Virtual Communion
Good Friday is nearly upon us.
Each year as we gather to remember the crucifixion, we also gather around the Table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
We plan to do the same this year, simply in front of our respective devices.
And I want to ask you to join me.
The Lord’s Supper—also known as Communion—was a meal Jesus instituted the night before he was crucified. It is something that each of us look forward to on Good Friday, as we remember the broken body and spilled blood of our Savior.
In order to prepare, you will need to gather the following:
Remember: It is not the elements themselves that bring us grace from God, nor is it the Supper itself. In fact, were we not to have any elements to take, we could still simply remember and savor the thought of the saving grace of our good God and be similarly edified. We take this Supper as a physical reminder, as a way to engage all of our senses into the act of recollection, bringing our entire body into the experience of remembrance.
Our hope is that this will be a “church family-wide” service, meaning that, as far as it is possible, every one of our members will participate at the same time so that we can re-member the Body in unison, as best as possible. This is why we are offering one service time at 7 p.m. this Friday. Yes, you can watch and participate later, but, if possible, I’d like to ask each of us to join in for this special commemoration of the crucifixion. The service will be shorter in length than usual, but I believe it will be unique and meaningful.
If you are like me, you may wrestle with the theological implications of taking Communion “virtually.” As I thought through those implications, I reached out to one of our former pastors—Dr. Stuart Sheehan. Stuart now serves as President of World Hope Ministries International, and my discussion with him on this topic was exceptionally fruitful. Many other pastors who are part of WHMI also reached out, so he wrote the most extensive treatment of this topic I have seen thus far. You can read it here, if you would like.
I pray you are having a blessed Holy Week, and I look forward to taking the Supper with each of you this Friday.
Because of Jesus,
Steve Bezner
Each year as we gather to remember the crucifixion, we also gather around the Table to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
We plan to do the same this year, simply in front of our respective devices.
And I want to ask you to join me.
The Lord’s Supper—also known as Communion—was a meal Jesus instituted the night before he was crucified. It is something that each of us look forward to on Good Friday, as we remember the broken body and spilled blood of our Savior.
In order to prepare, you will need to gather the following:
- Bread. If you have a flatbread or a cracker, that is preferable, as it is the sort of bread the disciples would have eaten. If not, however, any bread will do.
- Juice or wine. If you do not have grape juice or wine available, other juice will do in this moment.
Remember: It is not the elements themselves that bring us grace from God, nor is it the Supper itself. In fact, were we not to have any elements to take, we could still simply remember and savor the thought of the saving grace of our good God and be similarly edified. We take this Supper as a physical reminder, as a way to engage all of our senses into the act of recollection, bringing our entire body into the experience of remembrance.
Our hope is that this will be a “church family-wide” service, meaning that, as far as it is possible, every one of our members will participate at the same time so that we can re-member the Body in unison, as best as possible. This is why we are offering one service time at 7 p.m. this Friday. Yes, you can watch and participate later, but, if possible, I’d like to ask each of us to join in for this special commemoration of the crucifixion. The service will be shorter in length than usual, but I believe it will be unique and meaningful.
If you are like me, you may wrestle with the theological implications of taking Communion “virtually.” As I thought through those implications, I reached out to one of our former pastors—Dr. Stuart Sheehan. Stuart now serves as President of World Hope Ministries International, and my discussion with him on this topic was exceptionally fruitful. Many other pastors who are part of WHMI also reached out, so he wrote the most extensive treatment of this topic I have seen thus far. You can read it here, if you would like.
I pray you are having a blessed Holy Week, and I look forward to taking the Supper with each of you this Friday.
Because of Jesus,
Steve Bezner