Ch 3: Reimagining the Lord's Supper

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kuhn on August 10, 2009 at 5:03pm

The original Lord's Supper was a Passover feast. It's main significance was changed from the exodus to the cross. The love feast spoken of seems to be more than a Passover feast, but still includes the representation of the cross/resurrection/return of Jesus. I think a full meal is the best way to celebrate, but I also think a token sharing of bread and wine can be significant.
At our fellowship we have a full meal with the symbolic communion added. I'm not 100% with Frank on this topic.

Permalink Reply by Janeen Puckett on August 11, 2009 at 10:19am

I'm not in total agreement with Frank on this either. I see it as you do, part of the Passover Feast. When Jesus took bread with his disciples before his death, it was clearly in connection with the Passover Seder.Some people say the timeline doesn't fit, since Jesus was crucified on Friday night, that year the FIRST day of Passover. While this is true, the custom of the time was that Galileeans took their first Seder on the EVE of Passover, in this case, Thursday night. When Jesus spoke of the bread and the cup being symbolic of himself, he was enlightening the disciples as to the significance of those elements of Passover of which they had partaken all their lives.

In that context, Jesus and his disciples would have indeed consumed a full meal that evening. They would have drank wine 4 times (possibly why the disciples had a hard time staying awake in the Garden). When seen in the context of Passover, we better understand Paul's teaching to the church at Corinth. "When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in?" 1 Cor 11:20-22. If you have ever attended a Seder, you were probably told to eat before you came. That is because the first part of the seder, the part before the full meal is served, is rather lengthy; and it is common for people to feel hungry before then. If one hasn't eaten beforehand, he may be tempted to partake of the matzo and other elements before others, or to drink too much of the wine. See how this lines up with the passage above?

As for how this applies to us as Gentile believers, I believe we have a great deal of freedom in how we choose to remember the Lord's death until He comes. Since we are not Jewish, we don't generally celebrate Passover (although I highly recommend Gentile believers choose to partake with Messianic believers as they will find so many new insights into their Christian faith). But Jesus, knowing Gentiles would receive the Gospel, added the key phrase "as often as you do it." This phrase only makes sense in the Gentile context, since Jews celebrated Passover annually.

We were discussing these very concepts at our simple church recently. Someone asked me, "So how would the Lord's Supper look in the 'church at the Puckett's house?'" At the time, I wasn't sure, but I have given it some thought. I think we might do it something like this. After partaking of our meal together, we would give a quiet moment for everyone to settle themselves so they could focus on the Lord. Then we would pass a piece of matzo, each person breaking a bit off, and if they wish, offering a short word of thanks to the Lord or a thought about His death for us, however they felt led by the Holy Spirit. A cup of wine would then be passed in the same manner. Then we might sing a short song and begin our time of worship together however the Lord led.

How do your simple churches do the Lord's Supper?

Permalink Reply by Daniel C. Elliott on August 29, 2009 at 3:05pm

Great thoughts Janeen. Thanks. Your ideas help me a lot.

Permalink Reply by Cindy Skillman on August 10, 2009 at 7:10pm

Like most groups, ours always shares a meal, but once in a while (usually a couple of times a month) we also have a special communion ceremony. Today we had a ladies' bible study and did communion there. We passed around a loaf of delicious home-made bread and drank sparkling grape juice. Everyone joined in, including all the kids, and we enjoyed one another's fellowship as well as the food, while remembering that Jesus is the true bread and His blood the true wine. I consider all of these things to be communion, but it is nice to have the symbolic "elements" along with the shared meal from time to time. It's a great reminder as well as an opportunity to teach.

God has been talking to us lately about the true nature of the word--that it's the spiritual, real component of the word, not the letter (which kills) that we need to pay attention to. I thought about this when reading your response, Ron. The way we sometimes dissect the word is no different from the Roman Catholic church taking the bit about the elements being the actual body and blood of Jesus literally. We're like the disciples asking how many times, precisely, we must forgive our brother for a repeated offence while completely missing the point that we forgive because we love and we love because of Christ in us. Communion is like this. We need to obey the spirit of the commandment.

Permalink Reply by Bob Kuhn on August 11, 2009 at 10:07am

"... it is nice to have the symbolic "elements" along with the shared meal from time to time. It's a great reminder as well as an opportunity to teach." I agree Cindy. Symbol is a powerful thing.

