Week 4 - Participating in Communion
Being a Christian means Participating in Communion
WHAT WE DISCUSSED ON SUNDAY IN REDEMPTION YOUTH
Sunday we continued answering, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” by learning how being a Christian means participating in communion. To help us understand the significance of communion for Christians we learned (1) the four main views of communion, (2) what the Bible tells us about communion, and (3) how we should think about communion today. The following is a summary of what we learned.
The Four Views of Communion
During the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s there arose new beliefs regarding what communion is and does. To this day these four views tend to dominate what churches believe about communion. The four views are:
Transubstantiation: (Catholic view) The bread and wine become Jesus’ physical body and blood.
Consubstantiation: (Lutheran view) The bread and wine spiritually becomes Jesus’ body and blood, as his Spirit is present underneath, above, around, and throughout the bread and wine.
Memorial: (Zwingli/Baptist view) Communion is purely in remembrance of Jesus’ death.
Spiritual Presence: (Calvinist/Reformed view) Jesus is really present through the Holy Spirit when we take communion.
What We Learn About Communion in John and 1 Corinthians
John 6:52-59
At the end of John 6, shortly after Jesus has told crowds of people that he is the bread of life, Jesus is asked by some of the Jews, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Rather than provide a scientific description of how his followers can eat his flesh, Jesus says, “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day… Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
This passage is commonly used by proponents of transubstantiation to prove that Jesus was talking about feeding on his physical, literal body and blood. The issue with this view, however, is that Jesus has one physical body, which resides in a singular location. Therefore, for the bread and wine to literally turn into Jesus’ physical body and blood upon consumption is to suggest that Jesus’ body is not only with God the Father in heaven but also dwelling in the stomachs of his followers. Furthermore, if Jesus’ physical body resides in multiple locations all at once, then Jesus ceases to be fully human and like us, which means Jesus would then cease to be the Jesus revealed to us in the Gospels.
While we should not use this passage as a prooftext for transubstantiation, we should recognize that it tells us something amazing about participating in communion—namely that through the taking of Jesus’ symbolic body and blood we are continually united to Christ and to one another.
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
In this passage, Paul is addressing a problem that has come up in the Corinthian church regarding the taking of communion.
The Problem: Paul learns that when the Corinthian church gathers there are some (likely wealthier) Christians who eat and drink a lot while others (who are likely poorer) go hungry. As a result of this, Paul points out that when communion is taken in this way it ceases to be communion, and simply becomes evening supper because some are being excluded.
The Solution: Paul tells the Corinthian Christians that they need to stop excluding people from communion. Instead, everyone is to either eat at home before they come (so they are not filling up on food while others go hungry), or they are to ensure there is enough food for everyone so they can participate equally in communion.
How We Should Think About Communion Today
With all of the above in mind, we should affirm the four following statements regarding communion.
Communion is for all Christians, no matter their gender, race, wealth, or status; and for us to deny anyone a seat at the communion table who is a Christian is for us to deny ourselves communion also.
Communion continually unites Christians to Christ and each other.
Jesus is really, spiritually present with us when we take communion, but the bread and wine do not become Jesus’ physical body and blood.
Communion reminds us of what Jesus has done for us.
HOW TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION AT HOME
First, a simple way to reiterate the conversation we had on Sunday at home is to simply ask your kid(s) if they preferred one of the four views of communion more than the others, and why.
Second, next Sunday, after service is over, you can ask your kid(s) why it was important that we took communion. Asking them this after church this Sunday will also help your kid(s) commit their understanding of communion to long-term memory.
Lastly, if your kid(s) profess faith in Jesus but have not taken communion before, now is a great time to have a conversation with them about taking communion and why it is important.