on 7 June, 2012 is that today is a Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion. It is called 'Corpus Christi' by some, and is a signifacnt festival for Roman Catholics.
As ever, the Anglican lectionary has this as an optional festival (or simply a commemoration), which means it has some significance.
I want to invite people to comment. Why do you take communion - why is it significant to you? What's your tradition? Does anything happen to you? Do you feel anything when you take it?
I will blog again later with some further reflections on the day...but let's get chatting.
Posts
My brother has just written his dissertation on Communion in Modern Pentecostal & Charismatic churches. Some interesting stuff came out of it, including many denominational heads agreeing with you that too much emphasis was made on 'memorialism', and not enough importance was ascribed to the act/sacrement of communion itself.
ReplyDeleteNot sure whether you can say an entire denomination 'got it wrong' though... That would suggest there is a 'right' way of taking communion, and like everything in the church to a lesser or greater extent this is open to interpretation?