Journey into Joy in Communion – Part 3 More To It Than That

Harrowing experiences of the Lord’s Supper, had finally got me to consider again what the point of the meal was all about?

It was through the foot-washing deal that I initially began to look again at things.  I wondered why we observed foot-washing and what possible meaning could it have for us today.

Meanwhile, I was active in the Stoke-on-Trent church plant and we were eventually able to observe Lord’s Supper for ourselves. Being the type of church we were, we took the thing seriously in terms of research and presenting the historical context of the supper, paying careful attention to the Passover and then leading to the institution of the Lord’s Supper itself.

Whilst doing this research I came across other people’s approach to the observance and also other people’s deep and real motivations for observing it.  I felt that there was more to it than just being thankful for another year.  I also felt that too much attention was given to the ‘state’ you had to be in to partake.

My work at the North Staffs YMCA also exposed me to the wider church in a more relational way than I had previously experienced.  I had developed friends and contacts from other Christian backgrounds and was grateful for the insights into God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Church, Scripture, Mission and other related issues.

This opened me up to exploring things and conversing about things and explaining things and even experiencing things that brought in refreshing new dimensions on what it is to follow Jesus.  Inevitably that included my approach to the observance of the Lord’s Supper.

The church I grew up in observed the Meal annually, and although I appreciate the reasoning behind the annual observance of the occasion, I am no longer fussed about it. I can certainly see the benefits others have by observing it more regularly in the year.

Whether annually, quarterly, fortnightly or whatever, whether with a wafer and alcohol-free wine, or with crackers and wine or whatever, the deal is really about why we are doing what we are doing.  The research, the experiences, the deepening of the importance of Jesus and His mission, had taken me to to different insights into what The Meal is all about.

These different emphases I’ll share in the next part of the journey.