No. As a guest you’re completely free to abstain from this activity. We would understand you may be aware of the Bible verse that says that the one “who partakes unworthily partakes not discerning the Lord’s body… and” could become “guilty” of the guilt load associated with the cross-condition of the crucified “body and blood” of the “Lord”.
The Lord’s Supper is a time of remembrance for Christians, and there’s no pressure on a visitor to take part. You can simply follow the rest of the service.
If the thought of it makes you a little nervous, that’s normal, and it’s exactly the kind of thing worth explaining ahead of time.
What is the Lord’s Supper?
The Lord’s Supper, also called communion, is a memorial Jesus gave His followers the night before He died. It’s a small piece of unleavened bread and a small cup of grape juice, taken in memory of His body and His blood. Paul recorded Jesus’s own words: “This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me” ().
Because it’s a memorial for those who follow Christ, the New Testament describes it as a time for personal reflection: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (). That’s why Christians take a quiet moment during it. As a visitor, you’re welcome to sit with your own thoughts, often there will be a discussion before the partaking of it by one of the men of the congregation. We will also devote multiple songs and a special scripture reading centered of course on this important enjoining.
The elders at the church of Christ at South Bumby have devoted the first half of the entire service, each week, to the Lord’s Supper. Jesus never had a funeral, so we take this weekly memorial very!, seriously.
Why we observe it every Sunday
You may notice we observe the Lord’s Supper every single week. That’s because that is the way the Christians in the Scriptures observed the Lord’s Supper. Luke wrote, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them” (). “To break bread” refers to the Lord’s Supper; it was why they gathered on the first day. So we don’t take it quarterly because the church, in the Bible, ate the Lord’s Supper meal every Sunday.
Some people wonder whether taking it weekly makes it a procedural monotonous habit. No devoted Christian denies that it is a weekly spiritual routine that is kept. But it is a memorial meal. It is the only spiritual meal of the week we eat with Jesus. And we proclaim He died for us and we look forward to the practice of Him “eating” it with “us” in his church “the kingdom”. So for most of us the “routine” of partaking of the Lord’s Supper does the opposite of making it a procedural monotonous habit. Eating the Lord’s Supper does the opposite: it produces a steady, unhurried appointment each week to remember what Jesus did.
Come Sit With Us
If you’d like to understand the Lord’s Supper more deeply before or after a visit, the best place to look is the New Testament itself, where Jesus gave it and the early church observed it. Read the previous verses at your own pace, and bring any questions with you. If you’ve been sensing that something’s missing where you worship regarding the Lord’s Supper; then, members of the Church of Christ at South Bumby would love to sit with you and help you find a place for you.
Plan your visit — you’ll be welcomed, not put on the spot.
To see what the Bible says about becoming a Christian, start here.
When we meet:
- Sunday: Bible Class 9:30 am, Worship 10:30 am
- Wednesday: Bible Class 7:00 pm
