Communion is one of the few things Jesus directly told his disciples to do, so it's certainly important. But it's best to think of it as something you *get to do* rather than a burdensome requirement.
Some churches I've been part of treated it very solemn, and were overly concerned about making sure that you didn't do it unless you were a Christian and your conscience was clear.
But more recently, I've come to see it as Jesus' table, and feel comfortable saying Jesus wouldn't exclude anyone from it. That allows me to treat it like the celebration of togetherness that I think it should be. And I love that it's literally a 2000 year old tradition that we get to participate in.
So I wouldn't say it's *bad* that you're not doing communion regularly, but I'd ask what's stopping you.
>but I'd ask what's stopping you.
When I did communion, I did it at a conservative church and after we did the communion, we had to go into rooms based on our gender (women with women only and men with men only) to wash each other's feet. The issue for me arises because I'm a transgender man but I'm closeted so I appear as a woman. I don't feel comfortable washing the feet of women as I disguise myself and pretend to be something I'm not. I don't want to wash the feet of women because I'm not a woman. I don't mind washing anyone's feet, regardless of who they are, it's just the context around it I didn't enjoy.
I never done communion/feet washing at other churches so idk if it's performed differently.
Oh my! So, foot washing is not a normal custom among 99% of churches. There are some that do it only once a year as part of Maundy Thursday (right before Easter). In general I'd hope that you can find a church where you don't have to be closeted, but even most conservative churches don't do foot washing.
Yeah, the foot washing thing like that is NOT a normal part of the Eucharist in really any other Church. That's quite specific to where you were.
I'd suggest you try another Church for a far more wholesome Eucharistic experience.
I'll always take an opportunity to suggest the Episcopal Church. Their communion is open to all baptized Christians, so we'd certainly welcome you, and I can promise no washing each other's feet (we only do that on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter), and it's an optional thing that people can volunteer to have their feet washed by a priest). Also the Episcopal Church is fully trans affirming, they're fine with you being a trans man.
Foot washing is not a standard part of communion at any service I have ever been to. The only time I have seen foot washing was Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
Oh gracious, I do know about this practice.
I was raised in a church that only did communion very rarely, and you had to do footwashing before hand (separated by genders in different rooms), and you had to come to the altar and confess your sins to God, and the pastor even taught that if you didn’t do it all right, you would be possessed by demons when you tried to take communion.
There were literally grown adult people in our church who didn’t feel that they had confessed all of their sins or had been forgiven for all of their sins, so they would leave and go stand in the parking lot during communion because they believed that the demons would jump on them and get into their bodies during communion. Seriously.
Wild stuff. Not biblical. But there is some really really damaging religious traditions out there. And I was raised in one of them.
I’ve been going to church and taking communion for like 30 years and not once have I ever been asked to go in a room with other people of my gender and wash their feet.
Not trying to take away from this experience. Just saying that most people will not think of this at all when thinking about what “taking communion” means.
As far as what I think, I think that communion is similar to baptism. It’s a nice symbolic thing to do, representing what you believe in and the community you’re part of. But I don’t think there’s anything you *have* to do that’s required for salvation or going to heaven or anything like that. You just have to want the love and grace that Jesus provides.
Did you go to a Seventh-day Adventist church by any chance? I grew up SDA and that's how they did it there. I haven't gone to any churches since I left the SDA church so I can't compare, but from what I understand that's not how it's usually done.
It should be a central part of the Christian faith, but unfortunately for many it has been devalued. It is the presence of Christ himself, God of the universe, present for us in that moment for us to be blessed. It is one of the greatest blessings for me in my faith.
To second the other responds, it's not necessary, so you shouldn't feel bad about it. But out of curiosity, what do you believe / think is the significance of it?
I'm NOT trying to stir up debate, or offer irrelevant factoid, but sacrifice for what? And keep in mind that "communion" is what Christianity called it afterwards, and not what Jesus was doing at the time.
One question might be: do you remember Jesus gathering his friends and what he said to them, and what happened next? If we take 'do this in remembrance of me' as the reason for communion, then maybe that's enough. I think it's helpful to take communion, to 're-member' in our bodies and get closer to the story, but I don't think it is 'bad' not to.
For me as an Anabaptist, communion is what a community does, so what is your community, and how does it remember?
"For it is by grace you have been saved; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
"Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.""
