Holy Communion is one of the Sacraments that God gives His people through His Church. It also known as the “Sacrament of the Altar” or “The Lord’s Supper”. Christ the King celebrates Holy Communion on the first and third Sundays of each month as well on some feast/festival days. Services with Communion will be noted in the upcoming events area on the right side of this page. In being faithful to the Holy Scripture and wishing to prevent people from receiving the Lord’s body and blood in an unworthy manner, Christ the King does not practice what is commonly known as “open communion.” We also do not restrict access to the Lord’s Table to only those who are members of Christ the King. If you are member of good standing of another congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) you are welcome to commune with us (please inform the Pastor of this before the Service begins). If you are not a member of an LCMS congregation, please read the information below for more information on who should receive this Sacrament. If you desire to receive the Lord’s Supper please contact Pastor Reinking prior to visiting or before the Service on the day that you visit.
What is the Lord’s Supper?
Luther gives a simple definition based on the words in the Gospels and 1 Corinthians, “It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and drink, instituted by Christ Himself.” In participating in Communion we commune not only with God, but with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well. In this blessed meal we receive the forgiveness of sins and our faith is strengthened. We follow the Lord Jesus’ command “This do in remembrance of me” (St. Luke 22:19) and to do this often (1 Corinthians 11:25). When we receive the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper we are also receiving the body and blood of Christ. Many churches deny this as they either teach that one receives only body and blood or only bread and wine. But Jesus clearly says “this is” when referring to the elements of Communion, not “this represents”. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul confirms that bread, wine, body, and blood are all present in the divinely inspired book of 1 Corinthians (chapters 10-11). We cannot explain this rationally, but it is a divine mystery that we boldy confess in accordance with the words of the Bible. Holy Communion is indeed a blessed and joyous event. It is also something that should be taken seriously as 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 points out the serious consequences for those that receive Communion in an unworthy way.
Who should receive the Lord’s Supper?
The Bible gives us the answer to this question. The desire of God is that all would be in fellowship with Him and in harmony with their brothers and sisters. But this is not the present reality. Unfortunately, many choose to remain in rebellion against God and to ignore His teachings. You may wish to take a few moments to read what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 and 11:17-34 as it says much about receiving the Lord’s Supper properly. The Bible says that one should “examine himself” before receiving the elements of Communion. In summary, those who commune should:
1. Be Christians. This is fellowship meal of believers. Christians are baptized children of God who confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
2. Have received proper instruction. This does not mean that you must have some type of advanced degree or understand everything about God (which would be impossible), but does mean that before communing one should have been taught the basic doctrines (teachings) of Christianity to include what the Lord’s Supper is and what it means. In the Lutheran Church, children generally begin taking communion around the ages of 13-14 after they have been instructed and confirmed (publicly confess the faith).
3. Be repentant of their sins and seek the aid of God the Holy Spirit in living a Christian life. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Since Holy Communion gives the forgiveness of sins as one of God’s gifts through faith, it is essential that we recognize that we are indeed sinners who have violated God’s Laws and thus are in need of His forgiveness. Christians will still sin as long as we are on this earth, but we desire to live a God-pleasing life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
4. Be forgiving and at peace with their fellow believers. God tells us that as He forgives us, and we must also forgive those who sin against us (St. Matthew 6:12, 14-15). We are not to sow discord by gossiping and holding grudges. We should be at peace with those that we commune with at the Lord’s Table.
5. Believe that they receive the very body and blood of Jesus Christ with the bread and the wine. This has been discussed above and is a very important aspect of the Lord’s Supper. The Sacrament of the Altar is not something we do for God (nor merely a symbol), but something that He does for us in that He is the host of the banquet as well as the feast itself.
A thorough examination prior to communing is attributed to Martin Luther. It consists of 20 questions and can be found here: http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php#qanda
If you are in agreement with these answers (as they agree with what has been revealed in the Bible), we rejoice with you! If you are visiting and have not received Communion at Christ the King before we kindly ask that you speak to Pastor Reinking prior to the Service to ensure that he knows your desire to commune. You are welcome to visit even if you will not be receiving Communion. If you are not communing you may still come up to the Altar during the Lord’s Supper with your arms crossed across your chest (sign of St. Andrew’s cross) and you will receive a blessing.