Jacky’s Thought and Prayer

ALL BAPTIZED CHRISTIANS…

Celebrating Communion every week has not always been the custom in the Anglican Church. Going to church as a child meant sitting through Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. Since there was no Sunday school at our church, it was less than engaging to a small person (although the hymns were okay). “Communion” was something adults did, maybe once a month. Children were not invited. However, on one occasion I attended a Mothers’ Union communion service with my Mum. While she and the other woman took communion in the Lady Chapel, I sat alone in the pews with a handbag my Nana had given me, containing a few things to keep me amused. I was so excited to leave when the ladies were done, that I inadvertently left the bag behind. (I’m embarrassed to say that the verger knew it had to be mine, because it contained my much-loved cowboy gun!)

At that time only people who had been confirmed were allowed to take communion, and for me that was not until I was at university and fell in love with the choral Eucharist. Things have changed over the past decades, so that now “all baptized Christians are welcome to receive the bread and wine” is the official line from the Anglican Church of Canada. However, over the past twenty years or so, there has been a quiet debate going on, and it’s controversial.

Traditionalists insist that Communion is reserved for those whose belief has led to belonging. The idea is that if you have the right teaching, you will experience God. The Book of Common Prayer describes the sacrament of Eucharist as “commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death and resurrection until his coming again.” In 1 Corinthians 11:28, Paul warns “Examine yourselves and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

Proponents of the “Open Table” approach suggest instead that belonging can lead to believing, and that if you experience God, you will have the right teaching. There is also the idea that Eucharist is a banquet table, with God as the generous, loving host, at which ALL are welcome. Open Communion, therefore, is seen as a way to build a bridge between the churched and the unchurched. If an unbaptized individual truly feels drawn to take Communion, this may lead to a deepening of faith and even baptism.

One of the things that draws me to the Anglican Church is that there is room for debate and diverse opinions and I am glad that we do not have to produce our baptismal certificates in order to take Communion! There are churches who have dropped the “All baptized Christians…” note from their pew bulletin. The debate continues, and there are many other points which cannot be addressed in this short piece. In the end, for me, what truly matters is that we participate in the Eucharist with reverence and awe, and a genuine desire to draw close to the Holy One. God alone knows the thoughts of our hearts.

PRAYER BEFORE COMMUNION

Incline our hearts, O God, that by the grace of your Holy Spirit, we may worthily approach these sacred mysteries and offer ourselves to you in answering love. AMEN

(Prayers New and Old, Forward Movement)