Unused communion bread and fruit of the Vine?

Hmmm...I've never heard of this before. Well, not from Baptists of any sort.

Catholic priests, at least in the past, ate and drank everything that was left. Of course, Baptists believe it is still basically food and drink and, apart from the supper, has no added significance, so I don't quite understand why one would bury it.

 

We don't do anything special with the unused bits. We usually pour the grape juice back into the container it came out of and throw the cracker bits away.

Why does your church choose to pray over and bury them? I have never heard of anything like that.

 

Is this a common practice among Old Regular Baptists, or the Indian Bottom Association ORB, or just your congregation? What's the reason for it? This is something new to me.

 

When I was a little boy I quickly made my way to the front of the church after the Lord's Supper. The kids who were fast enough got to drink the juice that is left over. Kids in my church still do the same thing. As for the bread we put it back in the box for use the next time. I think burying the unused portions is giving to much emphasis to the elements. It's what they represent that matters. After all they are just juice and bread and nothing else.

 

While this is new to me I also think it is fine as long as this does not suggest some sort of special favor from the Lord since there is no command to do this. Or you are not praying for the elements since there is not anything holy about the bread or the wine any more then there is anything holy with the water in the baptistery. If you are simply praying some sort of thanks giving for the Lord's sacrifice then that is fine. It seems to show respect to the ceremony as well as the Lord. I had to look up the ORB and I found this link with videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP-LhUb1Ejo
Also I saw here in one post where the children after the ceremony race to the front to drink and eat what remains. This is in my opinion showing disrespect for the ceremony as well as what the Lord has done for us. In my opinion it would be better to just throw everything out in private.

convicted1 I commend you and that church for the handling of the elements in a respectful manner. I am afraid that today most of us have become far to complacent to the things of the Lord. We simply have forgotten what holiness is and how to handle it. Like I stated as long as this is not seen as some special favor above another for the one carrying out this ritual it is a good thing. In other words the other people do not look on the one carrying this out as somehow above another who does not get to do this. I can see how this could be a personal blessing, God bless.

 

Just another quirk of the ORBs in WV.

Of course, if the bread comes out of it's little grave after 3 days, I might believe in "transubstantiation"! LOL...

Sorry, but to apply special meaning to a memorial service for bread and juice borders on superstitious if not down right blasphemy. The bread and juice is simply symbolic.. There is NOTHING special that happens to them when they are used in communion.

This practice indicates that there are some heretical tendencies within the ORB churches that do this. They are either buying in to the Catholic teaching or Lutheran teaching.

To answer the question in the OP...
We throw away the unused elements...

 

We throw them away. We don't allow kids to drink it up.

So convicted what does the "I am I am's" mean?

 

Brother I bolded the part of your statement that IS exactly what the Catholics believe, and EXACTLY what Baptists for centuries have been against the Catholic church for.

The bread and Juice IS NOT the body and blood of Jesus.

Burial is reserved for humans. Because it signifies that life was once in the body.

There is NO life in the bread and Juice. To bury it signifies that you believe that there was life in it at one point.

I am not calling you a heretic.. .but this practice Is found NO place in scripture, and can be a slippery slope of idolatry. It is going beyond just respect, it is giving human qualities to the elements.

I agree with you, that just letting the kids devour it, shows disrespect.
That is why we simply throw it away, and drain the juice down the kitchen sink.

Maybe I was too tough in my last post, and I apologize for the way I worded things. but I take a firm stand against transubstantiation, or even consubstantiation.. and if you don't know what those two terms mean, look it up.. because you are very close to one of those two heresies... and I would hate for you to cross over into a practice that is dangerous.

 

Wait a minute. Letting kids drink it is disrepectful but it's not disrepectful to chunk it in the garbage or pour it down the drain. Seems the same to me. At least when the kids drink it it's not wasted. Actually, it's not a hill to die on. Convicted, if you are convicted that you are doing the right thing then more power to you. It's not a hill to die on.

 

That I like. I belong to I AM. I am I AM's.

 

Thanks, it makes sense now.

 

Sounds like he was talking about spiritual presence, not physical presence, which can be debated but is something less than transubstantiation. And it certainly isn't the belief of Catholics.

I don't know, though. I've never heard of burying it.