The Participation Aspiration

I don't take Communion too often; in fact I can't even remember the last time I took Communion… some people would think that's a bad thing, a very bad thing. 

I'm not against Communion, in fact I like it; at least the description of it I read about in the New Testament. I did some research on the Early Church & discovered that Communion was actually called a Love Feast & it was festive. I imagine it was a complete meal w/ all the “fixins” (pardon my Southern roots slippin' through), wine & laughter & fellowship.

From what I gather, some people were coming early & hoarding all the food, not sharing it w/ others, getting drunk, etc, hence Paul's admonition not to “partake unworthily”. That's kind of a far cry from what Communion has become now as a solemn event complete w/ introspection, a cracker & a shot glass of Welches… that sounds like buckets of fun.

Note to self: develop a universally recognized sarcasm font.

In the OT when the sacrifice (any sacrifice) was brought to the priest, he didn't inspect the person bringing the sacrifice, he inspected the sacrifice itself & if it was perfect, it was accepted. Never once is it recorded that the priest inspected the person or asked them to be introspective; the focus was always on the sacrifice.

Modern day Communion has, for the most part, taken it's focus off of the perfect sacrifice in the person of Jesus & made it all about introspection, lest you “partake unworthily”. These are just a couple of the reasons that I really don't care for Communion in the modern/institutional/traditional church setting. 

I'm tired of seeing Communion conducted as a funeral dirge.  

I'm tired of stale crackers & old grape juice. 

I'm tired of solemn rituals when remembering Jesus.

I want to celebrate Jesus! 

I want to celebrate His sacrifice, His death, His resurrection & His life in me! 

Jesus counted it all joy & so should we!

I would love to see table after table of fresh bread, cheese, fruit, wine and/or grape juice in tall glasses, all “the fixins” spread out for Believers to enjoy. 

I would love to see people feasting on the Lord, tasting of Him & seeing that He is good, really good.

I would love to hear laughter during Communion,  to hear some music that rocks the house & shakes Heaven w/ our worship.

Heaven is a place of both reverence & celebration; those don't have to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. Remember the phrase “on earth as it is in Heaven”? Heaven is festive.

For me, all I want is an All-You-Can-Eat Super-sized Communion Happy Meal & you know what? I believe God wants that too (at least once in a while).