Bible Questions and Answers
Published 05/11/2019
What is communion and how does it take place in the modern church? How was communion practiced by the first century church and what is the history of communion in the church? My personal study suggests that the practice of communion in the early church was very different from the practice of modern Christian churches. Is it true that the modern practice of communion originated from ritual? How should modern Christians receive communion?
Editor's Note: Below is a short answer to the question, but if you want to know more, read this article about communion and its history.
Answer:
Communion in church: history and practice of the first Christians
There are different practices of communion in the Christian movement around the world. I'm not sure which modern communion practice you're referring to. I don't know what practice you are familiar with or what exactly you are talking about, which complicates my answer to you a little. I can only talk about what we see in the Bible and share the experience of communion in the early church.
Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” We have an example of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. We can read about this in all the Gospels except the Gospel of John (it is a little surprising why John did not record this event).
Then He took the cup and, thanking God, said: “Take it and bring it to everyone, for I say to you: I will not drink grape wine until the Kingdom of God comes.” Then He took bread and, having given thanks to God, broke it and gave it to them all, saying: “This is My Body, given for you. Eat bread in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:17-19)
On the night before Passover (the Jewish holiday of Seder), Jesus did something that later became a tradition. During the Passover Seder, Jesus took bread (Matthew 26:26 for example), then passed it around, saying, “This is my body.” Most Christians who are not Catholic or Orthodox believe that Jesus spoke figuratively. He did not mean that this bread was His body, especially since the bread was in His hands (in fact, His body passed on the bread). In other words, the bread is a symbol of His body. The same can be said about the cup. Jesus then passes the cup of wine around, saying, “This is My blood.” Perhaps the most important passage is found in 1 Corinthians:
For I received from the Lord the teaching that I imparted to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night when He was handed over to the murderers, took a loaf of bread and, having given thanks, broke it and said: “Here is My Body for you. Do this in memory of Me.” He also took a cup of wine after they had eaten dinner and said: “This cup is a new agreement, sealed with My Blood. Whenever you drink, do it in remembrance of Me.” Every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Here the apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus said to do this “in remembrance” of Him. As I understand it, the main purpose of the communion ceremony is remembrance. This is not a recreation of the crucifixion, as some believe, but a remembrance of it. According to the Apostle Paul, when we take communion, we remember what Jesus did for us and proclaim His death until He returns. We see the bread and wine as symbols of His body and His blood, remembering what He has done for us.
Rules for communion in church. How to prepare for communion?
Communion was instituted by Jesus Christ Himself at His last meal with the Apostles. The modern Greek preacher and theologian Archimandrite Andrei (Konanos) says , if people realized what a gift of unity with God they receive during communion, because now the blood of Christ flows in their veins... if they realized this fully, their lives would be very has changed!
But, unfortunately, most people during communion are like children playing with precious stones and not understanding their value.
Rules for communion can be found in any Temple. They are usually presented in a small book called “HOW TO PREPARATE FOR HOLY COMMUNION.” These are the simple rules:
- Before communion, you need to fast for 3 days - eat only plant foods (refuse meat, dairy products and eggs).
- You need to be at the evening service the day before the day of communion.
- You need to confess either at the evening service or on the day of communion at the very beginning of the liturgy (the morning service, during which communion takes place).
- pray more diligently for several days - to do this, read the morning and evening prayers and read the canons: Canon of repentance to our Lord Jesus Christ , Canon of prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos , Canon to the Guardian Angel , Following to Holy Communion* . * If you have never read the Canons (in Church Slavonic), you can listen to the audio (available on prayer book sites using the links provided).
- You need to take communion on an empty stomach (do not eat or drink anything in the morning). An exception is made for sick people, such as diabetics, for whom food and medicine are vital.
If you begin to receive communion at every liturgy, every Sunday, your confessor will be able to allow you to fast less and not read all the indicated prayers. Don’t be afraid to ask the priest and consult with him.
Communion in the early church
How was communion administered in the early church? There is evidence that this was a very simple ceremony with bread and wine. All evidence indicates that communion took place every week on Sundays (or on Saturday evenings, since the day was counted from sunset to sunset, and not from 12 midnight to 12 midnight). Among other things, the early church ate communally, they called it “the feast of love,” but these feasts were separate from communion. There is evidence that the early church allowed only believers to receive communion, although it is possible that this was done more for safety reasons than for theology. So from a biblical perspective, it is an open question whether to invite non-believers to join in communion or not. The church I visit allows everyone to receive communion.
How is communion celebrated in church?
Suppose you decide to take communion on Sunday. This means that the night before (Saturday) you need to come to the evening service. Usually the evening service in Temples begins at 17:00. Find out what time the liturgy (morning service) begins on Sunday, at which the communion itself will take place. Usually, the morning service in Temples begins at 9:00. If there was no confession at the evening service, then you confess at the beginning of the morning service.
About halfway through the service, the Priest will remove the Chalice from the altar. Everyone who was preparing for communion gathers near the chalice and folds their hands on their chest, right over left. They approach the bowl carefully so as not to tip it over. The priest gives the communicants the Holy Gifts with a spoon - a piece of the body and blood of Christ under the guise of bread and wine.
After this, you need to go to the end of the Temple, where you will be given a drink. This is water diluted with wine. You need to drink it down so that not a single drop or crumb of the Eucharist is wasted. Only after this can you cross yourself. At the end of the service, prayers of thanksgiving should be heard.
