I have found myself in a nostalgic mood this week. When our children were young, we read to them every night. We’d start with a story from one of their children’s Bibles, and then we’d read something else. Of course, their book collection had a lot of Dr. Seuss in it. I loved reading The Lorax, The Sneetches, and, of course, Green Eggs and Ham.
You surely know about Sam-I-Am, who wants his friend to try the green eggs and ham. It doesn’t matter where or how, the friend refuses to try them, until Sam-I-Am’s persistence grinds him down. He relents.
Sam! If you let me be,
I will try them. You will see.
(…And he tries them…)
Say! I like green eggs and ham!
I do like them, Sam-I-Am!
And I would eat them in a boat.
And I would eat them with a goat…
And I will eat them in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
They are so good, so good, you see!…
I do so like green eggs and ham!
Thank you! Thank you, Sam-I-Am.
Today we’re observing World Communion Sunday, and as I was thinking about my experience with communion, I felt a little like I was in a Dr. Seuss book, because I have had communion, here, there, and everywhere. I may not have had it with a fox or with a mouse, but I’ve had it in some interesting places and with some unexpected people.
I have had communion in many churches. I didn’t celebrate a First Communion the way my Catholic classmates did, but I do remember my first time taking communion after I was baptized. I’ve taken communion at Wayne Park Baptist Temple and First Baptist Church of North East. I’ve taken it on a weekly basis at Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids, where every service concludes with the sacrament. I believe that was the first time I took communion with wine. I’ve had it in a seminary chapel in north London, which was the first time I’ve had it out of a common cup.
I have taken communion with thousands of people in the University of Illinois’ basketball arena. I’ve taken it with mission teams on a beach and poolside in Jamaica and Belize.
Pastors sometimes bring communion to homes. When I was at my previous church, I left for a home visit knowing I needed to get communion elements. I stopped off at a bagel shop figuring it would have what I needed. Well, they had a plain bagel, so check. But they had no grape juice. Or anything closely resembling it. I was running late already, so I settled for the closest thing I could find — Fruit Punch Vitamin Water. I was so ashamed that I actually prepared the communion out of sight for the person I was visiting so they wouldn’t know what “juice” I was using. Sigh. Not my finest moment as a pastor.
So, I’ve had communion here and there. I’ve had it by intinction, passed in trays, and passed in circles. I’ve had it gluten-free and sourdough. I’ve had it prepackaged, especially during the pandemic.
I guess what I’m sharing with you is this. Communion is essential to the life of the Christian, but there is a lot of freedom in how we observe communion, and there is a wide range of beliefs as to what actually happens in this sacred act.
Today is World Communion Sunday, so I wanted to use that as a way to go a little deeper about communion, particularly what we believe about communion and about how we practice it. Until I was researching this week, I didn’t realize that World Communion Sunday originated at Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh in 1933. By 1936, our denomination adopted it as a practice. Since then it has spread to many other denominations and throughout the world, and it remains a sign that our unity in Christ is stronger than our convictions that divide us.
So, I’m going to treat the remainder of my time as questions and answers, except I’m going to ask the questions I think you might want answered. But before I do that, just know that your pastors are always happy to go deeper with you and your questions. If I don’t get to what’s on your mind today, feel free to ask me another time.
What does the Bible say about communion?
Our two readings today are some of what the Bible has to say about communion. It shows up in all four gospels when Jesus gives new meaning to the freedom God has on offer through the passover meal. Particularly in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we read Jesus’ command to share in this meal. He gives the bread to his disciples and says, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He gives the cup and says, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
A couple of things we should notice in this. Jesus does command us to share in this meal, but he doesn’t offer a specific method. In fact, if we wanted to get extra literal about this, Jesus is only using a single cup, so if were to do this the same way Jesus did, we’d be sitting on the floor and sharing a common cup. Want to try it that way?
