The meaning of the Lord's Supper is always worthy of continued attention. Whether we question parts or celebrate its ritual, this kingdom facet is crucial to the Christian heart. Personally, I find this event to be a fascinating element where God may be hiding the big stuff in the understanding of babes.
For a while I have felt we have missed something in our present dispensation of communion. We are adamant about keeping baptism from being reduced to a symbolic moment as in pouring or sprinkling. Yet we may have turned the Lord's Supper into what some denominations have done with baptism; a representative meal.
What may have happened to us is that we went to church taking note of how communion was done and then placed our practice as the backdrop for studying the Bible account. We aren't illegal in our approach, but it does leave room (as in all things we learn toward God) for us to keep sifting through the Bible wonder seeking His paths of original intention.
William Barclay wrote, It remains a very definite possibility that Jesus did not intend to institute a symbolic meal, but that he meant that every time bread was broken and eaten, and every time wine was poured out and drunk---that is, at every meal in the house---he was to be remembered......but it remains a real possibility that in the upper room Jesus was not intending to institute a special meal but that he was hallowing and sanctifying every common meal so that every meal might become an experience of his presence.
For certain, the Lord's Supper is a time for mindful awareness of all he did and all he is....to the living body of Christ on earth.
5 comments:
Terry, I have had these very thoughts for a while now. I agree with Barclay and wonder if our ritual practice has lost meaning out of the fact that we have "mandated" the practice and placed it in the "five" item must-do's in worship in order to conduct "Scriptural worship."
We need to study the Passover and the Feast of the Unleaven Bread and it's original meaning as Israel came out of Egypt. Wasn't Jesus also celebrating the Jewish practices?
I have a feeling that, for the Twelve and His closest disciples, they DID remember Jesus everytime bread was broken or wine was poured.
Oh how easy it is for us to miss the point of communion! How easy it is for us to forget that simple phrase, "do this in remembrance of me." May God help us to constantly be on the move from where we are to where He wants us to be.
...keep going...I want to hear more...
Very interesting and thought provoking. Keep 'em coming - I LOVE to stew on things like this and keep investigating to discover more truths.
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