Not between us, but for us.
You see, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a relatively open table regarding Holy Communion. Any baptized Christian is welcome to come up and receive the elements, experience Jesus Christ present in, with, under, and around the bread and wine, and participate again in the grace present in this meal. It doesn't matter if you are Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, or Orthodox. It doesn't matter if you attend every Sunday or are sparse at best, if you give all you can to the Kingdom of God or don't consider tithing important, if you read your Bible daily or leave it in the corner to collect dust. If you've been baptized, and you believe that Jesus is Lord, you are welcome.
Which is awesome. But it's not enough for me.
Because Methodists enjoy a completely open table. Any and everyone is welcomed to come up and participate in this most holy of practices, because we believe that the Eucharist is a means of grace. It is possible for the first time one experiences God's love and glimpses grace for the first time to happen while engaging in this sacred meal! God can and has used this to change lives, and we do not believe that we have the authority to bar anyone from partaking.
Which is why, every Sunday as I stand before the table, I remind my congregation that everyone is welcome. You don't have to be a member of KUMC, you don't have to be a United Methodist, you don't even have to be a Christian. For everything that needed to be done in this meal to make is holy and grace-infused happened over 2000 years ago when the Son of God died on the cross. There is nothing we can do or have done to earn a place at this table. Jesus paid it all for us. Therefore, any and all who are ready to take a step in faith and who wish to experience God's grace have a place at Jesus' table.
There's the rub between the ELCA and the UMC. It's basically the only major doctrinal difference. What's funny, though, is that this is not now--nor will it ever be!--something that Jess and I argue about! We both agree that the Methodists do it better! (At least in this aspect. I'm still working to convince Jess that the UMC is right about everything else as well, and she's still trying--without success--to bring me over to the Dark Side).
It's sometimes hard for me to go into a different denomination's church and know that some are restricted from receiving the bread and wine/juice. Now, I will say that the ELCA is not near as restrictive as others--there are some churches who demand you be a member of their specific congregation to receive!--but it is hard nonetheless. In a world where there are too many who have been rejected by the church, it is a struggle to see them barred from very meal that we use to celebrate Jesus' free gift to all.
There are a lot of things that I think the UMC could do better. There are even some areas where I think reform and rejuvenation are necessary if we are continue being a vital church. But I thank God every day that we do this right.
Jess: I have struggled with this question of how to properly handle Communion for many years, but this year in particular has been difficult for me. Wes is absolutely correct that we as Lutherans commune only those who are baptized. While I sometimes struggle with this, I am also at peace with it.
The disciples most likely didn't start having Communion until after Jesus ascended. This means they received the Great Commission (to go throughout the world baptizing) before they began the practice of Communion. My guess is that they were baptized first, so it makes sense that this is our position. Lutherans put a lot of emphasis on "good order." We like to make sure that the means of grace (Communion and Baptism) aren't just thrown around willy-nilly. We believe that Christ commanded these sacraments and is truly present in them. Therefore, only ordained pastors can "do" the sacraments; we want to make sure reverence is kept.
So, I'm okay with the Lutheran understanding of keeping Communion after Baptism--first you are brought into the community, and then you share in the meal of the community. That's cool with me. What I have been struggling with is the idea that there is some perfect age at which children "know" or "understand" enough to be able to have Communion. We have no such expectation of Baptism. We emphasize God's work in action through the sacrament of Baptism, and yet we neglect to do so in Communion. We are content to have parents take on baptismal promises, but we're not willing to help them teach their children about Baptism. The most ridiculous part of this is that one of the baptismal promises is about Communion!
Most ELCA churches have some sort of age at which they have decided children are old enough to have Communion. At some point during the school year, those children (3rd graders or 1st graders or whatever) are invited to one or two classes about Communion, and then they receive it on the following Sunday. Other pastors have chosen to allow parents to come individually when they believe their children are "ready."
I have a huge problem with this. Yes, I absolutely believe that age-appropriate instruction regarding Communion is a must. I think it's a must across the board--from very young children to adults. We can always hear again about the grace we have received, and how we are receiving a tangible reminder of that grace in Communion. But we have absolutely no right to decide when a child is ready to receive the promise present in Communion. There is no age at which we fully "understand" what is happening in Communion--we Lutherans have many documents that admit this openly. If this is the case, then there is no point at which we should bar a baptized Christian from having Communion.
This has always weighed on my mind, but as I have had to watch James passed over each week (sometimes three times in the weekend) for Communion, I am absolutely positive that it's just plain wrong. Certainly, James has no idea what is going on as far as God's grace--he can't understand concepts like that. But he can absolutely understand that everyone else is being invited to share some bread and he is not. And he's 18 months old. Imagine how the 7-year-old who is "not ready" feels at being rejected like this. We are bringing up children who are learning that they are welcome to come to church, but they are not welcome to participate fully in the life of the church. We are raising children whose initial impressions of Communion revolve around being left out. This is not okay.
In Wes' church--but also in Methodist churches around the country--any child who holds out their hand receives Communion. It's okay if they ask this week but not next week. It's okay that they don't "know" what's going on. It's okay because, by being a part of this community meal, by hearing "This is to remind you that Jesus loves you," they are being accepted. And when they are accepted, they will stay around long enough to learn more about Jesus, to learn more about Communion, and to be disciples of Christ.
(For more information on the ELCA's stance on Communion, go here.)
You stay classy, world wide web.
Wes and Jess