Our text in 1 Corinthians gives us more, particularly on what it means to take communion in an unworthy manner. To put it bluntly, the church in Corinth was a mess. They would gather for worship with divisions among themselves. The rich would show up with a feast, while the poor had nothing. One would starve, while another would get drunk. This feast that was supposed to proclaim the saving death of Jesus until he returns was not unifying. It was not faith-building. It was divisive and gross.
So, yes, there are ways we can tarnish what this meal should be. We can come without examining our own hearts and motivations. We can come harboring anger. We can come without actually believing in Jesus. But Scripture urges us, don’t come in an unworthy manner.
How do Presbyterians practice communion?
Communion is always connected to worship, which means there is an opportunity for confession and to hear the Word read and proclaimed. So, even when our deacons bring communion to folks at home or when we have communion on a mission trip, it’s an extension of the worshipping life of the church. The same even goes for our online worshippers who share communion with us from their homes.
Our practice has changed through the years. It used to be that someone had to be confirmed or be a member of the church to take communion. Early in my ministry, our denomination changed that to “those who are baptized,” which included young children well before they confirmed their faith. I still have a strong memory of a woman in my first congregation who questioned the children taking communion because it was not the practice she remembered. I was able to tell her about the change and the “why” behind it.
It was only in preparing for this sermon that I realized that we’ve even updated the language on this since then. Here’s what it now says, “The opportunity to eat and drink with Christ is not a right bestowed upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love. All who come to the table are offered the bread and cup, regardless of their age or understanding. If some of those who come have not yet been baptized, an invitation, when appropriate, to baptismal preparation and baptism should be graciously extended.
“Worshipers prepare themselves to celebrate the Lord supper by putting their trust in Christ, confessing their sin, and seeking reconciliation with God and one another. Even those who doubt may come to the table in order to be assured of God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ.”
Is Jesus physically present in the communion elements?
This is a question where various Christian groups have strong disagreement. Some Christians, like Roman Catholics and Episcopalians, believe the answer is “yes,” the bread and the wine by the power of Spirit become the actual body and blood of Jesus. (This is why many Catholic parishes won’t serve communion to non-Catholics. Since I don’t believe exactly as they do, I’d be taking this sacrament in an unworthy manner, in their understanding.) Some Christians believe that it’s important to take communion, but they also believe it’s simply a meal to help us remember Jesus’ sacrificial love. The bread and cup are merely reminders of the story.
The Presbyterians, like usual, live in the middle. The quote on the front of the bulletin today actually describes our belief. From the pen of John Calvin himself come these words, “Let us understand, therefore, that this Sacrament is a medicine for poor, spiritually sick people…And since we see only bread and wine, yet we do not doubt that he accomplishes spiritually in our souls all that he demonstrates to us outwardly through these visible signs.” In other words, the Holy Spirit takes these ordinary elements of bread and cup and uses them in an extraordinary way to communicate this means of grace to us.
Is there a right way to serve communion?
No. Growing up, I always had communion trays passed down the pews. Did you know that practice didn’t show up until the 1800s? It was the church’s way of responding to two movements. First, their understanding of how disease spread had deepened, so making cups individual was a public health move. Second, the shift from wine to grape juice was in response to temperance movements.
For many of us, taking communion by intinction seems like a recent innovation, but it actually started 1700 years ago.
Our understanding of how to best serve communion in this day and age keeps changing, not because Jesus has changed but because he has given us the ability to discern what is faithful for this moment. Our concern for the planet is leading us away from using plastic cups that just go to the landfill. Our concern for those who cannot have gluten is leading us to ensure they can safely participate in communion. Our concern for those who cannot or should not have alcohol means we’ll continue to use juice.
Our table manners may change down through the ages, but let this truth remain with us always: That the God who loves us, whom we know in Jesus our Savior, whom we experience by the power of the Spirit, continues to call of us to faith, no matter where we are at this moment. Faithful participation in communion in one way we do this still.
In that spirit, let us take our individual and diverse lives and bring them to unity here, as we also seek the same for the church worldwide.