1. It is good if people
can sit near to each other rather than being spread out.
2. If you sing hymns choose chiefly
from the section on Christ's death, Church ordinances – communion
or the section on Union with Christ.
3. I always like to
sing sitting down (it is a supper) and unaccompanied (as would have
been the case at the last supper).
4. Always include a
message to direct people's thoughts when sitting down to communion.
5. Scripture readings
can come from the appropriate places in Matthew, Mark and Luke or
anywhere from John 13-20. Other obvious places are 1 Corinthians 11,
Philippians 2, etc. Don't forget the Old Testament – Genesis 22,
Exodus 11, 12, Psalm 22, 23, Isaiah 53, etc.
6. I try to break the
bread before distributing it, as Jesus did.
7. Like most churches
we eat the bread separately and drink the wine together. We come to
the table as individuals and as a body.
8. Churches should
avoid lengthy discussions on what sort of bread or wine is used and
how much and in what receptacles.
9. We are free to
decide how often we have communion together. Four times a year or
less is probably not enough, once a week may be too often. Twice a
month is probably about right for most churches.
10. There are good
arguments for detaching the service from the main meetings. The one
snag is the opportunity to bear witness in that way.
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