In the coming weeks we will be making a few minor changes to how we serve the Lord’s Supper, which I wanted to share with you all. With these modifications, we hope our practice of the Lord’s Supper will better reflect Jesus’s intentions and that they help you remember its true significance.

First, we will present the elements to better reflect a first-century meal. Instead of brass cups and tray, we will use simple pottery that is reminiscent of what Jesus would have used during his meal with the disciples. We also will use wooden trays to hold the small cups. We found a woodworker in Ukraine who has made these for us, and they are currently being shipped overseas. As the pastor gives the words of institution, he will pour wine from a small pitcher into a glass as a way of showing Christ’s blood being poured out for you. 

We don’t want the Lord’s Supper to feel like a religious ceremony, but to feel more like a meal where Jesus sat with his disciples. John Calvin, one of the forefathers of our Presbyterian tradition, believed that the main focus of this sacrament was that we were being fed the body of Christ and thus believed it was important for us to preserve aspects of that meal Jesus had with his disciples. We think these changes will help with that. 

The second change we will make is that two elders will hold a plate of bread on either side of the communion table. You will take the wine from the table and a piece of bread from one of the elders. As you take it, he will say, “Remember that Jesus Christ died for you.” We hope these simple words will remind you that Jesus has personally forgiven your sins. We all struggle with believing Jesus really loves us and has completely forgiven us. These words from your church leaders can help root that belief deeper in your heart. We didn’t choose these words arbitrarily, but again looked back to Geneva, where John Calvin ministered, for ideas. In the church there the minister would descend from the pulpit and place a piece of bread in each person’s hand as they came forward, telling them, “Remember that Jesus Christ died for you.” We thought this was a good tradition to bring back. 

Communion is one of the means of grace through which God strengthens our faith. We hope these modifications in the coming weeks will help with that. 

Once our shipment arrives from Ukraine we will let you know what Sunday we will start.

In Christ,
Pastor Jon