Comments on: Chapter 2 – Day 7 http://isaacgaff.com/blog/2008/06/28/chapter-2-day-7/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:39:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Doug Rutter http://isaacgaff.com/blog/2008/06/28/chapter-2-day-7/comment-page-1/#comment-1753 Doug Rutter Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:04:33 +0000 http://isaacgaff.com/blog/?p=120#comment-1753 Thanks! I'll have my next monster bride give you a call and you can explain that to them for me. :-) Hope the writing continues well... Thanks! I’ll have my next monster bride give you a call and you can explain that to them for me. :-) Hope the writing continues well…

]]> By: isaac http://isaacgaff.com/blog/2008/06/28/chapter-2-day-7/comment-page-1/#comment-1752 isaac Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:32:31 +0000 http://isaacgaff.com/blog/?p=120#comment-1752 Justin Martyr (c. 155) talks about portions of bread and wine/water being sent out to those who were absent, but it's clearly an extension of the community event. They wouldn't have had "their own service" if they weren't present with the church; the bread and wine/water they received was the Lord's Supper because it was an extension of the church's celebration, not their own. Ignatius (c.115) is pretty clear about the church-gathered as the place for baptism and the Lord's Supper. I used to go serve communion with my dad sometimes to people who couldn't get out to church, and it always felt like an extension of what we did Sunday as a body - a very beautiful thing. But I've never understood the exclusive taking of the Lord's Supper by bride/groom at a wedding when the rest of the church sits back and watches. Aren't we all in this together? Isn't the participation of the church community essentially what a wedding ceremony is for anyway - to have the church, as an ecclesial authority, affirm the couple's covenant? We can't all light a unity candle (nor should we), but we all drink from the same cup and share in the same bread as a sign of unity with Christ and each other. Justin Martyr (c. 155) talks about portions of bread and wine/water being sent out to those who were absent, but it’s clearly an extension of the community event. They wouldn’t have had “their own service” if they weren’t present with the church; the bread and wine/water they received was the Lord’s Supper because it was an extension of the church’s celebration, not their own. Ignatius (c.115) is pretty clear about the church-gathered as the place for baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

I used to go serve communion with my dad sometimes to people who couldn’t get out to church, and it always felt like an extension of what we did Sunday as a body – a very beautiful thing. But I’ve never understood the exclusive taking of the Lord’s Supper by bride/groom at a wedding when the rest of the church sits back and watches. Aren’t we all in this together? Isn’t the participation of the church community essentially what a wedding ceremony is for anyway – to have the church, as an ecclesial authority, affirm the couple’s covenant? We can’t all light a unity candle (nor should we), but we all drink from the same cup and share in the same bread as a sign of unity with Christ and each other.

]]> By: Doug Rutter http://isaacgaff.com/blog/2008/06/28/chapter-2-day-7/comment-page-1/#comment-1739 Doug Rutter Sun, 29 Jun 2008 03:56:32 +0000 http://isaacgaff.com/blog/?p=120#comment-1739 Hey Issac, Just got done with a wedding and the bride and groom requested they take communion as part of the service. So I loaded up my traveling communion pack for the wedding. It got me thinking about "private" Eucharist. (weddings, hospitals, etc.) Any history of this sort of thing in the early church or was it allways an ecclesia thing? Hey Issac,
Just got done with a wedding and the bride and groom requested they take communion as part of the service. So I loaded up my traveling communion pack for the wedding.

It got me thinking about “private” Eucharist. (weddings, hospitals, etc.) Any history of this sort of thing in the early church or was it allways an ecclesia thing?

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