Thoughts on communion observance - A letter from our Senior Pastor

Good afternoon, friends and family!

One of the important questions facing the Church (the church universal and local) today is whether we should or should not continue to observe Communion, The Lord’s Supper or The Eucharist, as it is variously called. Given that this sacrament is observed weekly at Redeemer, and was also an essential element of regular worship in the early church, forgoing its observance is a significant decision and requires some explanation. At its most recent meeting, the Session was able to take this matter up and wrestled deeply with the range of issues that would accompany any decision. In the end, the Session concluded to continue the practice of abstaining from administering the Lord’s Supper during this interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the grounds that this most aligns with the Biblical and sacramental vision God intends for this sacred rite.

In order for you to better understand the Session’s rationale, I was asked to share the Session’s thoughts on the matter.

First of all, let me outline the options to which congregations have turned and the difficulties that arise from each.

Self-administration/Self-serve Communion

This occurs when families or individuals observe the sacrament privately without the elements being consecrated by an ordained minister of the Gospel. For church traditions who do not have a distinct role for the clergy, this practice may already be commonplace. However, it is our conviction that the Biblical vision and example of the apostles reserve the administration of the sacraments to those specially called, trained, and set apart for this task. While we do embrace the “priesthood of all believers,” this does not imply that all believers are authorized to fulfill all functions in the church. Administration of the sacraments is reserved for those who fulfill the unique tasks of teaching and exercising authority (1 Tim. 2:12) in the church, and built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20).

In any situation, then, self-serve communion falls short of the Biblical vision and apostolic example.

Drive-through Communion

Other congregations, recognizing the deficiencies of “self-serve” practices, have offered what’s now being called “drive-through communion.” In this scenario, a lawfully ordained pastor or priest sets the elements apart and then communicants “drive up” to receive the elements. In some ways, this is an improvement, but it still falls short in another important way. The vision of the Supper that Paul gives to us in 1 Corinthians is one that requires the church to observe its oneness and the common bonds it enjoys in Jesus Christ.  In fact, Paul rebukes the Corinthians for turning the meal into something that pleased some and left others out (1 Cor. 11:20-22). Paul goes on to remind the Corinthians that believers must be able to discern “the body” in order to rightly participate in the meal (1 Cor. 11:29). Of course, this refers to rightly discerning the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the context suggests that Paul is referring also to the church. Importantly then, communion is not just about what we receive, it’s about what we share. If that “sharing” with one another cannot occur, then we must not participate.

Virtual communion

Still others have opted for what some have called “virtual communion” or “remote participation.” In this scenario, communicants gather the elements in their home prior to a virtual worship service. At the appropriate point during the worship service, the minister sets the elements apart by the Words of Institution and prayer for their sacred use and the communicants partake in their residences. Again, this approach is an improvement on the preceding options, but still misses the mark.

Fundamental to sacramental observance and not merely a memorializing of Jesus’ final meal with the disciples is the association of the “thing,” which in this case are the elements of bread and wine, and the “thing signified,” which is God’s divine grace communicated by the Holy Spirit and through faith (WCF 27.2). That means that occupying both the same time and space are critical to proper observance of the sacred rite. It’s this bread at this time and in this place that is set apart to communicate to us our participation in Christ’s body. It’s this wine at this time and in this place that is set apart to communicate God’s beautiful grace. Throughout its history, the church has recognized that if a communicant is absent from a particular observance of The Lord’s Supper, then they cannot share in that particular meal.

Tellingly, Jesus himself observes this principle that requires communicants to share a common place and time when the rite is administered. This is why he has chosen to forgo observance of this meal until he is able to once again gather in body, and in time and place, with his redeemed church (Matt. 26:29; Mk. 14:25; Lk. 22:16). Though by his Spirit Jesus communes with us during The Lord’s Supper, he does not himself partake of this meal because its sacramental character cannot be preserved.

Therefore, “virtual communion” or “remote participation” also fails to satisfy the Scriptural witness and Jesus’ intent for The Eucharist.

Nevertheless, this period in which our regular observance of The Lord’s Supper is interrupted does not lessen its spiritual significance. In fact, as God’s people have always recognized, such seasons are always important opportunities. The apostle Paul reminds us that our God is at work in periods of plenty and in seasons of want, giving us contentment in both (Phil. 4:11-12). Along these lines, we might consider this season analogous to any number of seasons of exile through which Old Testament saints had to endure. In those seasons, the regular worship of the Lord at the Temple had to cease, but that did not mean the spiritual vitality of God’s people had to suffer. By contrast, during such times God’s people were spurred toward sanctification in the midst of their difficult circumstances. Specifically, these providences provided opportunity for the following:

• God’s people mourned over their difficult situations (Psalm 137:1ff). When Judah suffered in exile while in Babylon, they lost the privilege of Temple worship. That loss though led them to grieve what had been taken away. It’s right for us to mourn this interruption. This is not the way it’s supposed to be. Personally, I am deeply frustrated. Yet, I also know that God has a purpose in this interruption.

• God’s people reflected on their situation and deepened in repentance (cf. Dan. 9:1-19). One of the most profound prayers of repentance in all of the Scripture is prayed by Daniel while in exile. While I’m not suggesting that COVID-19 is due to some specific sin, all seasons of exile and deprivation become opportunities for us to reflect on our need for Christ and how we have fallen short of his glory.

• During exile, the fires of longing and prayer were awakened. This is one of the great themes of the Songs of Ascent found in the middle of the Psalter. These were the songs that God’s people sang as they made their way towards Jerusalem for their annual Temple worship.

In this season, therefore, God is giving us a profound opportunity to long and look forward to him bringing us back together again that we might enjoy the full blessing of our worship together in Word and in Sacrament. With the Psalmist, we can prayerfully declare,

Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. —Ps. 120:6

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. —Ps. 121:1-2

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" —Ps. 122:1

Of course, lots more could be said. Indeed, there is a rich tradition within the church regarding the practice of what is known as Spiritual Communion (not to be confused with what is meant by the “Spiritual Presence” of Christ during The Lord’s Supper), which offers guidance to communicants separated by time and/or distance on how they might meditate on the Sacrament and look forward to participation once again. For now, however, in this season in which we forgo observance of The Lord’s Supper our focus can gather around the themes of mourning, repentance and longing.

Let me add a final word in conclusion. As believers we need to keep in mind that everyone will not see things exactly the same way. In fact, we may not all see things the same way here at Redeemer. Such a situation calls for charity, especially in this season of stress and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, let me urge you to be careful in your judgments upon those individuals and congregations who advise differently than we are here at Redeemer. If you are a part of Redeemer, however, I want to encourage you to joyfully submit your heart and life to your Session’s guidance on how we are relating to our sacramental convictions during this season. I promise that there will be a rich blessing for you if you do.

For Christ our Redeemer,