response to work area instructions
This post is very insightful, and I concord with most of the ideas presented. I will start by extending the idea that for so long, and I believe it is a case for many Christians, we have followed traditions that we do not quite understand. For instance, I began following the church practices from a young age. Through parent’s and church leaders’ guidance, I followed these norms without questioning them. It is only in this career path that I have questioned practices such as baptism and Holy Communion, and luckily, I have gained a better understanding.
This course has helped me, like you, to understand the origin of the Lord’s Table, its relevance in the current times, and some critical issues that need reinforcement. It has served as a symbolic reminder of our communion with God. For a better part of my Christian awareness, I thought the Lord’s Table is symbolic of the body of Jesus, and the blood poured on Calvary. In fact, I had at times wondered why we are literally eating his body and drinking his blood. I am excited that you highlighted that the Lord’s Table comes far beyond – during the Passover. As such, God had institutionalized the Table so that we may not forget the significant moments when he rescued us from suffering.
However, many Christians today misinterpret this context, which may be caused by limited theological teachings of the Bible in churches. As you have mentioned, many people fail to communion because the Table has been branded as unwelcoming for sinners. In other contexts, people disregard its reverence and communion as if they are taking an ordinary meal. We have a role in re-enforcing the meaning and significance of the Lord’s Table and be conscious not to mislead the Church of Christ. As He said in Mathew 18:6, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”