Eucharistic Reverence

[Latin2112]

Hello again,

You might have seen that I had posted on elsewhere, but I will try to keep it to two issues at a time.

My second concern with the Lutheran Church is that it seems to lack the reverence around the Eucharist that some other churches have. I don't want anything as far as adoration, but a greater solemnity seems more appropriate than what I have encountered at most Lutheran services.

Why is that? and does anyone else feel the same?

 

[Athanasius377]

Hello again,

You might have seen that I had posted on elsewhere, but I will try to keep it to two issues at a time.

My second concern with the Lutheran Church is that it seems to lack the reverence around the Eucharist that some other churches have. I don't want anything as far as adoration, but a greater solemnity seems more appropriate than what I have encountered at most Lutheran services.

Why is that? and does anyone else feel the same?

I am not sure I have ever witnessed a lack of reverence for communion in my church though not all LCMS churches are confessional and liturgical. The only difference you may notice coming from a RC background is we will use small individual cups for the wine as an option for the cup. I normally receive the wine in the common cup but will use the individual cups if I am sick or during a bad flu season etc.

As far as practice my church we receive communion kneeling, with the bread and wine given by the pastor and an elder. We do not use "Eucharistic ministers" so if there are a lot of people attending that service it may take up to 30-40 minutes to commune everyone. Leftover bread (waffers) are saved for the next service or used to commune the sick and the leftover wine is poured down a special sink called a piscina that returns the wine back to the earth and not down a sewage line.

Perhaps the Lutheran churches you have been to have been lacking in reverence but I would say that if said church was confessional it would have to be the exception and not the rule. Furthermore, I would also mention that RC's that visit our church are often struck by the reverence we show for communion.

 

[tampasteve]

Hello again,

You might have seen that I had posted on elsewhere, but I will try to keep it to two issues at a time.

My second concern with the Lutheran Church is that it seems to lack the reverence around the Eucharist that some other churches have. I don't want anything as far as adoration, but a greater solemnity seems more appropriate than what I have encountered at most Lutheran services.

Why is that? and does anyone else feel the same?

It really varies wildly. One LCMS church I have attended is very reverent, the acolytes even have the communion plate to make sure the host does not drop during distribution.

 

[Latin2112]

I guess I should specify. I agree that I have seen LCMS who receive the Eucharist in a very reverent way. I guess I am thinking of the consecration and the lack of reverence around the consecration of the Lutheran Churches that I have been to. Does the make sense?

 

[Tigger45]

I’d agree both the Orthodox and Catholic ceremonies are more elaborate than the LCMS but I’m not sure I would go as far saying it’s less reverent.

 

[tampasteve]

I guess it really depends. I would not say less reverent either, but less elaborate perhaps. But even that depends too. The Lutheran churches (LCMS and ELCA) that I have been to have been almost indistinguishable from RCC that I am familiar with (I was RCC for over 10 years). Now, some of the Lutheran ministers will not wear ceremonial clothes, and that does make the whole Eucharist part of the service seem less formal and perhaps less reverent, I would say that for me is true. But I am not sure that the minister holds any less reverence for the Eucharist than a minister that is wearing a full set of ceremonial clothes.

 

[Newtheran]

Hello again,

You might have seen that I had posted on elsewhere, but I will try to keep it to two issues at a time.

My second concern with the Lutheran Church is that it seems to lack the reverence around the Eucharist that some other churches have. I don't want anything as far as adoration, but a greater solemnity seems more appropriate than what I have encountered at most Lutheran services.

Why is that? and does anyone else feel the same?

I haven't felt that at all, but I came to confessional Lutheranism from the Baptist church where communion was a once a quarter matter, and if you missed the wrong Sunday or two you might see it once or twice a year. So from my perspective there is a whole lot of reverence to the entire service (I won't even get into the absence of the rock band, dancing girls, or the worship leader with the ponytail and shirt unbuttoned to his navel).