Being is Communion

[quicktime]http://video.standonline.org.uk/blogs/COMMUNIONsmall.mov[/quicktime]Today is Communion Sunday at St Andrew's Bo'ness. For some of you who don't know too much about the Church of Scotland you might be a little surprised. For you every Sunday is Communion Sunday. Well in the Church of Scotland most congregations celebrate Communion four times a year. In more recent times some congregations have also added a monthly evening Communion Service. The question arises why not every Sunday? For surely that was the custom of the first Christian Community? We are told in the book of Acts that they met weekly and had fellowship as they shared bread and wine together. There is of course debate among the theologians as to what exactly "Breaking Bread" means in some passages. However it does seem to me that Communion is encouraged on a regular basis in the New Testament. So why do we in the Presbyterian tradition hold out for quarterly? Is it that we don't wish to follow the Roman Catholic tradition? Well, as many know at the Reformation it was quite common for the Roman Catholic Church to have Communion once a year. Regular Communion or Mass had fallen by the way. We actually know that Calvin favoured weekly Communion but it seems that the people being reluctant to take Communion weekly struck a comprimise and in Calvin's Geneva, Communion was once a month. The reason given for quarterly Communion is that we need to be careful that we don't take the service for granted. Others say that the scripture points out that we should do it as often as we will, and it s therefore open to each Kirk Session to determine the number of times Communion is served. So what do you think should we make it a more regular experience? Give nme your thoughts. The video at the top of the page was filmed a few years ago in Edinburgh. It was quite amazing how pwople looked and walked by. When we went to film this scene, I had forgotten forgotten the paper with the words "Broken For You" It was actually Good Friday 2007. I went into an office explained what we were doing and asked a woman if she wouldn't mind typing up the words "Broken For You" and printing it on a piece of paper. She looked at me and said she wasn't sure, but she was a bit busy. I remember looking at her and saying " You mean to tell me that on Good Friday the day that Jesus was nailed to the cross for the sins of the world, you don't have it in you to type out a few words to describe what he did for us" She looked at me and disappeared returning with the paper and her manager. Sometimes it pays to be insistant. She then told me she was a Roman catholic and she went to church every Sunday. Now did she take Communion every Sunday mmm! I didn't ask. For me there is something re-energising about the Communion Service. I ask myself can I ever be reminded too much ofthe grace and love of God? i

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