Comments on: Discerning the Body

By: Serena Voss

Serena Voss — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:52:13 +0000

Calvin,

That memory is special to me, too!

By: Adam

Adam — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 05:02:04 +0000

My most powering communion experience was on June 15, 1997 in Campinas, Brazil. I’d been in Brazil for only a week as a missionary intern with the independent Christian churches/churches of Christ, and during communion the oldest daughter from my host family sang “Pra Cima Brasil.” That moment I knew I would be a missionary in Brazil. It became my vocation, and though I failed to do everything that high calling demanded of me (a fuller explanation will be on my blog this coming Monday), I did end up serving in Brazil for nearly three years, and now have every intention of going back…once I’m really ready.

By: G'ampa C

G'ampa C — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 21:51:10 +0000

The communion of the Lord’s Supper with the saints has changed my life and my heart. Maybe not one particular event, but many. At HEB camp, our Life Team, our Mission team, my close friends. All have a part in it, but it is a miraculous event. One of the deepest is a memory from our mission trip. We met early in the morning to share the Lord’s meal before our day’s activities. A cloud came over and started a hard downpour, and chased us all inside to a cramped stairwell, juice and bread in hand. What followed was a sharing of astounding blessing, punctuated by thunder and lightning. Some of our group were dealing with difficult issues, and we cried over each other. We spoke freely to each other, face to face and up close, making eye contact. The Spirit moved in most, if not all of us. We will always have a bond between us that is more than just friendship. We are becoming one as we share the Bread of Life. I dream about sharing that intimacy with the whole church, taking an hour or more if we need to…, but really sharing.

By: Serena Voss

Serena Voss — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:11:46 +0000

I had never heard of Clown communion. I was curious and googled it. I think having someone drop a nail in each hand during the serving of the emblems could create quite an emotional experience.

By: Lynna

Lynna — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:40:00 +0000

We used to have a thing called “The Gathering” in our community that was attended by people of many denominations. We served communion one Saturday night and it was very special to partake with people from our community that we don’t ordinarily worship with.

Clown communion blew me away the first time and the second time and……

I guess from a reconciliation standpoint, the most powerful experience I have had is serving communion to the man I fell in love with a few years ago who subsequently broke my heart. It is very powerful to serve someone who has hurt you very deeply and say “This is the body of Christ broken just for you, my brother.” Very healing.

By: Heather Alkire

Heather Alkire — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:53:50 +0000

Clown communion…no actually any Emmaus communion…serving communion to my Huddle when I was asked to lead one of our Wed. nights together…communion with brothers and sisters in Brazil. And every Sunday that we come to the front to take communion like last week, especially the time last quarter when my parents served me communion. What a powerful experience! I have non-CofC friends who say that if they took communion every week, for them it would lose its significance. For me, it is a powerful reminder every week of who I am and who I live for. Thanks for the inspiring thoughts, Mike!

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:29:10 +0000

Point taken, Keith.

By: john dobbs

john dobbs — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 18:08:00 +0000

At the end of our retreats at Gulf Coast Bible Camp we have a wonderful communion tradition. We sing for quite a while. Then some songs are played for us to sing along with … and as we are moved each gets up and goes to the back of the area where we are seated. Brothers and sisters gather around the tables and serve each other. After communion everyone is arm in arm…many hugs … many tears… expressing joy in the songs that no one has to lead, but just be moved by. This time is ended by singing together There’s A Stirring together. I have had some brief, but powerful conversations about how God is reaching our hearts…during this time.

By: laura oldenburg

laura oldenburg — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:07:30 +0000

Mike
Here it has been a struggle to focus on communion and have my experience be one of both community and intimacy with Jesus. Because the service is in english, sort of, rapid speaking with a singsong rythym.So I often read a passage to center my mind and spirit on Him. As i look up God reminds me of the variety of his reconciliation. He hears our hearts and we look thru His eyes as we seek Him in each other. The eyes of the Zambian brothers and sisters touch me in a way I cannot explain but am grateful to God who allows me to see Him so clearly thru them. By the way, this is all done in a very traditional service, not the type I would pick, but aren’t I glad it is about Jesus, not me.

By: Keith Brenton

Keith Brenton — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:24:07 +0000

Even if your wife would prefer square dancing, Frank?

Our time at the table is community time.

We feed each other. We glorify God. We don’t insist on our own way.

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 01:52:22 +0000

Keith, I respectfully disagree. Square dancing and the rumba both qualify as “dancing.” But if my wife is my partner, I’m picking the rumba every time.

By: That Girl

That Girl — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:32:43 +0000

Last month, in Tuscaloosa, the communion time was led by a group in China. Via a live webcam, we were able to share a special time with people that were physically far away but also very close in spirit.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 22:40:14 +0000

As I reread my comment, I realized “private” is not really the correct adjective. Of course, we are also involved with each other very intimately as we commune with the Lord who has promised to be there in the midst of us.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:57:15 +0000

Eating the Lord’s supper is perhaps the most personal and private expression of our relationship with Jesus and the Father. We do it to remember Him…I welcome ideas to help us remember Him. I have some fear though that our efforts to make communion more “meaninful” would have the same effect as many of our efforts to make singing more “relevant”…focusing more on us and our preferences than on the Lord.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 20:03:30 +0000

Several years ago my wife and I were members of a small group at Highland that was centered around the Lord’s Supper. One evening, after we had eaten a wonderful meal, we sat around the table for over an hour swapping stories and laughing. No deep lesson, no “church talk”, just spending time together.

Somewhere right in the middle of all this our host, a man in his 60’s, began to pass the elements of the Lord’s Supper around to each of us. We began to get quiet and he quickly protested, “No, keep talking. Just take and eat as you do.” So, we continued our conversation as we shared communion together. As the night began to wind down our host prayed for us that we might all know that Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection makes a claim on every aspect of our lives, even laugh-filled conversations with friends.

I often find myself thinking about that communion meal as I do even the most mundane tasks. What a blessing to know that the impact of the Lord’s Supper reaches far beyond the walls of the church and into every part of who we are as followers of Christ.