Opening
In the New Testament we should be struck by the utter ease that defined life in the first churches. We are given a wide image of church existence, but many particulars - which are annoying for us - are left unaffected by the New Testament. As time elapsed, the observable church lost its first simplicity and became enmeshed in a quagmire of ecclesiastical machines and theological speculation.
The Lord's Supper is a precedent. There's a simplicity about that ordinance in the sketchy New Testament data. Yet in post-apostolic times the remembrance meal became embedded in hierarchical church structures to ensure that it became a mysterious ritual to be "administered" by the "ordained," and ended up being the supply of endless speculation about "what happens" in the "sacrament."
Evidence suggests that this memorial meal, and the instruction which supported it, was a center point in Christian units (cf. Acts 20:7). Eating together in the "breaking of bread" and recalling God the Father in the Meal were nearly synonymous in Christian worship. Naturally, many things have changed in our practice considering from the start. In this essay, compare them with your ideas and techniques - and I would want to explore some fundamental factors concerning the Lord's Supper - based on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
The Historical Construction of the Supper
To start with, it will likely be beneficial to isolate the three fold historical construction which exists in the association of the Supper itself. Only by holding these three outlooks in proper equilibrium can we even hope to approach the Supper correctly.
1. Remember Yesteryear
In God's Supper we recall the past. The covenant that provides us the pardon of sins was ratified, or "cut," by the shed...
... middle of paper ...
...a fellowship meal. Rather, when we get a vision of the kind of fellowship and treatment which should characterize Christian assemblages, we are going to find the worth, benediction and sophistication of remembering the Lord together in a meal circumstance. Altering a sort cannot create life. Instead, energetic life provides with it a strong want to use those sorts that will maximize sophistication.
They could freely work out creative approaches to execute a remembrance meal that fulfills the requirements and specifics of the circumstances, as churches get ahold of New Testament principles. I really believe that lots of saints understand (painfully) in their hearts that there is something missing in the churches' practice of the Supper. May considered of the historical arrangement and environment of the Supper assist us in recovering the facts because it is in Jesus.
The meal, and more specifically the concept of the family meal, has traditional connotations of comfort and togetherness. As shown in three of Faulkner’s short stories in “The Country”, disruptions in the life of the family are often reinforced in the plot of the story by disruptions in the meal.
A meal is sometimes not just a meal. Sometimes it hold deeper meaning. A meal could signify characters getting along or not.
The most popular understanding of the atonement today is the theory of “penal substitution.” The concept and idea of a wrathful God who can only have his anger at wicked sinners only appeased through bringing about the violent death of his Son on the cross – forms the basis of much Evangelical thinking, although it was not a view held by the early church. Penal substitution first emerged with Anselm in the 11th century. It was substantially shaped by John Calvin in the Reformation Era but was ultimately finalized by Charles Hodge who lived in the 19th century in the United States; he taught at Princeton Seminary for fifty years. Charles Hodge explains to us how penal substitution provides deliverance from the power of sin and Satan, something more directly associated with Christus Victor model of atonement. (p. 144). Jesus took the punishment because the law was broken and somebody has the pay the crime. Historically the word “satisfaction” does not mean grafication as in common usage, but rather “to make restitution”: mending what has been broken, paying back what was taken and can be connected with the legal concept of balancing out an injustice according to Anselm. From the legal aspect the purpose of satisfaction is not heal us or restore us inwardly, but is rather to satisfy society.
Attending a non-denominational church we start out with worship and being free to sing and dance and let our spirits take over. This may come out as someone running around the pews, or on their knees, but while in the Catholic Church the environment was much different. It was a lot more structured and formal in a sense than that of the non-denominational church where I practice my faith. Another difference was the offering, or as the Catholic Church calls it, the Gift. I am use to this concept, but rather than taking Gifts at the beginning of the service they take it at the end; then came communion. This is where you take part in eating the bread and drinking the wine in symbolism of Jesus’ body and blood. This I was also familiar with, but was informed by the couple that I went with that they partake in com...
The service began with a time of invocation through prayer, responsive reading and song that evoked the presence of God. An oil fueled candle and tray that contained the communion bread and grape juice were then placed at the center of a table. The invocation brought attention to the reality that we who were in attendance were not merely gathered as individuals. We were part of a community, the larger body of Christians from which we came. Remarks were made that emphasized the significance of the event and the paradox in sharing the...
