Breaking Bread in the Family...

[Carl Emerson]

Friends,

I have a serious issue that is dividing my family.

My son has just complete a years theological study and it intent on going into the ministry.

He is highly intellectual and has embraced 'anglo-catholic' theology.

Now part of our family culture is the breaking bread together from time to time.

However, now he insists that only the 'ordained' can legitimately officiate and he refuses to participate.

I find this deeply distressing. I also believe that wrong attitudes to the communion can have serious consequences.

Any advice on this?

I have shared in communion with family and friends for years and seen Him move wonderfully during these special times.

I have never been formally 'ordained'.

Thanks for you considered comments.

 

[longwait]

Then in that case no one will be able to take the communion these days. Where are all the churches and church leaders now?

 

[Al Touthentop]

Friends,

I have a serious issue that is dividing my family.

My son has just complete a years theological study and it intent on going into the ministry.

He is highly intellectual and has embraced 'anglo-catholic' theology.

Now part of our family culture is the breaking bread together from time to time.

However, now he insists that only the 'ordained' can legitimately officiate and he refuses to participate.

I find this deeply distressing. I also believe that wrong attitudes to the communion can have serious consequences.

Any advice on this?

I have shared in communion with family and friends for years and seen Him move wonderfully during these special times.

I have never been formally 'ordained'.

Thanks for you considered comments.

The only authority on these matters is scripture. Obviously the Lord's supper was important and it says that all 3000 new converts were dedicated in participating in it, as well as other things.

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

I have never read anywhere in scripture where it says this was something only an "ordained" person could "officiate."

The bible says that we are ALL priests. God ordained us all.

Revelation 1
To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 2
9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

In fact, this is part of the gospel message, that we have all become priests serving the one high priest, Jesus, who offered the one sacrifice.

The gospel abolished the Levitical priesthood and established a royal priesthood, ordaining every disciple obedient to it. We are all ordained priests and when Jesus established the Lord's supper he told his disciples "as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me."

Apart from what the scripture says, your son has taken on the belief that he is somehow, by virtue of his "education," given more authority than other Christians. If not himself, then those "ordained" by men rather than God.

I don't have any good advice on that. If you point out his pride, he may just become hardened further. Then again, if you don't, he may never recognize that he has become prideful.

 

[grasping the after wind]

Friends,

I have a serious issue that is dividing my family.

My son has just complete a years theological study and it intent on going into the ministry.

He is highly intellectual and has embraced 'anglo-catholic' theology.

Now part of our family culture is the breaking bread together from time to time.

However, now he insists that only the 'ordained' can legitimately officiate and he refuses to participate.

I find this deeply distressing. I also believe that wrong attitudes to the communion can have serious consequences.

Any advice on this?

I have shared in communion with family and friends for years and seen Him move wonderfully during these special times.

I have never been formally 'ordained'.

Thanks for you considered comments.

I agree with your position on this but advice for dealing with the conflict of beliefs on this between the two of you is beyond me. I just hope neither of you will allow it to taint the relationship you have.

 

[crossnote]

Friends,

I have a serious issue that is dividing my family.

My son has just complete a years theological study and it intent on going into the ministry.

He is highly intellectual and has embraced 'anglo-catholic' theology.

Now part of our family culture is the breaking bread together from time to time.

However, now he insists that only the 'ordained' can legitimately officiate and he refuses to participate.

I find this deeply distressing. I also believe that wrong attitudes to the communion can have serious consequences.

Any advice on this?

I have shared in communion with family and friends for years and seen Him move wonderfully during these special times.

I have never been formally 'ordained'.

Thanks for you considered comments.

I had a 5 year taste of that movement in the Confessional Lutheran movement 15 years ago. He will have to eventually come to grips with 'which authority is higher, God's Word or men's?' In the meantime pray for him lest he clenches High Church even tighter.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

I don't believe the LORD's cup was ever meant to be something that only special people could administer. If we see the context of the passage it states.

1Co 11:20-21 When you meet together, you don't really celebrate the Lord's Supper. You even start eating before everyone gets to the meeting, and some of you go hungry, while others get drunk.

There was obviously enough food and drink to get drunk, and be full of food. The way communion was done in the first century church was not a little wafer, and a bit of wine in a cup. But these scriptures would rather suggest a full blown meal, celebrating Jesus death. As such I don't see the apostles, handing out a meal, they certainly would have prayed over it, but no in any legalistic sense.

 

[Al Touthentop]

I don't believe the LORD's cup was ever meant to be something that only special people could administer. If we see the context of the passage it states.

1Co 11:20-21 When you meet together, you don't really celebrate the Lord's Supper. You even start eating before everyone gets to the meeting, and some of you go hungry, while others get drunk.

There was obviously enough food and drink to get drunk, and be full of food. The way communion was done in the first century church was not a little wafer, and a bit of wine in a cup. But these scriptures would rather suggest a full blown meal, celebrating Jesus death. As such I don't see the apostles, handing out a meal, they certainly would have prayed over it, but no in any legalistic sense.

Likely there wasn't a tiny cup. But Paul will later ask them, don't you have homes to eat in? So what he was telling that church was that treating it as if it were a common meal was not appropriate. It wasn't intended to be a complex liturgical ritual. But it also wasn't intended to be casual. When Jesus instituted it, it was after the main meal. He also intimated that when we do it, he also shares in it with us.

 

[Carl Emerson]

As a matter of interest I read He took bread (most likely at the beginning of the meal) and took the cup after they had eaten.
This is the way I often do it, which makes the shared meal part of the communion.