Communion is whenever we eat together
by Pat Schosser, Burnsville, N.C.
Where does Communion come from? Is it just the Passover meal? The Passover is not the only place where the bread and wine were used.
I lived with a Jewish family when I lived in Allentown, Pa., as I trained in nursing. Every Sabbath, as we sat down for dinner, the candles were lit by the mother, and the Barocha (blessing) was said over the bread and then the wine. My sister married into the Jewish faith. At her son’s Bar Mitzvah, the rabbi invited those attending to partake in the bread and wine after the service. My youngest son went to the table, took the bread and dipped it into the wine (intinction), the method used at the church we were then attending.
In Acts, before Paul warned the early Christians of the dangers of taking the bread and wine without thought, Communion was a fellowship meal.
Perhaps Communion is more than just a service that we occasionally practice as Mennonites. Perhaps it is whenever we get together to eat. Jesus said, "Do this often in remembrance of me."
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