Reflections on Religion II

March 6, 2005

Reflections on Religion II

American Military University

HM 230, Introduction to World Religions

by James Landrith

While I never bothered to ponder its significance as a sacred ritual, I estimate that I probably participated in Holy Communion for a dozen years as a Christian. I first began to partake of Holy Communion at approximately age ten in a non-denominational Protestant church in Central Illinois.

In the King James Version of the Holy Bible, the Apostle Paul discussed the practice of Holy Communion. In I Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 16, Paul said,

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”

Having not considered the historic representative aspects of the ritual, I had originally looked upon Holy Communion as simply another aspect of Sunday worship services. I was less interested in why it was performed, rather than the fact that it’s was one of the last portions of the service prior to the start of Sunday School classes. In short, it was simply a little grape juice and a cracker, then the call for those wishing to become Saved that Sunday.

Until I had spent more time in study groups devoted to in-depth discussion of the Holy Bible, I did not appreciate the significance of the act. With my limited knowledge, I simply could not fully comprehend what the tiny glass of grape juice and wafer represented.

For instance, in I Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 24, Jesus is quoted on the occasion of the Last Supper with regard to this ritual, “…take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” With this statement, Christ has plainly declared the symbolism behind the practice of communion.

Further, in I Corinthians, Chapter, 11, Verse, 25, Christ goes on to say, “This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”

With this simple statement, Christ established a practice that has continued for over 2000 years in many variations, depending on the denomination and region. In every church and denomination in which I participated in this ritual, the practice was different in subtle and sometimes starkly different ways.

For instance, one particular non-denominational church I attended encouraged all members and guests, regardless of age or affiliation to participate in the ritual. In another non-denominational church, only members of a certain age could participate. In yet another, the Holy Communion was only practiced once a month, rather than every Sunday. In yet another, church I attended, one must have been baptized in said church in order to participate in the communion service.

I found that in congregations that partook of communion with both members and guests, the spirit of fellowship and community tended to be greater. Further, those congregations appeared to suffer fewer losses in membership and more repeat visitors.

While the conduct of the overall practice may vary greatly from congregation to congregation, the ritual’s meaning and origin are clearly laid out in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. However, only through study of the Scripture can one really comprehend this concept and its intent.

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