communion ?

[RedTulipMom]

Hey everyone! i will be attending an ELCA church this Sunday, hoping it will soon be our new church, i have no Lutheran background but i do have background in the RC church as well as a few Protestant and non-denom churches. Everywhere does communion differently. I did ask my friend who attends the church we will attend how they do the communion and she told me you get the bread from the Pastor then you dip it into a common cup. I forgot to ask her if you are supposed to SAY anything when the pastor gives you the body/bread?? Like in the RC the Priest would say "Body of Christ" and you would say "Amen" (or alteast thats the way i remember it, its been awhile) Anyhoo..am i expected to say anything when i take communion? Also , do you have kneelers at the church and are you expected to kneel at any part of the service? Thanks

 

[lux et lex]

Hello! The communion style you are describing is called intinction. There is nothing you have to say when you receive it (at least I never do and was never taught to). My guess is if you are receiving communion in this fashion you won't kneel. At least at my old church there was always the option to go up front and kneel to receive communion at the traditional service, but that varies from church to church. Some ELCA churches have kneelers, most don't.

 

[RedTulipMom]

thanks lux. At the church i will be attending they have 3 services to choose from. A Sat night service which is short and informal for people on the go an early morning traditional service, then an 11am praise

 

[RedTulipMom]

accidentally sent that before i finished. anyways my friend told me they kneel for communion at the traditional service but they stand and dip the bread in the wine at the 11am service, which is the one we will be attending. i like the word "intinction"

 

[Lost Squirrel]

I believe the Greeks are very big into intinction, albeit on a common spoon! I have only received it once that way in my RC background, but not on a spoon. The ELCA church we've been attending offers communion every 1st & 3rd Sunday, but I personally wish they would offer it weekly. Who knows, perhaps the new pastor (formerly RC herself), will make that transition. Anyway, we approach the altar in two lines, accept the Body in our hands (I noticed some still take by mouth), step aside, accept the Blood in individual glasses (set the glass down in a basket when finished) and then return to our pew and sit. There is no kneeling, either during acceptance of the Gifts or upon return to the pew. I do, however, miss that period of kneeling afterward as a moment of reflection. I don't believe there would be any objection if one did so, but this was a time where some folks took to fill out the attendance pad.

What I found interesting was that the blood was offered in both red and white varieties in the serving tray (individual shot glasses - mostly were red, but a few whites in the center). Could the white have been grape juice for those unable to consume alcohol?

 

[lux et lex]

Yes...the white is generally grape juice for those unable to consume alcohol.

 

[doulos_tou_kuriou]

communion practices vary. As already noted intiction was what was described to you. I personally think it is the worst way to do communion, after all our Lord told us to "drink" of the wine. But anyhoo...
Other practices include communion "stations" where the communion assistants stand stationary and you go to them for the elements. More traditionally is coming around the communion rail (some places stand others kneel) and the communion assistants walk along the other side of the rail bringing the elements.
Some places use wafers others use bread loaves and other unleavened bread.
The blood can be distributed in several ways. Along with the intinction route, there is drinking straight from a chalice (my personal preferance although least common in today's germaphobe world even though there is typically chalice wiping with a purificator and the alchohol in silver chalices particularly remain pretty clean). The little cups option, which I would say is likely the most common now, can be either filled cups on trays that you take from or empty cups you pick up on the way to communion that is filled from a liped chalice.

Saying Amen is not required but appropriate. Thanks be to God is uncommon but another response.

Kneelers are not very common in Lutheran churches built within the last 50 years I'd say. If there are kneelers the bulletin typically would indicate at what times to kneel. Most commonly confession and absolution as well as the prayers and some may choose to kneel in prayer when returning from communion (more common practice in the Anglican tradition though).

The important thing when coming up is trusting that in that bread and wine, where Christ is truly present you receive forgiveness of sins. You do not need to fear saying the wrong thing or doing the proper prep. Those who come seeking God's grace in this meal, believing his words "given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins" are ready and worthy.

If you have any anxiety about the practice in the church my recommendation is to be sure to sit behind a fair number of members so you can see what they do. I made the mistake with a friend of mine once sitting too close to the front (still in the middle, but among us Lutherans the middle might as well be the front) at a chruch I had never been to. When communion came I had not thought to what the practice was. It was intinction which I figured out quick enough, but my buddy who was Anglican, was used to only drinking out of a chalice. So as I am walking back to the pew I look back to see my friend yanking the chalice from the hand of the communion assistant and taking a big swig, something the communion assistant certainly by the look on her face and struggle she put up was not ready for.

 

[Lost Squirrel]

Our communion policy has changed. It is now offered weekly throughout the year! Yippee!
During the Lenten and Christmas seasons, though, we approach the altar rail and commune as small groups. During all other times, we will resume the continuous line.
And ad far as saying anything, to paraphrase the Lutheran Handbook, "refrain from saying thank you. Amen is acceptable."

 

[Iskra]

In the Church of Sweden intinction is a strong recomendation and is the way the wine is served in most parishes. If intinction is not used then the wine is served directly from the chalise. I have never heard of the practise of serving the wine in small individual glasses, so that is probably never used in Sweden.

How the communion is shared depend on the number of attendants. If it is just a few people the common practice is that everybody stand in a ring and that the priest serves the bread, and you can say amen or say nothing at all. The wine is served by the usher, or by an assistant priest. After everybody has recieved the wine and bread it is common to kneel och at least bow in thanks.

If there are many people attending the service the common practice is that everybody stand in one line and recieve the the bread from the priest and the wine from the usher and then take a step to the side and kneel or bow.

Kneeling is never used in other parts of the service though, unless during weddings when both the bride and the groom kneel together before the altar.

 

[RedTulipMom]

I just found out that the children at our church generally make their 1st communion in 5th grade (but exceptions are made if their parents say they can start taking communion at a younger age) is this the common age in a Lutheran church? I didn't realize there was a "first communion" in the Lutheran church. In the RC they make their 1st Communion in 2nd grade, my neice is making hers on may7th.

 

[Lost Squirrel]

We are having 1st Communion this week at Maundy Thursday service. An announcement was made that all children in 2nd grade and up were welcome to join. I think they had some classes, but I don't know how many. Our church is growing with members from different faiths. I can see where age may be a subjective condition - it depends on the emotional capacity and comprehension of the child. Some children simply accept a blessing in lieu of the elements at communion, probably based upon age and the estimation that he/she has/has not received first communion. I'm sure this is a toughie for our pastor who is relatively new and is probably not familiar with all the youngin's. Now, I won't pretend to have the definitive answer, but this is just my observation.