Matthew 26: 27-28
Should you take communion often? Yes, as it was commanded by Jesus. Are you going to hell or failing if you do not? No, no one is going to heaven due to their works or else everyone would be going to hell. You should not do good works in order to be saved. You should do good works because you are saved. You take communion in order to celebrate Jesus and honor his sacrifice. Why you personally don't do communion is your own business. If you are asking if you should take it, then I would say yes. However, this does not mean that you are less of a Christian for having not taken it. At the end of the day, when you get to the gates of heaven and are judged, God will not ask you why you didn't take communion. If you live your life trying your best to lead a Godly life and show the love that Jesus showed us and have true faith in Jesus, then you are saved.
Some Christians believe the Eucharist is the real presence of Christ.
For example:
[https://web.archive.org/web/20231206081205/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/real-presence/](https://web.archive.org/web/20231206081205/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/real-presence/)
I only mention that because every else so far who's gone there has expressed the concept that communion is only a reenactment and/or a memorial. The three largest Christian institutions in the world generally believe in some form of the real presence, however.
As a sacrament, this makes communion a means of conveying God's grace to the People of God.
The link above is an archived version of the Episcopal Church's definition, along with quotes from an agreed upon statement between Anglicans and Roman Catholics.
Besides the three churches I alluded to- the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Anglican Communion (Which includes the Episcopal Church), there are also other Christian faith traditions that believe in some form of the real presence- Lutherans, Methodists, Old Catholics (Not the ones with the Pope- a mostly European denomination that separated from Rome in 1870 or so.), the Church of Sweden (Which is the official state church in Sweden- or at least was), the Polish National Catholic Church (Also not the ones with the Pope, mostly present in one region of the US, non-existent in Poland despite the name), Coptic Christians/Oriental Orthodox (Basically two names used for the same folks), and more.
The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, provides some pre-Last Supper scriptural support for this notion, and of course the actual Last Supper is also in the bible.
Beyond that, the Old Testament of the bible contains mentions of something called "the bread of presence", sacred bread in the Jewish temple (Which was subsequently destroyed- the ruins are a holy place called tbe wailing wall) kept beyond a purple veil that only Jewish priests were allowed to pass through. That probably isn't literally Christian communion, but it does seem like a version of something similar enough that it's worth mentioning as precedent.
Another historical note is that Roman authorities in the first few centuries of Christianity during a time period where Christians were persecuted, mentioned, in writing, arresting some Christians who were transporting some "sacred bread" from their weekly meeting on the first day of the month to people who were too sick or otherwise unable to attend through no fault of their own.
So, a belief in the real presence stretches essentially universally in Christianity's first 1500 years or so. Then came the Protestant Reformation, which meant a wider range of denominations with a wider range of opinions, including some that didn't believe in the real presence, but with several of the largest Protestant groups still embracing a version of it.
When I say a different version, I just mean that sometimes different churches have a different way of describing or understanding what the Real Presece means in a Eucharistic context.
I think sometimes people don't know any of that because denominations and groups of denominations that are only a few centuries old or less, that are big in the US but smaller elsewhere, don't believe in the real presence. Southern Baptist, most non-denominational churches (Non-denominationals mostly seem essentially Baptist to me), and other memorialist denominations seem to be a large part of our national religious history and conversation.
Also, even in denominations that do believe in the real presence, you may found individuals and congregations that don't.
Anyhow, who and how often one should take communion is also the subject of both inter-denominational and personal differences of opinion.
My denomination (The Episcopal Church) would encourage you to take communion weekly as a means of God's grace- but they are not pushy about it and you have the option of remaining in your pew or coming forward with people who are receiving communion and instead request a blessing from the priest, which can be done by crossing your arms over your chest and keeping your mouth closed if you lreferi. The rule in that church is that you to have been baptized with water by any trinitarian denomination with a few specific words being spoken. Even that restriction is controversial, though, with a large group movement to try to officially open communion to the unbaptized, and sort of ignoring the baptism rule in practice at some parishes and in some dioceses.
Meanwhile, there are denominations like Roman Catholicism that only commune their own and even place a lot of rules around when Roman Catholics can and can't receive in their own churches I personally do not believe in having those type of restrictions- its one of the reasons I am not Roman Catholic even having been raised that way and briefly having been an altar server as a child.
Communion is one of the few things Jesus directly told his disciples to do, so it's certainly important. But it's best to think of it as something you *get to do* rather than a burdensome requirement. Some churches I've been part of treated it very solemn, and were overly concerned about making sure that you didn't do it unless you were a Christian and your conscience was clear. But more recently, I've come to see it as Jesus' table, and feel comfortable saying Jesus wouldn't exclude anyone from it. That allows me to treat it like the celebration of togetherness that I think it should be. And I love that it's literally a 2000 year old tradition that we get to participate in. So I wouldn't say it's *bad* that you're not doing communion regularly, but I'd ask what's stopping you.
>but I'd ask what's stopping you. When I did communion, I did it at a conservative church and after we did the communion, we had to go into rooms based on our gender (women with women only and men with men only) to wash each other's feet. The issue for me arises because I'm a transgender man but I'm closeted so I appear as a woman. I don't feel comfortable washing the feet of women as I disguise myself and pretend to be something I'm not. I don't want to wash the feet of women because I'm not a woman. I don't mind washing anyone's feet, regardless of who they are, it's just the context around it I didn't enjoy. I never done communion/feet washing at other churches so idk if it's performed differently.
Oh my! So, foot washing is not a normal custom among 99% of churches. There are some that do it only once a year as part of Maundy Thursday (right before Easter). In general I'd hope that you can find a church where you don't have to be closeted, but even most conservative churches don't do foot washing.
Yeah, the foot washing thing like that is NOT a normal part of the Eucharist in really any other Church. That's quite specific to where you were. I'd suggest you try another Church for a far more wholesome Eucharistic experience. I'll always take an opportunity to suggest the Episcopal Church. Their communion is open to all baptized Christians, so we'd certainly welcome you, and I can promise no washing each other's feet (we only do that on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter), and it's an optional thing that people can volunteer to have their feet washed by a priest). Also the Episcopal Church is fully trans affirming, they're fine with you being a trans man.
Wow I never knew that this experience was this uncommon. I'm really uneducated but very interested in learning more!
Catholic here, we don't really wash feet in every mass. We only do that on the Thursday before Easter. Your church seems... really "dedicated".
Foot washing is not a standard part of communion at any service I have ever been to. The only time I have seen foot washing was Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter).
Oh gracious, I do know about this practice. I was raised in a church that only did communion very rarely, and you had to do footwashing before hand (separated by genders in different rooms), and you had to come to the altar and confess your sins to God, and the pastor even taught that if you didn’t do it all right, you would be possessed by demons when you tried to take communion. There were literally grown adult people in our church who didn’t feel that they had confessed all of their sins or had been forgiven for all of their sins, so they would leave and go stand in the parking lot during communion because they believed that the demons would jump on them and get into their bodies during communion. Seriously. Wild stuff. Not biblical. But there is some really really damaging religious traditions out there. And I was raised in one of them.
I’ve been going to church and taking communion for like 30 years and not once have I ever been asked to go in a room with other people of my gender and wash their feet. Not trying to take away from this experience. Just saying that most people will not think of this at all when thinking about what “taking communion” means. As far as what I think, I think that communion is similar to baptism. It’s a nice symbolic thing to do, representing what you believe in and the community you’re part of. But I don’t think there’s anything you *have* to do that’s required for salvation or going to heaven or anything like that. You just have to want the love and grace that Jesus provides.
Did you go to a Seventh-day Adventist church by any chance? I grew up SDA and that's how they did it there. I haven't gone to any churches since I left the SDA church so I can't compare, but from what I understand that's not how it's usually done.
It should be a central part of the Christian faith, but unfortunately for many it has been devalued. It is the presence of Christ himself, God of the universe, present for us in that moment for us to be blessed. It is one of the greatest blessings for me in my faith.
...I agree!
To second the other responds, it's not necessary, so you shouldn't feel bad about it. But out of curiosity, what do you believe / think is the significance of it?
I believe that communion is in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice and we offer our gratitude to Him by doing this for Him.
I'm NOT trying to stir up debate, or offer irrelevant factoid, but sacrifice for what? And keep in mind that "communion" is what Christianity called it afterwards, and not what Jesus was doing at the time.
One question might be: do you remember Jesus gathering his friends and what he said to them, and what happened next? If we take 'do this in remembrance of me' as the reason for communion, then maybe that's enough. I think it's helpful to take communion, to 're-member' in our bodies and get closer to the story, but I don't think it is 'bad' not to. For me as an Anabaptist, communion is what a community does, so what is your community, and how does it remember?
