October 25, 2011
Let Me Serve You
In my previous church
the Communion Table was at the front of the auditorium. After the emblems were
served to the congregation, the servers would return to the front, serve one
another and then place the trays on the table. In our present configuration,
the Communion trays are located in the back of the auditorium and after serving
the congregation, those serving simply help themselves before putting the trays
on the counter. While their self-service doesn’t take away from the meaning of
communion, for me there is a more profound spiritual impact when I actually see
one person physically serving another.
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----So, how much is it going to change the overall structure of reality? Maybe some. One of the most basic reasons life is full of bickering is that human nature finds as much meaning in how something gets done as it does in what got done. In the church I attend we each whisper in the other’s ear, “The body of Christ broken for you,” and, “The blood of Christ shed for you,” as first the tray of bread is passed then the tray of juice. I thought it was a bit superfluous when I first experienced it, and I am now even more convinced it is. The meaning in these whisperings surely have some conceptual attachment to telling brother and sister what is on the tray (as if they did not know, or as if they needed reminded.) On the surface that seems quite a serving thing to do. But it has an un-Scriptural tone to its ring, if one were to receive the meaning of I John 2:27, “but the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that any one should teach you; as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in Him.” So if His anointing teaches you to abide in Him, then why is it that there is any meaning at all in my reminding another that these elements are Jesus broken and shed for him so he will abide in Christ? When I partake of those elements, the anointing I received from Him teaches me the remembrance of Him and what He did. I have no need for anyone else’s meaning to usurp the place of that meaning. It is relationship between myself and Him.
-----So maybe it would seem meaningful for everyone to serve themselves the bread and juice. Again, at our church, everybody holds the bread until all have taken a piece from the tray. Then we eat it in unison after the pastor has mumbled something. Then the juice is passed and consumed the same way. This rather indicates a meaning to me of the organic nature of His body - its togetherly working. Yet, that kind of over expresses the organic meaning of the congregation to me. So again, I must retain a piece of meaning important to me - the absolutely personal element of the relationship being celebrated. When I take my bread, I break it in half, placing one half on my knee and holding the other half to partake with everybody. When it comes time to consume the juice, then I take the other half of the bread. Well, gee. I’m sorry. I spent too many years in the Christian Church, and taking the emblems together simply grew meaning to me, especially regarding the personal depths my relationship with Christ.
-----Maybe meaning really is important. But if each server had to hold the tray while the other took from it before the meaning of service would be present, why does each one not have to hold it while each congregation member takes from it? Inconvenience maybe? Or, just didn’t think about that? I would think it a bit meaningful if each person held the tray for the next to take from it. That expresses a rather personal element of service spread throughout. But, before the chaos of multitudinous meanings begins, I suppose it is important to recognize a mundane fact of life: different things have different meanings to different people. So, I suppose as long all our meanings abide within God’s ballpark, we’re each playing the game pretty well as taught by the anointing we each received.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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