A question about Evangelical Communion Services

[JRRTFAN]

I am a Catholic, my family dropped out of the Church about 17 years ago to join the local mega-church.

This week a family member was “commissioned” as a teen youth group leader (he’s 16, the kids he’s mentoring are 12 - 14). Mega church pastor allowed as how he was taking on the Biblical role of pastor. The adult leaders are taking on the role of overseer (bishop) which makes mega-church pastor (fill in the blank) OK, if you say so.

Then they had a communion service which I observed. A number of communion servers come forward and, by pairs, they take a loaf of bread and glass goblet of juice to various parts of the room. People get in line and go forward, tear off a bit of bread and dip it in the juice then consume ii.

After the service was over my family members were unable to explain, with any clarity, the theological implications of exactly why they did this service. “Jesus told us to do it” seems a little loosey goosey as Jesus told them to do a lot of things they don’t do, e.g., confess your sins to one another.

So, I know why Lutherans and Anglicans have communion services but does anybody have any kind of a deep explanation of why non-denominational Christians have one? They freely admit there is nothing but bread and juice, I just don’t get the purpose of the exercixe.

 

[LDNCatholic]

So, I know why Lutherans and Anglicans have communion services but does anybody have any kind of a deep explanation of why non-denominational Christians have one? They freely admit there is nothing but bread and juice, I just don’t get the purpose of the exercixe.

Lunch break?

 

[JonNC]

=JRRTFAN;7001945]I am a Catholic, my family dropped out of the Church about 17 years ago to join the local mega-church.

This week a family member was “commissioned” as a teen youth group leader (he’s 16, the kids he’s mentoring are 12 - 14). Mega church pastor allowed as how he was taking on the Biblical role of pastor. The adult leaders are taking on the role of overseer (bishop) which makes mega-church pastor (fill in the blank) OK, if you say so.

Then they had a communion service which I observed. A number of communion servers come forward and, by pairs, they take a loaf of bread and glass goblet of juice to various parts of the room. People get in line and go forward, tear off a bit of bread and dip it in the juice then consume ii.

After the service was over my family members were unable to explain, with any clarity, the theological implications of exactly why they did this service. “Jesus told us to do it” seems a little loosey goosey as Jesus told them to do a lot of things they don’t do, e.g., confess your sins to one another.

Do you know for sure they don’t confess their sins to one another? My understanding is they don’t interpret that as meaning to a priest/confessor.

So, I know why Lutherans and Anglicans have communion services but does anybody have any kind of a deep explanation of why non-denominational Christians have one? They freely admit there is nothing but bread and juice, I just don’t get the purpose of the exercixe.

Just as you said above, they probably believe that. “do this in remembrance of me” means “do this” (a command) “in remembrance of me” (to remember Christ’s suffering, death and ressurection).

Originall posted by LDNCatholic
Lunch break?

I don’t agree with their practices anymore than you do, but this seems rather condescending to me. Maybe you didn’t me it that way.

Jon

 

[Oldtimer_7]

Having sat through some looonnnnngggg Protestant services, I think that you may have a point, LDN!

 

[LDNCatholic]

I don’t agree with their practices anymore than you do, but this seems rather condescending to me. Maybe you didn’t me it that way.

Jon

Relax. Just a friendly joke. Oldtimer got it

 

[JonNC]

Relax. Just a friendly joke. Oldtimer got it

I was hoping he was right. No problem.
Jon

 

[Catholic_poet]

As a convert who spent many years as an evangelical, I think you’re looking for deep meaning where there is none. Without the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord in the Eucharist, you are left with mere bread and wine, which you can only eat and drink in memory of something that happened 2,000 years ago. And all jokes about lunch breaks aside, this “Lord’s supper” can leave an immense hunger for the real Bread of Life in those searching for a closer unity with the Lord.

 

[JRRTFAN]

As a convert who spent many years as an evangelical, I think you’re looking for deep meaning where there is none. Without the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord in the Eucharist, you are left with mere bread and wine, which you can only eat and drink in memory of something that happened 2,000 years ago. And all jokes about lunch breaks aside, this “Lord’s supper” can leave an immense hunger for the real Bread of Life in those searching for a closer unity with the Lord.

I’d never joke about it, they treat it reverently and seriously and I respect that. I simply don’t understand why they bother when they impute no sacramentality to anything, including Baptism. If I’m drinking a toast in the sense of “to the departed of the 43rd Mounted Fusiliers who bought it at el Alimein” I would use brandy, not some Welch’s!

I suppose it shall remain one of life’s mysteries to me.

 

[Cat]

I’d never joke about it, they treat it reverently and seriously and I respect that. I simply don’t understand why they bother when they impute no sacramentality to anything, including Baptism. If I’m drinking a toast in the sense of “to the departed of the 43rd Mounted Fusiliers who bought it at el Alimein” I would use brandy, not some Welch’s!

I suppose it shall remain one of life’s mysteries to me.

There’s no mystery, and it’s not that hard to understand.

It is a memorial service. Evangelicals eat and drink “in remembrance of Christ,” just as He commanded.

Sure, it’s not sacramental. But it’s meaningful nonetheless. Something doesn’t have to be a sacrament to have deep meaning.

Lots of people have rituals that they use to remember loved ones. E.g., some people have rituals in which once a year, they go visit a certain lovely place and think about their loved one who has died. Or perhaps they keep a picture of the loved one on the piano or by the bed and think about their loved one whenever they see it.

That’s basically what communion is to evangelicals–a memorial of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Many evangelicals use communion services as a time to examine themselves and determine if they need to repent of any sins and seek the Holy Spirit’s help to make changes in their lives. Or they will renew their commitment to following Jesus.

Don’t ever think that communion means nothing to evangelicals. My husband and I grew up evangelical, and even though we didn’t know about Eucharist and True Presence, we KNEW that there was something about communion that we weren’t getting. We knew that it was very special, but we didn’t know why.

Now we know what was bothering us–it was the Holy Spirit Who was using that “Protestant memorial service” to soften our hearts and prepare us for the day when we would be ready to learn about the Catholic Church and Eucharist. He was making us “hungry” for the Lord through our communion!

So pray for your Protestant brothers and sisters, that their communion services would be used by the Holy Spirit to make them long for the “real thing.”

BTW, even though some evangelical churches don’t forbid drinking alcohol, for the most part, use of alcohol for recreational purposes is still considered “sinful” by many evangelicals. So you won’t be seeing alcohol in many evangelical churches anytime soon!