THE CENTRALITY OF COMMUNION

The place that communion plays in the life of the believer has always fascinated me. Some take it seriously, others think of it as an inconvenience. Some take it infrequently, others on a more regular basis. But what strikes me is that the apostle Paul and the early church saw it central to one’s spirituality and the vitality of the church.

Another thing that fascinates me is the tradition that has been built up around its practice. Not that tradition is a bad thing. But sometimes traditions connected with the Lord’s Supper, communion, have a way of becoming carved into stone as a sacred monument. It is not my purpose in this brief article to examine all of the traditions, rather I want to bring us back to the central place this practice has in our faith.

Some call this a “Eucharistic banquet.” This means an experience of God’s people eating at the Lord’s Table together, giving thanks for the sacrifice of Jesus. Even in Paul’s day, he observes that some Christians had begun to neglect its practice, and as a result a spiritual malaise had set in. Listen to Paul:

“That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 11:30).

When we Christians neglect the fellowship that comes from gathering around the Lord’s Table, we should not be surprised when spiritual weakness and sickness sets in. It had gotten so bad with some Christians that Paul describes them as “sleep-walking.” A spiritual and moral numbness characterized their life.

Does it make a difference whether we partake of communion or not? Leaving legalistic tendencies aside, we need to remember that God in His divine wisdom designed the communion to minister to our hearts. It is sort of like periodic “heart” medicine. Remember where Jesus said that if we had something against a brother, we had to put down our offering at the altar and go and make it right first. Then, we could bring our offering.

Communion is about priorities. It is about God. It is about Jesus. It is about one another. It is about our hearts. We should look forward to communion more than a backyard BBQ and the long-awaited family reunion! Because, truly, communion is our reunion with one another at the Lord’s Table, with Jesus as our host!
In Christian love, Curtis

Amish Friendship Bread

Yesterday some kind individual gave us some Amish Friendship Bread. This morning I laid the loaf on a cutting board and carefully sliced a piece off to have with my cup of coffee. The moist, sweetness and buttery nut flavor just melted in my mouth! The smell of coffee with the aroma of the bread made it a perfect way to begin the morning. And as I supped and savored this delectable treat, thoughts about bread and fellowship emerged from my sleepy brain.
Amish Friendship Bread is made to be shared. I cut the slice in half and offered it to Nancy. Somehow bread shared is much better. Something about friendship inherently knows the value and joy of sharing.
In the community of faith pictured in the New Testament the breaking of bread was fellowship around the table. Sometimes this seems be just a fellowship meal, and at other times there appears to have been table fellowship as the setting for the Lord’s Supper, or communion.
There is a fascinating story in Acts 27 where Paul is on a merchant, grain ship in the Adriatic Sea during a fierce storm. For two weeks the soldiers and sailors on board barely had anything to eat because of the storm’s threat to end all life. At this point Paul urged everyone on board to take some food, and he promised them that no one would lose their life, even though the ship would eventually be destroyed by the waves and wind. After Paul said this, “he took some bread [Amish Friendship bread, no doubt!] and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. They were all encouraged”[Acts 27:35, 36a].
This has the ring of communion about it: took, gave thanks, broke it, and began to eat. Though this was not a communion setting, I am taken that Paul gave thanks to God in the presence of pagan soldiers and sailors. He used this occasion of breaking bread to give thanks in the hearing of folks who did not know God.
A God-centered view of breaking bread has so many advantages to it.
· It sees bread broken as an answer to prayer. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
· It re-inforces the bonds of friendship and provides a context of joy.
· Table fellowship defines bread as the sustaining of communal life.
· Every time we take, give thanks, break bread and eat it, we hear ringing in our ears Jesus inaugurating the Last Supper with his disciples. As one Christian writer has said, “It eucharizes the common meal and invites the presence of the risen Lord into our table fellowship.”
· Breaking bread together is an encouraging act. We experience this in our small groups and our fellowship meals.

We do not have to be Amish to extend a hand filled with bread! Let us invite others into this vibrant relationship and joyous community of faith that gathers around a table.
In Christian love, Curtis