Lord's Supper - How It's Conducted

I am all for it!!!!

 

We serve wine from the pulpit side and grape juice from the lectern side (to offer an alternative for any alcoholics in the congregation). The bread alternates between big fluffy loaves and thin, little communion wafers. We almost always use intinction, although I personally am fond of the common cup.

Joshua

 

In my church when we observe communion we partake of the wine and the unleavened bread and we do something else I've not heard mentioned in other communion service, we wash feet!

John 13:4-15 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself.

5. After that he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.

6. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?

7. Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shall know hereafter.

8. Peter saith unto him, Thou shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, if I wash thee not thou hast no part with me.

9. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.

10. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.

11. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.

12. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?

13. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

14. If I then your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.

15. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

We commemorate the Lords supper by wine, unleavened bread and the washing of the saints feet the example he left for us to follow until he comes again.

Do you wash each others feet? ... Brother Glen

 

Wow, its feels good to be back with the baptists after taking a dip in the "other religion" pool (forum), lol

Anyways, the thing that bothers me the most is how at our church we sit down to recieve communion. Of course i'm used to the Lutheran churches view. Still though i think we should go up to the alter to recieve communion.

Until Next Post, Adam

 

If you have an altar in a Baptist Church, you're not in the same kind as we have in the Midwest!!

An "altar" is a place of sacrifice. Since we have the cross once-for-all-time sacrifice, to have any "altar" today seems sacreligious to me.

Most Baptist churches have a communion table simply to hold the elements (and usually a big Bible!)

And as to the elements, IF you believe it is correct to use unleavened bread (leaven is sometimes used as a picture of sin, sometimes not) as they did in the Passover, then please use unleavened (fully fermented and kosher) wine.

Seems incongrusou (and silly) to have sugary heavily-leavened Welchade ruining the syumbolism and then tasteless little unleavened bread morsels.

 

FlyFree,

We do not remain seated. The celebrant follows the service of the Eucharist from the Book of Common Prayer and then a co-celebrant comes forward and the two of them carry the elements forward. The one holding the wine goes to the pulpit side, and the one with the grape juice goes to the lectern side.

As to having an altar in a baptist church, there is some argument for calling the Lord's Supper table an altar. Sacrifice is part of our religious heritage and is memorialized every Sunday in the Eucharist. In addition, church is a place where we are invited to sacrifice our old lives and desires to the will of God.

Joshua

 

I prefer the common loaf when partaking of Lord's Supper. I also like to do it in conjunction with a fellowship meal as was the practice in the early church.
I wish Baptists were more prone to partake the Supper more often. Once a quarter, which seems to be the norm among rank and file Baptists, is not often enough. I'd have no problem with partaking of it every Sunday. I know the typical Baptist argument: "doing it every Sunday cheapens it." But we don't use that argument against preaching, offerings, or hymn singing do we?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by adam1946:
Do you wash each others feet? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>No, Glen, we don't. If you will read the verses you posted, in context, you will see that Jesus was talking about taking a bath and being clean, then when you got dirty from just walking around, all that needed to be washed was your feet. Note that it was Jesus who washed the feet.

Jesus was talking about having our sins forgiven at salvation (illustrated by being completely bathed). Then, in the course of daily living in the world, we pick up sins (dirty feet). At that time we must go back to Jesus to have our sins forgiven. Not get resaved, just take care of the daily sins we picked up along the way. And it is Jesus who forgives our sins, both at salvation and daily in our devotions/confession.

 

Plus, the two ordinances of the church (Baptism and Lord's Supper) directly proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ. The observance of these ordinances are for the purpose of remembering Christ's atoning work and conquering death. Feet washing does not proclaim this. Feet washing was a cultural custom, not a church ordinance, further proven by the fact that the epistles never refer to foot washing but do reference the acts of baptism and Lord's Supper.

 

I appreciate the illustrations from you learned brethren, they have a lot of spiritual application as we strive to serve the Lord.

To me personally, Jesus set an example for us to follow and it gives me great joy to kneel at my brothers feet and wash them.

I know about the custom of washing feet, but to my understanding Jesus was setting an example for his children to follow.

To me an example has just as much validity as a command and I will continue to wash my brother feet. In so doing I'm washing Jesus' feet with my tears of thanksgiving for all he has done for me.

I've been washing feet for 33 years and I'm not done thanking Jesus yet!



... Thanks for your loving responds... Brother Glen

 

Bro. Wells said:

The actual practice of "foot washin' Baptists" is pretty rare.

Bro. Wells ... foot washing is not all that uncommon down here in the South. It is mostly done in the Freewill Baptist Churchs in South Georgia and north Florida. I haven't tryed it but wonder what the fellowship must be like.