Dear Evergreen Family:
A trivia question with a sort of debatable answer: What is the one thing, historically speaking, that actually makes Christian worship…worship? Is it a message? Nope. How about a reading from the Bible? Not quite. Music? Negative. A prayer? Swing and a miss.
Historically speaking (with some slight room for debate), the one thing that makes worship qualify as actual worship is Holy Communion.
So, why do we do it only once a month (and since COVID, not at all)? There are probably many parts to this answer, but the version of the tale I know has a really practical answer. For Methodists, there was a time when there weren’t enough ordained pastors to go around, and so they would make the rounds and get to each church about…once a month. There may be more to it than that, but there isn’t any really good reason why Communion doesn’t happen more often. Since we believe in the real presence of Christ in Communion, the more, the better.
This coming Sunday is World Communion Sunday! Even in the midst of the COVID crisis, churches of all denominations all around the world will express their unity in sharing Holy Communion this Sunday. Evergreen will be one of them! This Sunday, bring your own bread and juice to our outdoor service at 9:00 a.m. The elements will not be gathered or touched by anyone else. Keep them with you. We’ll consecrate the elements and share the Lord’s Supper together! Join us outside at 9:00 a.m.!
Also, don’t forget to join us this evening at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss the movie Frozen and the book of Revelation, chapter three! There’s plenty of room at the “Zoom Table” for you! Zoom link (the passcode is 360582).
May God bless us all.
Your Fellow Minister in Christ,
Mark