Last week we started a series on what it takes to help out during worship, looking at the awesome task of greeting and ushering. This week we're going to talk about assisting with communion. Note here that we are talking about assisting with communion distribution during worship, not preparing communion before the service. They're two different tasks. We'll cover the Altar Guild and communion preparation stuff another time.
People are often nervous about assisting with communion for a couple reasons. First, it happens up at the altar, a holy place. Second, it happens up in front of everybody and nobody wants to make a mistake. Let's address those before we begin.
The altar is a holy place. It's the center of our worship focus, the place from which goodness flows. The table there holds the candles representing God's Spirit among us, the bread and wine which will become Jesus' body and blood for us, symbols and decorations reminding us of the Lord. It's special.
But the altar is not special in an exclusive sense. Its "specialness" comes from its particular function, not because of some quantity which is present at the altar and not present anywhere else. Saying you don't feel worthy coming up to the altar because it's holy is the same as a doctor saying he doesn't feel OK about listening to your heart because the heart it's the central organ in the body. The heart is special, but it's only special because it touches and enhances the functions of the rest of the body, not because of some mystical component of its tissue compared to all the others. The altar is special because it's where the holiness starts, but that holiness is only useful and alive when it flows from the altar to all of us, out into the streets, and into the world. Setting the altar apart as "more holy" in an exclusive sense denies its purpose. If the ground you're standing on today isn't just as holy as the altar space because of what the altar has done for you, then the altar isn't doing its job. God doesn't live just behind that altar rail. God doesn't stay there. He comes out to us all. Therefore you're not getting higher or closer to him when you come to the altar, you're simply getting closer to the place he started when he came to dwell in your heart and life.
Therefore nobody should let nervousness about the altar being holy space prevent them from serving in this way. It is holy, but not in any way which would keep you from serving there. To claim that kind of exclusionary holiness is to deny the power and purpose of the altar.
As for the second concern...yeah, it's up front. Everybody sees you. But we're a friendly bunch. Besides, it's not like you can make a mistake that we can't fix. You're not going to toss the communion tray like a frisbee, right? Then you're good.
When I was first asked to serve up in front of a church, back when I was just a random tenor in the church choir and nothing more, I first had to get over the fear of the "holiness" thing. Then I had to get over the fear of looking silly. I remember the first service in which I served. I got to the end and didn't make any mistakes! Whew! I had made it! I sighed in relief as I descended the stairs from the altar dais to the sanctuary floor...and promptly slipped and fell on my nicely-robed behind, sliding all the way down stair by stair. That was my introduction to worship leading. If I can survive that to become a pastor, you don't have anything to worry about. (And of course nobody there cared anyway. They were more concerned that I was OK.)
Once we've gotten past those two nervous thoughts, assisting with communion is fairly easy.
The first step is actually the hardest...the one most people forget if they're going to forget anything. Come forward when the offering plates do. Let me say that again: come forward when the offering plates do. That's right after the offering is taken, as the usher is bringing the plates forward. Just walk forward with them! Except instead of handing me the offering, just head right on up to the altar.
After you're up there we set the communion rail and lay out the pads. Then you stand to the side of the dais while I say the Words of Institution. I may have you hold the bread or wine when I'm lifting them to the congregation. Both of our buildings have altars that face (or function as) the wall. In the old Catholic church from which we all sprang altars almost always faced the wall and the priest would go through the communion process with his back to the congregation. This was fine because communion was seen as our sacrifice for God more than God's for us. Therefore the priest would lift up the bread and wine to God on behalf of the congregation. We see communion as God's gift to us, therefore the pastor lifts them out to the congregation on behalf of God. Having a free-standing altar makes extending the bread and cup much easier. Sadly they didn't think of that when building these great old churches. They just did it like it had always been done. That makes it awkward to leave the cup on the altar when I'm extending the bread, as I'd have to turn around, put the bread down, pick up the cup, and turn back around to the people before continuing. It's much simpler to just have you hold the cup and switch with me when I'm ready for it.
Once the words have been shared and the gift shown to the congregation we say the Lord's Prayer and I invite people forward.
The communion assistants and I gather together and commune first. I will offer you the bread and wine. After I'm done one assistant hands me a piece of bread, saying, "The Body of Christ, given for you." The other assistant hands me the cup, saying, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you." (The proper response to each of those statements is "Amen", by the way.) Then once we have communed I'll point one of you towards the tray of wine cups, the other towards the basket for picking up empty cups. You simply follow me around a circle...in front of the altar at St. John's, around and behind the altar at Genesee Valley. To each person you say, "The Blood of Christ, shed for you" and let them take a cup. Or if you're the other person you pick up the empty cups in the basket. We keep going around until everyone has communed and that's it!
If you're not sure if someone is communing you have two ways of finding out. First, you could watch and see if they're chewing. Unless they brought the Bubble Yum or their can of dip to the altar, that's probably bread, which means they are communing. If you can't tell even then, just ask. It's no big deal.
Once communion is finished you help me put away the elements, unlock the altar rail, and we're done! This actually took far more paragraphs to describe than it does to show. It's really an easy process: come up with the offering, hold the cup while I show people the bread, commune with me, follow me around communing everybody else...done!
Celebration Sunday is slightly different but a couple of the singers usually take care of communion assisting on those days. If you do help on a Celebration Sunday you simply come forward when it's time to commune, lift the bread or cup when the song says, and stand out in front instead of at the altar rail. But most of you won't have to do that, so focus more on the first Sunday.
Hope this helps put people at ease and encourages all of you to help with this wonderful ministry!
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment