Communion Wine or Grapejuice

Wine or Grapejuice

  • Wine

    Votes: 5 20.0%

  • Grapejuice

    Votes: 15 60.0%

  • Camm option : Mountain Dew

    Votes: 5 20.0%
  • Total voters
    25
Lloren

Lloren

Christian Gamers Alliance Forums Administrator
Again another non-salvific topic, but out of curiosity, what do you or your church believe? If you do one or the other why?

Also, with what frequency do you do communion in your fellowship?

The poll is anonymous.
 
We use grape juice rather than wine - part tradition and part because we work with a lot of alcoholics in our community.

We celebrate - usually - once a month - usually - the first Sunday. I say usually because sometimes that changes due to circumstances. Some baptist churches in our denomination celebrate communion every week and some once a quarter. It just depends on the church.

Good question to raise - I, too, will be interested in the responses. Thanks.
 
Every week and only wine. There are some tables setup with both wine and juice, and it is clearly labeled.


I think you should also ask who uses unleavened bread. I find it funny when a church is proud to be using wine as "its biblical" but then they use some fluffy Hawaiian bread or something.
 
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I said Mountain Dew because I am not entirely sure what the church I prefer to attend serves with communion.
 
ewoksrule said:
I think you should also ask who uses unleavened bread. I find it funny when a church is proud to be using wine as "its biblical" but then they use some fluffy Hawaiian bread or something.
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Good point. Bread or wafer or pizza rolls.
 
LOL



Many of the churches I attended did the once a month thing. It always bothered me since the Biblical teaching says to do it every time we meet not every first Sunday of the month. It bothered me more that the main reason behind every church doing that was logistics and business. It was too distracting to the main service, or too big a challenge to do it each week. It was never a Biblical reason for only once a month but some pragmatic thing. Does that bother anyone else?

This reminds me of the Derek Webb song "I want a new law"
don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music

don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law

(pre-chorus)
i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

(chorus)
i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

(vs. 2)
don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice
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Lazarus said:
We used to drink real blood at my old church.

Hence, the not going there anymore.
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wow, good move.

ewoksrule said:
Many of the churches I attended did the once a month thing. It always bothered me since the Biblical teaching says to do it every time we meet not every first Sunday of the month. It bothered me more that the main reason behind every church doing that was logistics and business. It was too distracting to the main service, or too big a challenge to do it each week. It was never a Biblical reason for only once a month but some pragmatic thing. Does that bother anyone else?
Click to expand...

I also agree with doing it everytime we meet as well (do you a reference to back this point?). It doesn't bother me that my brothers and sisters do it a different way or less frequently.

Beyond the pragmatic and logistic excuses for infrequency I have also heard that it takes away from it being "special". It is commonly heard that if we had communion everyday that it would become ritualistic and mechanical rather than springing from the heart. Right or wrong... that's what we hear.
 
You know the comment Laz made me laugh at first but actually this is what the Majority of Christianity does believe and practice no? Assuming you count Catholics (who dwarf protestants in members) in Christianity.
 
ewoksrule said:
You know the comment Laz made me laugh at first but actually this is what the Majority of Christianity does believe and practice no? Assuming you count Catholics (who dwarf protestants in members) in Christianity.
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:D True, if you are referring to transubstantiation.

Although it seems modern evangelicalism has replaced this as a mere symbolic event with no spiritual event. So I guess we expanding the question:


What is communion to you? and how should it be taken (or does it matter)?
1. Transubstantiation or Symbolism (or in between)?
2. Administered by a lay person or minister?
3. Wine / grapejuice?
4. Unleavened bread / cracker / wafer?
5. Taken frequently / monthly / randomly?


Here I thought this was a simple grapejuice / wine discussion. lol :)
 
My church is a little different, they usually label communion as a "love feast", and it is more random and dependent on the corps officers. It does mean quit a bit when performed too.
 
ewoksrule said:
Many of the churches I attended did the once a month thing. It always bothered me since the Biblical teaching says to do it every time we meet not every first Sunday of the month. It bothered me more that the main reason behind every church doing that was logistics and business. It was too distracting to the main service, or too big a challenge to do it each week. It was never a Biblical reason for only once a month but some pragmatic thing. Does that bother anyone else?
Click to expand...

Don't let it bother you too much, ewok. Most of our communion practices (and most other practices for that matter) are based on tradition, not biblical teaching. The Bible just doesn't say much about the practical side of how to run a church or worship service. It deals mostly with the relationship side of things.

Actually the Bible does NOT say do communion every time you come together.

Jesus did it with the disciples once, at the Passover - as recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. As far as we know he didn't do communion as part of his meals with the disciples before his ascension. There could be an argument for doing it annually, at a Maundy Thursday seder type meal, if you wanted to follow Jesus example.

Yet, Jesus did say, regarding the cup, "Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." But he didn't say how often that should be.

The early church in Corinth celebrated communion when they had their fellowship meal. Like with Jesus, the communion was part of a meal. They may or may not have done that weekly - it simply doesn't say. Even if the Corinthian church did take communion once a week, I'm not sure we'd want to model our churches after the church in Corinth. Paul's letter to them was to correct all the bad things going on in that church. Paul told them:

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good...What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! 1 Corinthians 11:17,22 (NIV)

He was referring to their version of the Lord's Supper, and they made a royal mess out of communion.

Lloren said:
Beyond the pragmatic and logistic excuses for infrequency I have also heard that it takes away from it being "special". It is commonly heard that if we had communion everyday that it would become ritualistic and mechanical rather than springing from the heart. Right or wrong... that's what we hear.
Click to expand...

Even then, only 20-30 years after Jesus death, communion had lost its sense of remembrance and celebration for that congregation. Maybe they were doing communion every week - we don't know for sure - but for whatever reason, it certainly had ceased to be "special."

Like I said in an earlier post on this thread: I have friends I love who celebrate communion once a week, once a month, and once a quarter. I have friends who believe in open communion and friends who hold to closed communion. Friends who would never do grape juice and friends who would never do wine. I happen to like the way we do communion - that is one reason I go to my church.
 
Our church does grape juice and wafers weekly. But it merely offered, not commanded, and many choose to take it far less frequently than it is offered. I assume that some like to do it less frequently to reduce the chance that they will personally reduce it to a ritual. Personally, I take it every week that I am in the service (I miss between 1/3 and 1/2 of all services because of work, teaching the youth group, and other factors). But I take it as a serious moment to reflect upon my relationship with God and re-affirm my commitment to Him. I am intentional about making it meaningful and personal.

But I don't criticize others that take it more or less often, for the same reason. I assume that they are trying to keep it personal; trying to keep it from being a ritual.

As for the difficulty in preparing communion weekly, it actually isn't a huge process. Including meditation scripture, distribution, and reflection time, the whole process usually takes about 7 or 8 minutes. The preparation can be done in about 5 minutes, cleanup in another 5 minutes.

It's actually harder to find volunteers to serve, and that's not even that difficult.
 
Here's the twisted thing about the "frequency begats ritual" thought.

It reflects the depravity of my own heart. We aren't reflecting that communion is bad, but we are saying in effect , "I can't be trusted to do communion right all the time! My heart will mechanicalize it! Run away!" Isn't that the reason we need it so much? Because we are sinners in desperate need of God's daily bread and remembrance of His salvation for us available through Christ Jesus?

Another analogy alongside this (earmuffs if you aren't married) is sex. If consummating a marriage is a ritual should you do it? It is something God has designed for a husband and wife to enjoy for His glory. We would be foolish to "ritualize" it. ... and here is the kicker.... If we do make it "rote and mechanical" it doesn't mean we should stop doing it. It just means we need to repent.
 
Abba San said:
Don't let it bother you too much, ewok. Most of our communion practices (and most other practices for that matter) are based on tradition, not biblical teaching. The Bible just doesn't say much about the practical side of how to run a church or worship service. It deals mostly with the relationship side of things.

Actually the Bible does NOT say do communion every time you come together.

Jesus did it with the disciples once, at the Passover - as recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. As far as we know he didn't do communion as part of his meals with the disciples before his ascension. There could be an argument for doing it annually, at a Maundy Thursday seder type meal, if you wanted to follow Jesus example.

Yet, Jesus did say, regarding the cup, "Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." But he didn't say how often that should be.

The early church in Corinth celebrated communion when they had their fellowship meal. Like with Jesus, the communion was part of a meal. They may or may not have done that weekly - it simply doesn't say. Even if the Corinthian church did take communion once a week, I'm not sure we'd want to model our churches after the church in Corinth. Paul's letter to them was to correct all the bad things going on in that church. Paul told them:

In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good...What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! 1 Corinthians 11:17,22 (NIV)

He was referring to their version of the Lord's Supper, and they made a royal mess out of communion.



Even then, only 20-30 years after Jesus death, communion had lost its sense of remembrance and celebration for that congregation. Maybe they were doing communion every week - we don't know for sure - but for whatever reason, it certainly had ceased to be "special."

Like I said in an earlier post on this thread: I have friends I love who celebrate communion once a week, once a month, and once a quarter. I have friends who believe in open communion and friends who hold to closed communion. Friends who would never do grape juice and friends who would never do wine. I happen to like the way we do communion - that is one reason I go to my church.
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I'm not sure where the idea comes from that it should be every time we meet. I used to believe the same thing (and was rather annoyed at my church) until someone asked me to provide a reference. I had to retract my statement because I couldn't find any support in the Bible. I'm not sure where I picked the original belief up from, but I wish I knew. . .
 
Yeah - it is one of those things that just seems to be a fact...when it is not. Kind of like the three wise men and Christmas. It doesn't say three anywhere.
 
Personally, I've only taken communion with grape juice. It's always been grape juice at every service I've attended, with the exception of the few Catholic masses I've attended, but that's not offered to me anyway. I wouldn't be bothered by wine at communion, but I'm just fine with grape juice.

At the church we go to now, they usually just offer communion once a month at the Sunday evening service. They used to do it more frequently at the morning service, but it's pretty uncommon lately.

Our church before that (in St. Louis), we did it monthly. Before that, the church we almost joined did it every week.

I think the question of pass the plate vs go up and take the elements might also be an interesting question. I've done it both ways, and I think I like going up for it better. Seems like it requires more initiative and it's more conducive to reflection than just taking what is passed to you. But I think either method is fine.

As for the "bread," it's been anything from oyster crackers to broken saltines to tear-off-your-own-from-a-loaf to the tiny, square cracker-bread things made just for communion. Never had a wafer. =P
 
Acts 20:7
is about the only reference that seems to point to weekly and its kinda weak support for that.
I think the "as often as you drink this" in the Corinthians verse somehow gets twisted to as often as you meet.
 
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