So my take on a good communion is sort of loosely based on the closing communion at the National Gathering a few years back.
Go out into the church garden, or a park. Just get outside. Have a picnic on the grass, with optional chairs for those who prefer seating. Now pass round the sandwiches and juice. Yes, juice and sandwiches. What we are commemorating is the last supper. It wasn't the last thimbleful of wine and a stale crumb of bread*. It was the main meal of the day. The disciples were having dinner, and the last thing they needed was the munchies at midnight.
We'll still have the respectful, traditional ceremony before eating, but we'll be like the early church, who gathered for a collective meal each day. This is not meant as a substitute for the more formal, in-church communion that we are used to, but perhaps as a way for the church community to gather together and remember Jesus' big sacrifice for us.
So let's share what we've brought, give thanks and remember
And when we share the peace, we can also share the pieces.
*Once I saw 80ish people sharing two slices** and still having crumbs left over. Finally an explanation of the feeding of the 5000.
** Stale, rough and dry.
Interesting thoughts from you both. My new charge has a more 'relaxed' attitude to alcohol than many (as you may have gathered with the wine available at my ordination do). It also uses port at communion. But I don't want to comment on that, but reflect a little on what you've said here.
ReplyDeleteOn one of my placements I shared an agape meal (since I wasn't allowed to 'do' communion) with a bed-ridden member. All we had available was beer and biscuits. It was one of the most spiritual moments I have experienced. Church communion can seem very 'stale' by comparison, but I'm not sure that it's 'just' about having a meal together. That's a little too 'low' a view of the sacrament for my liking, because it's more, in my opinion, than a remembrance meal.
In this regard I'm with Calvin who holds a very 'high' view of communion, in that God's presence is very real and there is real spiritual nourishment taking place.
I do agree though that the often overly-formal church communion makes this element (see what I did there) all but disappear for many. But then, if it's God at work...
Cheers John,
ReplyDeleteWhat I'd like to achieve is something in the middle, not too low, not too high, probably not completely to everyones taste, but still with that sense of spiritual nourishment.
This is stored in my file of things I'd like to do eventually. It's becoming a pretty big file!