Communion: Two Perspectives

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them saying "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."--Matthew 26: 27-28 (NRSV).

It doesn't much matter what stripe of Christian you talk to: Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, whatever, we'll pretty much all agree that the practice of Communion is one of the most important parts of Christianity.  It's certainly one of our most sacred rites, going back to something Christ himself instituted the night before he died.  It was also an important part of life for the earliest Christians, with even non-biblical sources going back as early as the second century C.E..

If you've spent much time in any Christian church, you know how it works.  The pastor or priest will say a blessing over some bread and a cup of wine or grape juice.  After this blessing and some prayer, the elements are distributed to the congregants to eat and drink.  Nuances of the rite vary from church to church.  Some believe that the elements are actually changed into the body and blood of Jesus. Some believe it's a purely symbolic act.  Some churches serve communion every Sunday, others once per month or once per quarter.  Of course my high church friends such as Roman Catholics can go to mass and have communion every day if they wish.

In my life I've been of two minds on the issue of communion.  I'm not talking about whether the elements actually turn into the body and blood of Christ either.  I'm talking about open table vs closed table.  Let me explain.

I've been attending the United Methodist Church in recent months as I have found my faith again. Last month when we had communion, I returned to my seat after receiving the elements and watched as others did the same.  At the end of the line were all the little kids who had come down from the Sunday School classes.  They were all smiles as they received the Lord's Supper from Pastor Gary or one of the communion ministers. It made me smile as well.

You see, that was not my experience growing up.  I was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, a Calvinist denomination that practices what can be described as a "closed table" communion.  In that church, you have to make a public profession of faith in Christ before you can receive communion. In order to do this, you have to meet with the church council beforehand so they can determine if your confession is genuine, or rather, they want to make sure that you really know what you're saying.

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not trying to make it out to be a big, hairy, intimidating thing.  It wasn't.  If memory serves me correctly, I was in junior high when I made my profession of faith. My dad was an elder in the church, so I told him that I thought I was ready.  I went before the council, all of whom were happy that I was going to make that profession, and then a few Sundays later I made my confession in front of the entire church.  It was actually a very meaningful experience, and something that always stuck with me even when I most questioned my faith.

It should be noted that the Christian Reformed Church doesn't generally prohibit adult, professing Christians from other Protestant denominations from receiving communion.  Some other churches do. Certain conservative Lutheran, Baptist, and other reformed churches close or "fence the table" to everyone who is not a part of their religious community.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Tucson serves communion to people through the border fence that separates the United States from Mexico (2014).

The United Methodist Church, among others, practices an "open table" communion.  For them, the Lord's Supper "recalls the the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of God's family."  Anyone who loves Christ, is repentant of sin, and seeks to live in peace with others is welcome to take communion in the United Methodist Church.  It's a powerful statement of the love of Christ for all people and the desire for all of God's children to live in peace and unity.

Now I'm not saying that either approach is wrong or right.  There's one approach that I like better these days, but that's not to say that the other has no merit.  Christians all over the world practice both open and closed communion every Sunday and have meaningful experiences of Christ through the sacrament.  

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in a more closed table setting.  This gave communion a very special meaning and atmosphere.  It wasn't for everybody.  It was something to be taken very seriously. Usually people in the congregation were given notice the week before and asked to examine their own hearts and conscience in order to prepare to receive communion.  There's nothing wrong with that in my mind.  That kind of self introspection can be a very healthy practice.  The Lord's Supper was usually a solemn experience for me growing up, but it was always meaningful.

However, I've found that taking communion in the United Methodist Church is no less meaningful. As I watched those young kids take the bread and wine (well grape juice in this case), I wondered how my life might have been different had I grown up in that setting.  I wondered if I would have been less judgmental or more inclusive of others.  I wondered if I would have rejected the kind of "us vs them" thinking earlier than I did.  I also wonder if I would have been less hard on myself and on others.  I wonder if I would have felt the unity of all at Christ's free table long ago, and if that would have changed the way some things played out in my life.  I wonder what might have happened if I had been able to grasp not just the solemn closed table of Christ's Passion, but the celebratory open table of Christ's love, the table of plenty.

I'll never really know the answers to those questions, but there is something to be gained in considering them.  I can't go back and change my feelings and actions in the past, but I can try to be closer to the example set by Christ now and in the future.  For me, this includes welcoming all who love peace to the table of Christ to be reminded not only of his death, but his life as well.  The life of Christ was a life of love and charity, a life that for me is embodied in the spirit of the open table. However, no matter which you prefer, or which your church practices, I believe that the true power of Christ is revealed in his love, mercy, and grace.  We can all reflect this to the world around us.  When we eat the bread and drink the cup we can be so moved by Christ that we should want to share his love for others and seek to serve others just as he did.

Open or closed table, is that something everybody can get behind?  I hope so, and as Christianity keeps reevaluating and examining itself and how it responds to the modern world, I hope that we can all live it as well.