tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post99917505566829314..comments2024-03-28T11:33:16.271-05:00Comments on Adventus: Take, eat, this cinnamon roll is my...uh...this hot chocolate is my....wait a minute....Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-35583481831521961802013-04-04T13:05:16.918-05:002013-04-04T13:05:16.918-05:00At that same church in California, there was no al...At that same church in California, there was no altar rail, and the table was in the center of (traditional, cross-shaped) worship space. At the beginning of the celebration of the Eucharist, we would all gather around the table, and the children would come in from Sunday school to join us. The children were encourage to come up close to the table, and bulletins were placed on the table so they could follow along. <br /><br />When the bread and wine were served, the children were sent off to join their families, and there was a walking communion. Then you returned to your pew to kneel and pray as you chose. That church wasn't a big kneeling church. It was still liturgical; kneeling just wasn't a big part of the liturgy.<br /><br />My current church does the kneeling at the altar communion. I like both; the power for me, like you mention, is in the personal connection of being given the bread and the common cup.<br />Sherrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-36308193314680756372013-04-04T09:08:51.977-05:002013-04-04T09:08:51.977-05:00I always learn new things from everyone here. One...I always learn new things from everyone here. One of the few blogs whose archive I read with the comments. The Thought Criminalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381376556757084468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-31029723029784811432013-04-04T08:29:44.353-05:002013-04-04T08:29:44.353-05:00The great joy of this blog is what I learn.
Sherr...The great joy of this blog is what I learn.<br /><br />Sherri--I'm glad to know my experience has been so limited when it comes to the eucharist.<br /><br />Oddly, I found the most freedom with the elements on what could be considered the Day of Institution. I remember a Maundy Thursday service in my Presbyterian church where we gathered around a common table in the church (we were the Frozen Chosen: we took "Communion" in the pews, passing stainless steel trays with tiny cups and neatly square bits of wafer). This time was a shockingly memorable change.<br /><br />I held more than one service on Maundy Thursday as a meal, offering the elements and the ritual afterwards, in imitation of the Gospel stories.<br /><br />I wouldn't advocate doing that in regular worship. My best memories of the eucharist are kneeling at the Episcopal altar rail, taking from a common cup and being given the bread by the priest. I would only rise to challenge the narrowness some insist on for what can, or can't be, a eucharist observance.<br /><br />DAS--my knowledge of Jewish practice is that there was Temple worship, and then there wasn't, and eventually there was rabbinic Judaism, pretty much out of the Pharisaic tradition (if memory serves). I'm always glad for whatever light you can shed on my dark ignorance. Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-76925719987452918782013-04-04T06:33:44.801-05:002013-04-04T06:33:44.801-05:00A lot of ancient traditions (including those of th...A lot of ancient traditions (including those of the Hebrews) had a pattern of worship where offerings would be made to (the) God(s), offerings made to the priests and then everyone would have a big meal. That's fundamentally what Leviticus is about.<br /><br />Since the Temple was destroyed, such a pattern of worship cannot exist in the (if you'll pardon the use of the term ... here it's actually appropriate) Judeo-Christian context. Nu? We Jews believe prayer and Torah study (in particular studying Leviticus) substitutes for the offerings to God while shared meals substitute for the sacrificial meal. Isn't the Eucharist pretty much the same? A continuation of the Todah (Thanksgiving) offering in the absence of the Temple?<br /><br />Of course, from a Levitical perspective the ritual used matters a lot, although the particular food items in some cases can be adjusted based on financial considerations. Then again, later Jewish tradition would be less stringent: viz, the story of Hamsa and Bar Hamsa in which if a less than perfect sacrificial animal would have been accepted (among other things that went wrong, fixing any one of which would have stopped the cluster&*$#), the Temple would not have been destroyed. <br /><br />BTW: we insist on wine or bread for Friday night kiddush (sanctification) and wine for Pesach, for other kiddushim, not so much.DASnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-28836126372864389672013-04-03T22:54:39.322-05:002013-04-03T22:54:39.322-05:00One of the things I miss about the Episcopal churc...One of the things I miss about the Episcopal church I attended in California is that they got this: that the Eucharist is a coming together at the table to share a meal. At that church, BTW, we usually had whole wheat bread (from a local bakery), there were times that the bread was sweet, and for children and others who didn't drink alcohol, there was white grape juice.<br /><br />The church I attend now uses communion wafers, alas. Sherrinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9479398.post-31652182652004103692013-04-03T21:11:55.566-05:002013-04-03T21:11:55.566-05:00I agree with you. I agree with you. Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.com