Practice in the Modern Church
This is what I think we should do at communion in church today. We don't need "priests" to receive communion. We don't need special ceremonies or prescribed words. We don't see this in the history of the early church, just as we don't see it in the Bible. At the church I'm a part of, we have a simple ceremony that happens every week. We share bread and wine (or grape juice) with each other. We encourage people to remember the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. We hope this does not become just a meaningless tradition or habit. For this reason, usually one of the brothers will give a short teaching from the Bible to help focus the communion.
Some churches create entire ceremonies around communion. Some teach that only "priests" can perform this ceremony. Some teach that communion (they call it the Eucharist) is a reenactment of Christ's sacrifice. Some even take Christ's words "this is My body" and "this is My blood" literally and believe that when the priest performs the ceremony, the bread and blood literally change their structure, becoming the flesh and blood of Christ. But this is a theological error. I assume that you are attending a church where communion is administered much as it was done in the early church and as described in the Bible.
Communion of children
In the Orthodox Church it is customary to give communion to children from a very early age. The child has been baptized - and you can present it to the holy gifts, having first asked the priest for a blessing. It is advisable to approach communion on an empty stomach (this does not apply to infants and those children who cannot go that long without food).
Communion of children after seven years of age requires special preparation, as for adults.
Catholics have a different tradition. They come to communion for the first time approximately 10-12 years after catechesis (study of the fundamentals of Christian doctrine). First Communion is a separate holiday for which they thoroughly prepare (they even sew new outfits and then take pictures together).
Be that as it may, behind these external attributes one should not lose the main thing - the importance of the Eucharist as an act of uniting a person with God. This is important at any age, and for children it is simply necessary for harmonious development and inclusion in the Church.
What kind of bread and wine should be at communion?
Should Christians receive communion with real unleavened bread in church? How long should communion last - ten minutes or be accompanied by an hour and a half sermon? And one more thing: could you explain why during communion the bread does not turn into the body (flesh) of Jesus, and the wine into His blood, as I was taught as a child?
Some people say that communion (communion) should only be real wine, not juice. Some believe that using grape juice during communion shows disrespect for the death of Christ. So what should be done - what is correct according to the Bible?
And further. The book of Acts says “they continued continually... in the breaking of bread” - is this talking about the Christian meal or communion?
Answer:
Regarding “real unleavened bread”: here, according to tradition dating back to the Old Testament Passover, we use bread without leaven. Jesus did not give instructions on what kind of bread to take communion with, obviously leaving the right of choice to us.
The same applies to the question of the duration of communion. It may well be the longest part of the service. I sympathize if you have to sit through an hour and a half every Sunday. (A long sermon is great, but as the saying goes, “our minds can only handle more than our seats can handle!”) For me, it is important that what is said at communion is thought-provoking. But their quality rarely depends on the duration of both communion and the sermon.
Finally, regarding the doctrine of transubstantiation. If we consider that the bread and wine are literally the flesh and blood of Christ, then this gives rise to some contradictions:
- In John 6, Jesus talks about bread and wine while physically present among the disciples. How could the elements of communion be the body of Jesus if He was at the table with the twelve disciples?
- Drinking blood was strictly prohibited by Jewish law.
- If transubstantiation really takes place, then at each communion Christ is sacrificed again. But Hebrews emphasizes that Christ's sacrifice was made "once for all."
I believe this question about wine at communion falls into the "opinion" category. Personally, when I read about “fruit of the grape” in the Bible, I think of wine, and the expression itself can mean fermented or unfermented grape juice. Some churches, respecting the feelings of people with alcohol addiction, serve only grape juice at communion, or offer both juice and wine. Others use only wine. I think having both drinks at communion would be a good idea, as long as they are somehow separated or different in appearance.
And I will say again - at communion I prefer wine. Others feel it is wrong or unwise. Compromising on this issue may be a good decision, since there is no doctrinal teaching that can influence our choice. Let everyone make their own choices in this matter in a spirit of charity (it will be helpful to read Romans 14).
Now let's see if communion was a simple meal?
And they spent their time in constant communion with the apostolic teachings and in fellowship with each other, they all ate together and prayed together. And a feeling of awe took possession of everyone, and many miracles and signs were performed by the apostles.
All believers stuck together and shared everything with each other. And they began to sell their property and possessions and distribute them to everyone who needed it. Every day they gathered together in the temple, and in their homes they all ate together, joyfully and generously sharing food with each other, praising God and rejoicing at the good attitude of all the people. And the Lord daily added those saved to them. (Acts 2:42-47)
As you will notice, the phrase “they broke bread” has a double meaning, and can mean both the Christian meal and communion in the Bible. Whether it relates to communion or not can only be determined from the context. I think 2:42 refers to the Lord's Supper and 2:46 refers to the common meal.
It is clear from the New Testament and early accounts of church life that the early Christians celebrated the Lord's Supper regularly—weekly or even more often:
On Sunday, as we gathered together to celebrate the Lord's Supper, Paul talked with us. Intending to sail the next day, he spoke until midnight. (Acts 20:7)
Douglas Jacoby
Translation: Anastasia Sokolova
Is it possible for a non-Christian to receive communion in church?
Whether those who have not yet become Christians can take part in communion in church, we cannot know for sure, because... there are no direct passages from the Bible on this topic. This is a gray area and the answer depends on people's opinions. We know from the practice of the early church that at the end of the first century those who were not part of the church were not allowed to receive communion. But we have no direct evidence about this. So, although the example of the early church shows that it was inclined to exclude the unbaptized from communion, the evidence that the unbaptized can take part in communion is very strong.