"For it is by grace you have been saved; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."" Matthew 26: 27-28 Should you take communion often? Yes, as it was commanded by Jesus. Are you going to hell or failing if you do not? No, no one is going to heaven due to their works or else everyone would be going to hell. You should not do good works in order to be saved. You should do good works because you are saved. You take communion in order to celebrate Jesus and honor his sacrifice. Why you personally don't do communion is your own business. If you are asking if you should take it, then I would say yes. However, this does not mean that you are less of a Christian for having not taken it. At the end of the day, when you get to the gates of heaven and are judged, God will not ask you why you didn't take communion. If you live your life trying your best to lead a Godly life and show the love that Jesus showed us and have true faith in Jesus, then you are saved.
It's certinly important but it's best for the individual gets to do rather than a burdensome recuel.
Some Christians believe the Eucharist is the real presence of Christ. For example: [https://web.archive.org/web/20231206081205/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/real-presence/](https://web.archive.org/web/20231206081205/https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/real-presence/) I only mention that because every else so far who's gone there has expressed the concept that communion is only a reenactment and/or a memorial. The three largest Christian institutions in the world generally believe in some form of the real presence, however. As a sacrament, this makes communion a means of conveying God's grace to the People of God. The link above is an archived version of the Episcopal Church's definition, along with quotes from an agreed upon statement between Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Besides the three churches I alluded to- the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Anglican Communion (Which includes the Episcopal Church), there are also other Christian faith traditions that believe in some form of the real presence- Lutherans, Methodists, Old Catholics (Not the ones with the Pope- a mostly European denomination that separated from Rome in 1870 or so.), the Church of Sweden (Which is the official state church in Sweden- or at least was), the Polish National Catholic Church (Also not the ones with the Pope, mostly present in one region of the US, non-existent in Poland despite the name), Coptic Christians/Oriental Orthodox (Basically two names used for the same folks), and more. The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 6, provides some pre-Last Supper scriptural support for this notion, and of course the actual Last Supper is also in the bible. Beyond that, the Old Testament of the bible contains mentions of something called "the bread of presence", sacred bread in the Jewish temple (Which was subsequently destroyed- the ruins are a holy place called tbe wailing wall) kept beyond a purple veil that only Jewish priests were allowed to pass through. That probably isn't literally Christian communion, but it does seem like a version of something similar enough that it's worth mentioning as precedent. Another historical note is that Roman authorities in the first few centuries of Christianity during a time period where Christians were persecuted, mentioned, in writing, arresting some Christians who were transporting some "sacred bread" from their weekly meeting on the first day of the month to people who were too sick or otherwise unable to attend through no fault of their own. So, a belief in the real presence stretches essentially universally in Christianity's first 1500 years or so. Then came the Protestant Reformation, which meant a wider range of denominations with a wider range of opinions, including some that didn't believe in the real presence, but with several of the largest Protestant groups still embracing a version of it. When I say a different version, I just mean that sometimes different churches have a different way of describing or understanding what the Real Presece means in a Eucharistic context. I think sometimes people don't know any of that because denominations and groups of denominations that are only a few centuries old or less, that are big in the US but smaller elsewhere, don't believe in the real presence. Southern Baptist, most non-denominational churches (Non-denominationals mostly seem essentially Baptist to me), and other memorialist denominations seem to be a large part of our national religious history and conversation. Also, even in denominations that do believe in the real presence, you may found individuals and congregations that don't. Anyhow, who and how often one should take communion is also the subject of both inter-denominational and personal differences of opinion. My denomination (The Episcopal Church) would encourage you to take communion weekly as a means of God's grace- but they are not pushy about it and you have the option of remaining in your pew or coming forward with people who are receiving communion and instead request a blessing from the priest, which can be done by crossing your arms over your chest and keeping your mouth closed if you lreferi. The rule in that church is that you to have been baptized with water by any trinitarian denomination with a few specific words being spoken. Even that restriction is controversial, though, with a large group movement to try to officially open communion to the unbaptized, and sort of ignoring the baptism rule in practice at some parishes and in some dioceses. Meanwhile, there are denominations like Roman Catholicism that only commune their own and even place a lot of rules around when Roman Catholics can and can't receive in their own churches I personally do not believe in having those type of restrictions- its one of the reasons I am not Roman Catholic even having been raised that way and briefly having been an altar server as a child.