For me, Sundays provide time for reflection. What is the nature of the fellowship Christians share? What does it mean that we assemble, that in fact the Greek word for church can also be translated assembly when referring to secular meetings? Is assembly something we do or something we are? How do the shared activities in our assembly communicate our shared lives?
Last Sunday I was in Latin America. I confess a growing appreciation for the practice of many Latin American churches for all who are present to participate in the Lord’s Supper both Sunday morning and again on Sunday evening. In shared feasting around the Table of the Lord, we declare that we share common faith and common forgiveness, thus common fellowship (which is the meaning of communion). [Interesting note: the Spanish word often used for fellowship is comunion.] This declaration of oneness and acceptance I shared last Sunday with brothers and sisters in Christ in two different congregations. We mutually declared also our anticipation of Christ’s return.
What a meaningful reflection of the nature of the communion is this practice of declaring fellowship at all Sunday assemblies. How much better this authentic participation and sharing in the horizontal realm than to treat the Supper as mere checklist and indication of vertical relationship. Already did that today–no more need for declaring fellowship today!
Worship today with the spiritual family I have known and loved for almost a decade will be special–not because of anything that will happen or not happen, but because of the communion we share–declared most clearly in the Supper. No wonder the weekly Supper was seen as a primary reason for the church’s assembly in the New Testament (Acts 20:7). It is true that we will share understandings, prayer, worship, and conversation. But at the Table, we declare unity, acceptance and hope, possible only because of the blood of Jesus.