Should We Take Communion Virtually?
Dear One Hope Presbyterian,
Holy Week has always been special for our church. Although we are only seven-years old, we already have some rich traditions that have been woven into the fabric of our shared life together: our Maundy Thursday evening service, where remember the Lord's exhortation to love one another as He has loved us, and where we celebrate the Eucharist, or Communion together; our "Stations of the Cross" meditation on Friday, where we recall the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of Matthew (from memory!) as we journey to the cross (around the pond at LETU); and of course, our sunrise service at the Buckeye, where we celebrate that "He is risen indeed" while welcoming the dawning sun. (We also look forward to watching Charles and Titus pull cars out of the mud!) Together with you, we are disappointed that these traditions will not be the same this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many things that we do not understand about the Corona virus, but we are confident that our decision to cooperate with local and state officials and to not gather as a church on our Garfield campus has been the right decision--and may have even saved lives in our congregation. But in our desire to account for our losses and to try to make this week special even as we grieve, it is the conviction of the elders that we have made an error in suggesting that we should celebrate communion virtually. We are grateful for those of you who voiced your concerns with us and who explained how this decision seems to be out of step with what we teach each Sunday about the Lord's Supper. We agree.
Each Sunday we emphasize that this covenant meal is to only be taken when we "come together" (1 Cor 11.18, 20, 33). As we wrestle with what that phrase "come together" means, especially in our new world of virtual reality, we lack the conviction that a live stream or a video constitutes what Paul means. That is to say, that when we talk about the Eucharist being a "sign" and a "seal", we aren't just talking about the elements of the bread and the fruit of the vine. Instead, we are referring to the entire action, and in particular the action of publicly gathering and making our profession of faith as we stand and come to receive the elements. It is our conviction that virtual communion fails to signify a key aspect of the sign--that we are one particular, local, body of Christ who comes together to bear witness to the oneness that the Spirit has created through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In our mind, virtual communion remains a private, individual act that is unable to bear witness to the corporate nature of the shared meal. We are unable to adequately communicate our union with the body of Christ virtually.
Holy Week has always been special for our church. Although we are only seven-years old, we already have some rich traditions that have been woven into the fabric of our shared life together: our Maundy Thursday evening service, where remember the Lord's exhortation to love one another as He has loved us, and where we celebrate the Eucharist, or Communion together; our "Stations of the Cross" meditation on Friday, where we recall the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of Matthew (from memory!) as we journey to the cross (around the pond at LETU); and of course, our sunrise service at the Buckeye, where we celebrate that "He is risen indeed" while welcoming the dawning sun. (We also look forward to watching Charles and Titus pull cars out of the mud!) Together with you, we are disappointed that these traditions will not be the same this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many things that we do not understand about the Corona virus, but we are confident that our decision to cooperate with local and state officials and to not gather as a church on our Garfield campus has been the right decision--and may have even saved lives in our congregation. But in our desire to account for our losses and to try to make this week special even as we grieve, it is the conviction of the elders that we have made an error in suggesting that we should celebrate communion virtually. We are grateful for those of you who voiced your concerns with us and who explained how this decision seems to be out of step with what we teach each Sunday about the Lord's Supper. We agree.
Each Sunday we emphasize that this covenant meal is to only be taken when we "come together" (1 Cor 11.18, 20, 33). As we wrestle with what that phrase "come together" means, especially in our new world of virtual reality, we lack the conviction that a live stream or a video constitutes what Paul means. That is to say, that when we talk about the Eucharist being a "sign" and a "seal", we aren't just talking about the elements of the bread and the fruit of the vine. Instead, we are referring to the entire action, and in particular the action of publicly gathering and making our profession of faith as we stand and come to receive the elements. It is our conviction that virtual communion fails to signify a key aspect of the sign--that we are one particular, local, body of Christ who comes together to bear witness to the oneness that the Spirit has created through the death and resurrection of Jesus. In our mind, virtual communion remains a private, individual act that is unable to bear witness to the corporate nature of the shared meal. We are unable to adequately communicate our union with the body of Christ virtually.
Although our denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, has granted us permission to administer communion via live stream in this unprecedented time, we do not agree that this action constitutes the kind of gathering that is necessary for properly expressing what the meal bears witness to. We feel that we lose much more than we would gain in offering communion in this unusual time. While we respect the decision of other local bodies in our denomination that have opted for live streaming communion, we do not share the same conviction. As Paul has written, "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Rom 14.23).
So in this time of social distancing, we have an opportunity to share in solidarity with those around the world who for a variety of reasons do not have the gift of a local body with which to gather. And perhaps as we grieve this lose for our own local body, we can give thanks to God for what we have had over the years, and what we look forward to again in the near future.
Yours in Christ,
The Elders of One Hope Presbyterian
So in this time of social distancing, we have an opportunity to share in solidarity with those around the world who for a variety of reasons do not have the gift of a local body with which to gather. And perhaps as we grieve this lose for our own local body, we can give thanks to God for what we have had over the years, and what we look forward to again in the near future.
Yours in Christ,
The Elders of One Hope Presbyterian
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