Worship As Story – A Closer Look (part 3)

Two weeks ago we examined the second of four segments (the Word) within traditional liturgical services. This week we’ll take a look at the third segment: Communion. This segment goes by many names: the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, the Breaking of the Bread, the Meal, etc.

Communion has been, unfortunately, the center of doctrinal controversy ever since the Reformation. For our purposes I’ll put my own cards on the table and say that I believe Communion to be one of many “God-encounter-places”, places where we encounter the Crucified and Risen Lord who offers forgiveness of sins, a brand new kind of life, and a forever friendship with him.

In many ways this portion of the service makes concrete what has been proclaimed in the Word. It’s designed to drawer the worshipper into the reality of the Story they have just heard proclaimed in the Word.

Communion Unpacked
In a traditional liturgical service, this is how Communion might look:

- Opening Dialog of Praise
- Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving
- Song of Praise (From Isaiah 6:1-3 & Mark 11:9-10)
- Narrative Prayer of Thanksgiving (optional)
- The Story of the Lord’s Supper
- Prayer for the Spirit’s Presence (optional)
- The Lord’s Prayer
- Song of Invitation (John 1:29)
- Distribution

I won’t unpack the traditional order in any detail; that would take several pages of explaining the historical development and the subtle variations found in each denomination’s way of doing communion. What I do want to point out is that from the second century on this was pretty much the pattern Christians used for Communion.

What was it designed to do? Engage the worshipping community in three movements: Praise, Story, and Encounter. In the first movement worshippers praise the God who reveals himself not only as Lord of All but also as the God who Redeems. As climax of this movement, the Song of Praise points to that redemption with its use of Temple (Isa. 6) and Passion (Mk. 11) language.

In the second movement worshippers hear the Story of God with his people, climaxing with the final Passover meal Jesus had with his disciples. Here Jesus reveals most radically that he is the solution to the brokenness of creation—the One who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

In the third movement worshippers move from hearing the Story to encountering the Story. By praying the Lord’s Prayer worshippers say “yes” to this encounter—thy kingdom come, thy will be done. And in a mysterious way that the Bible doesn’t explain, by receiving the bread and the wine, worshippers somehow encounter Christ himself and all that he offers. To put it bluntly, Communion is designed to be an altar call on steroids.

Making it Real
“Houston, we have a problem.”

From my conversations with worshippers and worship leaders, Communion seems to be a real challenge. Worshippers appear to be bored by it and worship leaders are at a loss as to what to do about it. The general feeling is that Communion is this thing we do because we’re supposed to but it really doesn’t seem to have any impact. I’ve even seen people leave worship services early to avoid it.

So what’s the solution? Without offering “seven points to a successful Communion service” I do think at the very least Communion needs to start looking like a meal again. In most churches communion looks very strange: a sip of wine or grape juice and a cube or wafer of what is alleged to bread. I’m not sure first century Christians would have the foggiest idea what we were doing.

That means we’ve got some rethinking to do. How can Communion effectively engage the 21st century worshipper? We might even dare ask the question if Communion should even be done in groups that are too large for the meal aspect to be effectively experienced.

I also think that worshippers need to know the back story to Communion: it’s roots in the Genesis 18 covenant and the Passover, it’s impact on the twelve in that Upper Room, and how the early Church practiced Communion—what it did right and what it did wrong.

So this week the questions are a bit different. How would (or do) you make Communion come alive in your church setting? What seems to work for your congregation and what are the challenges?

For Further Reading:
Tom Wright. The Meal Jesus Gave Us. (2002, Louisville. Westminster John Knox Press)
Amazon.com $10.36