I have always found communion to be an important sacrament to the Christian faith, but sometimes its meaning can be lost in repetitiveness. Sara Miles, in her book Take This Bread, has shed a new light on what it means to take communion as she writes about her transformation into being a Christian by receiving bread and wine. Hunger is the main theme of the book, whether it be spiritually or physically, all humans are linked by that common need. This transformation goes beyond her and pours into the souls and bodies of the San Francisco community, by sharing not only food but the body of Christ. This book has pushed me to get past my comfort zone and heavily consider the way in which food can be an important aspect of my faith and how I share
Thesis Statement: These key events reforming religion are what shaped the world for good and for bad in the 14th to the 19th century.
Food is commonly mentioned throughout Old English and Medieval literature. In “Beowulf”, much of the action revolves around the mead hall where great banquets are held. In “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, the poem begins in the banquet hall and the Green knight first appears before King Arthur and his guests at a feast. Since most of the recipes which I used are from the 14th century I focused most of the literary aspect of my presentation on Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” First of all the whole reason that the pilgrims tell their tales is because the inn keeper agrees to give the teller of the best story a free dinner at the end of the pilgrimage. Three characters, in particular, are described in the general prologue in relation to food, the nun or prioress, the franklin, and not surprisingly the cook.
Many times couples will incorporate Communion into the wedding ceremony, making Communion their very first act as a married couple.
After accepting Suzy’s offer to dinner, Thomas and Victor sit down to watch cowboys vs. Indians on TV while Suzy serves them fry bread. Thomas tells Victor it’s almost as good as Arlene’s. Victor says that’s impossible and that his mother cooks the best fry bread in the world. Then Thomas starts to tell a story about how there was a huge feast on the reservation with over 100 Indians. They had deer meat and a lot of mashed potatoes and some fry bread. But Thomas goes on to say that the fry bread made all the difference in the world. And that “a good piece of fry bread turned any meal into a feast”. The problem was that there were only 50 pieces of fry bread. So Arlene ripped each piece in half to feed everyone. The story ends up being untrue but it shows just exactly how important fry bread is to this film. Suzy is able to relate to Thomas and Victor simply by feeding them fry bread and talking about it. It breaks down the tension between these strangers. Thomas’s story shows how important fry bread is among the people at the reservation. It can change a regular meal into a feast. The idea of feast seems so much grander than a meal, it means people coming together to celebrate. For Native Americans fry bread, a symbol of their culture, is reason enough to celebrate. They may have been persecuted for centuries, but they can hold onto their heritage through fry bread. The filmmakers make Thomas’s story especially memorable through lighting and framing. When Thomas is telling his story we are watching images of Arlene preparing the bread. At one point she holds the fry bread over her head to tear it. The image seems almost Christ like. During the last supper Jesus breaks bread in a similar way. The lights are directed towards the bread which makes it pop on screen. Arlene is standing at the head of the table and is perfectly centered in the shot. The combination of lighting and framing makes the fry bread
More specifically, their traditions include the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit; salvation through conversion by the Spirit of God; believer’s baptism, usually by pouring or immersion; discipline in the church (including shunning in some congregations); and the Lord’s Supper as a memorial rather than as a sacrament or Christian rite (Third Way Cafe, 2014).
Neither life nor culture can be sustained without food. On a very basic level, food is fundamentally essential for life, not simply to exist, but also to thrive. A means by which carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, nutrients, and calories are introduced into the body, food is a mechanism of survival. However, on a more abstract level, food is also fundamentally essential for culture by establishing its perimeters and dimensions and in shaping its authenticity and character. Food becomes the carbohydrates and calories that maintain any culture. Food offers a dynamic cross-section of man's tendencies. "Nourishment, a basic biological need," argues anthropologist Sidney Mintz, "becomes something else because we humans transform it symbolically into a system of meaning for much more than itself" (7). By examining food consumption and preparation, much is discoverd regarding the intricacies of culture. The preparation and consumption of food in Puritan society are reflected in Mary Rowlandson's The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. Rowlandson's view of food and admissions of hunger in the infancy of her captivity cast a revealing light upon the roots of her conceptions and ideas about food and, more generally, about her culture's conceptions and ideas about food. As the conflict between her soul and her stomach raged over food, Rowlandson's attitudes toward the Native Americans' preparation and consumption of food reflect the socialization of the Puritans to believe that every meal ...
In Faithful Presence, David E. Fitch presents a response to his observation that church, for most people, has become disconnected from the lives of the people that attend them and the world they live in. The introduction to the book, that he calls titles, Searching for the Real Church, Fitch asks, “does the church have anything to offer the world full of injustice? Can the church reach out to the worlds around me in a way that doesn’t judge them, alienate them or ask them in some way to come to us?” (10). It is questions like these that this book attempts to answer.
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
“And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke and gave it to His disciples and said, "Take you and eat, this is my Body." And taking the chalice He gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "Drink you all of this. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of