Take Your Time

Yesterday we celebrated communion in church. One of our elders directed the service and it was quite meaningful. He delivered a short, but stirring message. Rather than the hurried service that occurs in many churches, he took an appropriate amount of time for reflection.

The Assemblies of God is part of the Anabaptist tradition which treats the Lord's Supper as only a memorial. Though I understand this position (but wonder if other options are worth discussing--another day), what bothers me is we often treat it as if it is a "mere" memorial. Too often it is squeezed into the service somewhere and rushed through. In some churches, there is an elaborate system of distribution, but no time for focussing on meaning.

Communion should be unhurried. We need enough time to remember what we are supposed to be remembering. The fact of Jesus' death on the cross for our sins should inspire awe. That we partake of his sacrifice through eating the bread and drinking the cup should move us.

I appreciate that our church does not typically hurry through communion. I hope yours doesn't either.