Vintage21 Church

Pastor Tyler · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 80 Location: Downtown Raleigh

This week's sermon is primarily on I Corinthians 11:17-34 and will incorporate parts of I Corinthians 10 ( this chapter talks about communion but it is primarily a specific conversation about the Corinthians idol worship ). Please take the time to read and study these passages.

To get some conversation going, tell me about your history with communion. If you are new to church, tell me what you think about communion. Feel free to say what you think here. If you appreciate and find the way that Vintage21 does communion meaningful, then say why. If you think we are not serving communion properly, well then put that here too. Looking forward to talking through Scripture with you.
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Pastor Tyler

TheMrs · Joined: 04 Mar 2008 Posts: 8 Location: Downtown Raleigh

Growing up, the "style" of communion was to get a tray of bread, take a piece and pass it. Then we would all listen to the Pastor talk about the meaning of the bread and He would pray and we would all eat the bread together. Then we repeated the same process with the wine/juice.

I liked it that way for a couple of reasons. Each time you were taking communion, you were reminded of the forgiveness of sins and they even asked that if you are harboring unforgiveness in your heart against someone, that you forgive them before partaking. It was an interesting and difficult process to think each time you take communion, "am I holding a grudge? Am I walking in forgiveness"? It was humbling because oftentimes I had to realize that I was holding a grudge etc. and seek forgiveness and also forgive. Also, I liked that we all took the bread at the same time. I don't know exactly why, but it's something like singing all together. The corporate aspect was moving to me.

What I like about the Vintage style is that it is also an active process, reflection and getting up out of your seat. But I do miss the corporate prayer of forgiveness and the reminder that we also must forgive others.

Whitney Chambers · Joined: 15 Feb 2008 Posts: 21

I grew up with the same experience as what Andrea described. A couple of things about communion stick out in my mind.

1) I remember riding home from church one Sunday when I was maybe 7 or 8, and my Mom was telling us about what the Holy Spirit impressed on her during communion that morning. I don't remember the specifics of what she had learned, but what stays with me is how that was a personal and private time for her of communing with the Lord and remembering the sacrifice Christ made.

2) I remember quite vividly the first time I was in church and knew that I wasn't a part of God's family and shouldn't take part in communion because of it. I had eaten bread and swallowed little cups of juice as part of the ceremony of communion before then, but it was out of no understanding or sense of gratefulness to God for salvation.

So for me (and similar to things Andrea said), communion is a time for inspecting my heart in light of how Jesus died--his broken body and bloodshed being symbolized through bread and juice. In 1 Cor. 11:28-30, we're given instruction about discerning or judging ourselves when we consider communion.

I like incorporating communion into the worship service each week for this reason because it allows a regular check-up of our spiritual health through an individual act. It's a private moment, but it's also a public proclamation (v. 26: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes"). The downside is that we can approach it without reverence just like the Corinthians had made a habit of doing (see the rest of 1 Cor. 11:17-34). And the passage makes no secret of the results. Is there a more terrifying and saddening idea than being "guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" (v. 27)?

That weighty sense of responsibility is what stuck out the most when I read the passage. So as much as I want to continue the practice of weekly communion, I also want to uphold its holiness in my heart.

--Whitney C.
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Rob Davis · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 85 Location: Raleigh, NC

I agree with Calvin, that we can never partake of Christ's body and blood too much. But, if there is no reverence or conviction, then we're totally missing the point.

I also think in a broader sense that there are other ways we can incorporate the Christ's work into our daily lives. Rather than simply asking God to bless our food, we can thank God for not smiting us and sending His Son to bring about redemption to everything we've screwed up.

Part of where the medieval church went wrong was so venerating the act of communion as to "secularize" the rest of what we did in our daily lives. Yes, the symbol is important, but what is more important is what the symbol points to.

This was Paul's constant contrast between law and gospel, not that the law was or is in any way "bad," but that what it pointed to has been revealed in Jesus, so the law (the Jewish system and way of life) is no longer binding on us. Following Jesus is a "better way" in the sense of something good being expanded (fulfilled), rather than something bad being thrown in the garbage.

So, I think there is danger from both sides. We can either take communion lightly, think it's unnecessary, etc., and actually dishonor the reality to which it points, or we can in a sense "worship" the sign rather than the reality.
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kylemckay · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:51 am Post subject:

I love the fact that we have communion at each service, every Sunday, and that there is a brief explanation of it and why non-believers shouldn't take part and why believers should.

I grew up in a church where the Lord's Supper was a separate hour long service on Sunday mornings before the worship/sermon services where only church members or proclaimed Christians were to come.

It was a time devoted to Christ's death and resurrection and there was no structure other than to let the Spirit lead any man to stand and pray/talk briefly/read Scripture/suggest a hymn to sing and then at the end we would pass the bread and grape juice, Welches grape juice to be exact.

It was (and is) pretty old school what with the hymns and only men leading, and yes, the women wore head coverings. But it was a sweet time spent reflecting only on Christ for an hour each week.

So I love that Vintage takes it more seriously than I've seen several/most other churches take it. I always wanted to get a group of guys/girls together in college and every once in a while meet at someone's house and have spontaneous reflection/sharing of Jesus kind of like we had at my church growing up but I never got enough interest, or didn't pursue it enough.

I would love if Vintage maybe had something like this every once in a while on a Sunday, where we could meet for a little while and pray/share as a community of believers with the whole focus being Christ, his life/death/resurrection, and then take communion. Maybe like, even before the first service on Sunday (hardcore, I know). But that's just a thought.

Also, I like what Rob said about the dangers of how we deal with or take communion.

Sharon Butler · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 21

i grew up with the typical cubes of bread, tiny communion shotglasses of grape juice. when i was younger, it simply seemed an adult rite of passage but when i got older i learned to appreciate the symbolism behind it.

the plates of bread & platters of juice were passed throughout the congregation by the deacons. the pastor would then serve the deacons. then the pastor would lead us in a short reflection time on what the elements represented.

i always liked the fellowship & community as a body, where you passed the plates to one another, helped one another reach for the elements, & all ate/drink together. it was reassuring & empowering.

as for how vintage does communion ... i wonder at times if we do a disservice by not discusssing what communion means at least once a month or so. i fear that new believers may not have an opportunity to really equate the actions with anything beyond an action that's done in church.

i personally don't take communion every sunday because i don't believe that one should take communion every time simply because it's offered. there are times when one's heart can be out of place & one may simply be going through the motions. however, i recognize that some may believe that one shoudl always take communion when it is offered.

i should probably do some scriptural reading on that but i'm open to hearing more from others.
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well-behaved women rarely make history.

Sharon Butler · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 21

Pastor Tyler · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 80 Location: Downtown Raleigh

Great points Sharon. Please know that I was not speaking to you specifically or using you as an example. Actually, I was not able to read this thread until today. Thanks for being open and sharing your process.
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Pastor Tyler

Sharon Butler · Joined: 09 Feb 2008 Posts: 21