Safehaven's 4th Annual Retreat

What is Communion?

Micasa Hotel Apartments, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Sunday, 16 June 2002

By Kenneth Lau

God sent his Son because He loves us. And we remember this each time we celebrate communion. Some of us, like myself, do not attend formal church services. We receive communion a few times a year-at the retreat, perhaps during Easter and Christmas.

Communion is a sacrament, a symbol of Christ's continuing presence with his Church through the Holy Spirit. It's a time for us to remember Christ's life-giving sacrifice for us. We celebrate communion with joy, knowing that we live because of him. Yet, because we come from so many different religious traditions, and each have our own way of doing things, communion in Safehaven can be controversial.

Because of this, I would like to talk a little about the common aspects found in many communion services and hope that you recognize in this communion elements that are present in the services you have attended in the past.

The structure of communion is typically this: the communion leader asks for the assembly's agreement to begin communion, then offers what is known as the thanksgiving or eucharistic prayer. The prayer basically summarizes the Old Testament in a few sentences, praising creation and remembering God's covenant with His people. It recounts the Last Supper, repeats Jesus' words when he shared the bread and wine, and gives thanks for His sacrifice.

I come from a Roman Catholic background, and grew up taking part in communion services conducted by a priest in gold and red ceremonial robes. It was a solemn and formal affair. The priest used golden chalices, and there would be candles on either side of the alter. The church would be absolutely quiet, and bells would be rung to call attention to strategic points in the communion service, which would climax when the priest broke an oversized wafer dramatically. But we did not get to drink the wine, which I thought was a bit unfair.

I used to think that it was this ritual that sanctified the bread and the wine. Today, there are no priests, no gold chalices, no candles, no ceremonial robes. And no alter boys.

But we do have bread and wine, and we know that God is present when two or more are gathered in his name (Matthew 18:20). As we pray, remember that His Spirit is here with us.