Permalink Reply by George E. Dunn on August 10, 2009 at 11:03pm

It is very liberating to think of our Lord having a seder I.E. PASSOVER MEAL,with his brethren and as they went through the prescribed ritualistic jewish seder He broke the unleavened bread (which had to be striped and pierced) and said "From now on you do this because from now on this is ME! then he took one of the cups of winde drunk as a part of the seder, and He said, this isn't about deliverance from
Egypt..this isn't about being saved from Pharaoh...this is ABOUT ME, THIS IS MY BLOOD of the New ?Covenant. From now on, when you do this remember that this is My Blood...this is about ME!

Our lord took this ritualistic passover meal...remembering israels deliverance and the blood (when I see the blood I will pass over)...the blood that was applied to the door posts and lentels in Egypt so the death angel did not strike God's people...and Jesus says Now guys this is about me. My blood...my eternal blood that delivers you from sin and death. Do this in remembrance of ME...not remembering deliuverance from Egypt....not some little lamb but the lamb of God - ME!

bread and wine are staples and a part of meals in that part of the world. The scriptures tell us that they met on the first day of the week to "break bread". That's a code word for "chow down"..not for some ritualistic "Lord's Supper"... the met to share a meal. Something families used to do together.

Did they always observe the "Lord's supper" when they ate together? Don't know for sure. We do know that they had their agape's or Love feasts. For the completed Jew, perhaps once a year at the seder celebrating passover they had the 'body and blood" of the eternal lamb of God.

What we do today should be rightly called the eucharistic snack...it's definitely not a meal.

I think every believer would just go crazy..good crazy... if they attended a seder put on by Jews for Jesus and understood that Christ fulfilled all of thiis feast. the passover was not a celebration of something that happened in the past - a celebration of deliverance from Egypt... but it was a dress rehersal (which in Hebrew is 'holy convocation") of something that was to come. The lamb of God taking away the sin of the world.

it was not somke ritual or a little wafer and a cup...but an Agape...a feast...a divine happening. No more Lord's snack...welcome the Lord's banquet

Permalink Reply by Bob Kuhn on August 11, 2009 at 10:20am

Thanks George for the complete explanation. I tried to allude to it in my post, but left it a little vague. Until one experiences a Seder, reading the events of the last supper are not as powerful.

I agree the better way is a full meal. Probably a Seder with Jesus' new covenant twist is the best. However, I still see nothing wrong with the "token" celebration as long as we recognize it as "token" only. In other words, it's a symbol of the symbol. I like Cindy's way: "to have the symbolic "elements" along with the shared meal from time to time." I don't think the form is as critical as the substance.

The Sabbath (and probably a bunch of other stuff) was given for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Permalink Reply by Daniel C. Elliott on August 29, 2009 at 3:03pm

Yes we have done this too and it is a real special blessing. Pretty much takes an entire service to do it, so if you only meet once a week, that might cause some issues.

Permalink Reply by Janeen Puckett on August 11, 2009 at 10:21am

I replied to the previous Passover comment before reading yours. Glad to see another commenter who sees this as Seder-related.

Permalink Reply by Ryan Huling on August 11, 2009 at 3:23pm

I'm really enjoying your feedback. Great stuff! very inspiring stuff. You guys are really bringing to life something that for me has kinda been a boring ritual mostly. And opening my eyes to the importance and blessing of taking it as a full meal. I'm having my first meeting coming up in a few weeks and you guys have inspired me to celebrate the Lord's supper as part of it. We were gonna eat anyway. I like the idea of going around the table and asking everyone to share what the Lord's death means to them. I think I'm gonna try that.

Permalink Reply by Howie Cruthers on August 16, 2009 at 3:29pm

The Supper has been changed and made a ritual, or an activity, just like everything else in the IC (teaching, discipleship, worship, evangelism, etc.). That seems to be what man does to God's plans.

Anyway, yes, I have experienced the Supper as a feast, celebrating, reflecting, encouraging, being generally focused on Christ and one another. The IC idea of the Supper looks nothing like the real version. There is no comparison, and I could never go back to the little plastic cup and the cracker. I just "crack up" thinking about it. :D

Permalink Reply by Daniel C. Elliott on August 29, 2009 at 3:02pm

May I ask, Howie, that you not make broad judgments about what the IC does or does not do. That term is far more inclusive of churches you could never have possibly visited to be certain of your characterization. Perhaps those particular ICs that you attended were that way. I can assure the one I serve is not! I am hoping to engage with you all in love not animosity. Please don't reject me and our people because of a term you conceptualized in a certain way. Thanks from a heart of love.

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